Tuesday 23 December 2008

Just off for a swim.

I've been promising to take the kids swimming all weekend (yes, I know it's Tuesday). One thing or another has got in the way, and we keep saying we'll do it tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow...

We are usually regular swimmers. The kids all have swimming lessons and I try to get in the pool twice a week (OK, once a week is more accurate, but the intention to get wet more often is there). Despite appearances, I do actually like doing exercise. I go to the gym. I swim. I rock climb. I hill-walk. I walk the dog. Why I look like a blimp is beyond me. (A heavy dedication to food, I guess.)

Anyway, we piled in the car, leaving the dog at home. (He doesn't have a swimming costume and the life-guards object to the amount of hair he leaves in the pool). There are two pools within 20 minutes drive of our house. One has a slide and wave machine, but only shallow water. It's great for paddling and playing in, but impossible to actually swim in. The other one is a standard rectangle, sometimes with lanes roped off. If you ask nicely, the attendants will give you a float or a noodle. Noodles are thick, rope-shaped floats, as opposed to something you eat with stir-fry. (Mmm, food!).

I love swimming at Christmas. Everybody is so busy munching mince-pies and getting heavily into carousing and debauchery, that the pool is empty. The rectangle of blue was a still as a millpond, until we got in. We were the only ones in there. The life-guards were particularly attentive, probably because they had been bored stiff all day with nothing to do. The kids got a noodle each.

Well, we played 'mermaids and a merman', 'the shark's gonna get you', and 'I'm putting you in the sea-cavern on the steps and the only way to escape is to jump in off the side'. All staple games of the pool. I managed to do my requisite 30 lengths in between these more important activities.

We finally got out when we had all managed to become seriously wrinkly. Most of the kids had hot-chocolate. It was a lovely afternoon.

3 comments:

  1. Oh to swim! There are no indoor pool nearby here. We would have to drive over an hour! Occasionally we get to stay at a hotel with an indoor pool. We do have an outdoor pool, but it is pretty small and only open 3 months out of the year. Sounds like you all had a great time. Noodles and all!

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  2. Oh I love swimming too, last time I went I had a big wee in the pool. Ang and I also like to play dive for the plaster and pulling the pubes from between my finger webs. Another game we like to play are 'pully pully shorts down' and 'eeky sneeky lifty bikini tops up'. We recently were at David Lloyd Health Club and the jacuzzi wasn't working so we endevoured to make our own bubbles.
    Merry chrismas sister.

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  3. Thanks for sharing, bro. I'm glad I don't use the same facilities as you!
    R xx

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