Dover - Gateway to Britain, the first place many travellers see to as they arrive on the shores of our Great Country. A place to be proud of. A Place to impress our overseas friends with their first view of Britain, and all that we have to offer.
Dover a place with many excellent visitor attractions, Dover Castle, Roman Painted House, The White Cliffs experience and to top it all - a group of nutters stripping down to swimming costumes on a cold wet weekend and choosing to get into the sea at 9degrees centigrade! That's just a couple of degrees warmer than your kitchen fridge!
Not only swimming in that temperature (and perversly enjoying it) but staying in for an hour, getting out for an hour (to thaw out) and then getting back in for another hour! The joy - The pleasure.
I am happy to admit to being one of these afore mentioned nutters, and to enjoy (to what many view as masochistic) the challenge of taking your body to a level of hypothermia whilst swimming before knowing when to get out before you are incapable of getting out as your body gets too cold!
There is a highly comical and free attraction for tourists on Dover Beach every Saturday and Sunday Morning to experience - semi naked people trying to get out of wet costumes, into dry clothes whilst shivering uncontrollably and then attempting to drink hot beverages without physically throwing it down yourself as you shake, rattle and roll your way to getting warm!
Welcome to Britain!
Monday, 10 May 2010
Monday, 26 April 2010
Cold Feet?
This time last year I was recovering from an operation to remove the chipped end of a broken elbow, hence missing the start of the open water season from May 1st (the sea is approx 10 degrees centigrade at this time of year - breathtaking!) and hence why I was not able to attempt the English Channel Last year.
It all dates back to trying to be a hero.....
When 3 kids scream 'WASP!', any respectable father dons his cape and flies to the rescue. Unfortunately I can't fly or perhaps I wouldn't have broken the end of my elbow!
This was a clever wasp and knew to the millimetre how far it could remain out of my reach, motivated to save my children from the perils of a wasp and spurred by their screams, I jumped up, swinging my arm at full (over)stretch and smashed my hand flat against the wasp. DEAD!
After the initial euphoria of prooving my manhood, and gaining the respect of my kids, my elbow decided that moving was not a great idea! To prove this point it continued to send sharp pain messages to my brain that at first was in denial!
Eventually my brain caught up with my elbow and I decided it would be a good idea to get it checked out. Continuing my theme of being a hero, having succesfully returned the house to one without screaming, I decided to drive - thankfully an automatic - to my local hospital to get seen to.
This was Mothering Sunday and I was suppossed to be on cooking duty. Many comments have been made suggesting that I would go to any extreme to avoid cooking the Sunday roast, but I strenuously deny this! It's surprising how busy A&E is on a Mothering Sunday - a lot of suspected cases of food poisoning apparantly - at least my family were spared that!
Any way to complete the story and this 'post' I had the snapped off end of the elbow - called a growth spur - which was removed by a pleasant and efficient surgeon and I spent the next couple of months getting back into training using a kick board (float).
This year I have avoided any contact with insects of any stripe, almost to following this with 'Zen like' reverence, believing that just maybe the wasp got its own back!
I am in full training and looking forward to getting 'cold feet' of the physical rather than mental type when I take my first out door dip this year on May 1st.
It all dates back to trying to be a hero.....
When 3 kids scream 'WASP!', any respectable father dons his cape and flies to the rescue. Unfortunately I can't fly or perhaps I wouldn't have broken the end of my elbow!
This was a clever wasp and knew to the millimetre how far it could remain out of my reach, motivated to save my children from the perils of a wasp and spurred by their screams, I jumped up, swinging my arm at full (over)stretch and smashed my hand flat against the wasp. DEAD!
After the initial euphoria of prooving my manhood, and gaining the respect of my kids, my elbow decided that moving was not a great idea! To prove this point it continued to send sharp pain messages to my brain that at first was in denial!
Eventually my brain caught up with my elbow and I decided it would be a good idea to get it checked out. Continuing my theme of being a hero, having succesfully returned the house to one without screaming, I decided to drive - thankfully an automatic - to my local hospital to get seen to.
This was Mothering Sunday and I was suppossed to be on cooking duty. Many comments have been made suggesting that I would go to any extreme to avoid cooking the Sunday roast, but I strenuously deny this! It's surprising how busy A&E is on a Mothering Sunday - a lot of suspected cases of food poisoning apparantly - at least my family were spared that!
Any way to complete the story and this 'post' I had the snapped off end of the elbow - called a growth spur - which was removed by a pleasant and efficient surgeon and I spent the next couple of months getting back into training using a kick board (float).
This year I have avoided any contact with insects of any stripe, almost to following this with 'Zen like' reverence, believing that just maybe the wasp got its own back!
I am in full training and looking forward to getting 'cold feet' of the physical rather than mental type when I take my first out door dip this year on May 1st.
Monday, 4 January 2010
New Year - Old Resolution
2 years ago I decided to attempt to swim the English Channel, this was not a child hood dream, not a mid life crisis, just a way of getting of my behind and doing something a little bit challenging!
I started by swimming A LOT I joined Eltham Training and Swimming Club, and met other would be English Channel and Open Water swimmers. In a nutshell - I swam the English Channel as part of a 6 person relay in 2008. (More of that on my next instalment!)
Last year 2009 I was supposed to swim the English Channel on a solo attempt. I had to pull-out. (More on that on future instalments - but just to keep you interested - it involved a wasp, a wall and a spur??)
I am now scheduled to swim the first week of September 2010. The following blog(s) (my first attempt)will chart the progress.
I do have a donation page: www.justgiving.com/romax-demelza feel free to donate!
I hope you enjoy.....
Robin
I started by swimming A LOT I joined Eltham Training and Swimming Club, and met other would be English Channel and Open Water swimmers. In a nutshell - I swam the English Channel as part of a 6 person relay in 2008. (More of that on my next instalment!)
Last year 2009 I was supposed to swim the English Channel on a solo attempt. I had to pull-out. (More on that on future instalments - but just to keep you interested - it involved a wasp, a wall and a spur??)
I am now scheduled to swim the first week of September 2010. The following blog(s) (my first attempt)will chart the progress.
I do have a donation page: www.justgiving.com/romax-demelza feel free to donate!
I hope you enjoy.....
Robin
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