Swimming ...

[Old Grumpy]

I saw wild cyclamen in the mountains

Were they Mamils?

OG

[ardcarp]

Alps, thank goodness there's someone else on this Forum who actually likes swimming! I wondered for a moment if I were some sort of freak....don't answer that anyone.

[Lat-Literal]

It took me a long time to have the confidence not to drown when I took my feet off the bottom of the pool.

But when I went to secondary school, the establishment had its own pool (33 & 1/3 yards long, but with curved corners that restricted its usefulness). But as we one of only a few school with its own pool, we used to win most interschool contests. I became a bog-standard member of the school swimming team, but never actually won a race until I was in the 6th form, after which I was made team captain, possibly because I was proficient in all 4 strokes.


On leaving school, I only swam occasionally, but at the grand age of 56, joined the local "masters" swimming club, and won the over 40s trophy. If fact, I still hold the honour technically, as the club folded when the pool closed.


When I do go swimming, I'm still very competitive, always trying to outdo the others in the pool.

33 and a third with curved corners - that's what we used to call an LP.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

33 and a third with curved corners - that's what we used to call an LP.

[Richard Tarleton]

I no longer go near swimming pools after expensive, prolonged and painful treatment to get rid of verrucas acquired at a leisure centre pool...(I'm an expert on the available treatments, and any/all the stuff you buy over the counter in chemists is completely useless, as is the GP recommendation these days of putting duck tape on them till they fall off ) - ultimately a local foot doctor did the job with industrial strength chemicals not available over the counter.

I love swimming, but sea only these days and the conditions have to be perfect - basically, the Mediterranean......

[ardcarp]

I'm afraid my 'pool' is the English Channel, which may get up to 20 degrees on a good day in France...but seldom above 18 in the UK. (It's about 12/13 degrees at the moment.) I only use swimming pools very occasionally with grandchildren in tow...or rather in the lead. Never mind the verrucas, a recent statistic suggested an average swimming pool has approx one dustbin-full of urine in it! Yuk.

[MrGongGong]

It would be churlish not to mention the ubiquitous (and wonderful) Kerry at this point

https://www.tete-a-tete.org.uk/event/darts-love/

[french frank]

Were they Mamils?

OG

Had to look it up, but

[Old Grumpy]

Lots round here, especially on Sunday mornings!

[ardcarp]

It would be churlish not to mention the ubiquitous (and wonderful) Kerry at this point

https://www.tete-a-tete.org.uk/event/darts-love/

Very happy memories (over 30 years ago, I guess) of skinny dipping in the Dart on a late summer's evening after doing a concert in Buckfast Abbey. Absolutely idyllic but don't tell the monks.

[french frank]

Very happy memories (over 30 years ago, I guess) of skinny dipping in the Dart on a late summer's evening after doing a concert in Buckfast Abbey. Absolutely idyllic but don't tell the monks.

My next door neighbour hails from Devon and he said their family Christmas tradition is to take a dip in the Dart. Um … yes Not at Christmas, anyway …

[Stanfordian]

I'm afraid my 'pool' is the English Channel, which may get up to 20 degrees on a good day in France...but seldom above 18 in the UK. (It's about 12/13 degrees at the moment.) I only use swimming pools very occasionally with grandchildren in tow...or rather in the lead. Never mind the verrucas, a recent statistic suggested an average swimming pool has approx one dustbin-full of urine in it! Yuk.

Hello Ardcarp,

I was a keen swimmer but I have been completely put off by the similar matters you mention.

[Nick Armstrong]

Since permanently dodging the toad work, I make a point of getting a 30-40 minutes swim in every week - I find it remarkable for eliminating the odd muscular ache and pain... to coin a phrase, I feel like a new man after a swim (no volunteers thanks )

[ardcarp]

Hello Ardcarp,

I was a keen swimmer but I have been completely put off by the similar matters you mention.

You mean, like piscine?

[Nick Armstrong]

You mean, like piscine?

... I'm reasonably confident the two pools within easy cycling distance of where I live are relatively clean. Certainly the changing rooms are cleaned practically constantly, and in what will shortly been 3 years of regular visits, I've never had any health/verruca issues.

Being able to choose the time to go is crucial - the 'golden hour' is between 3 & 4pm, before the kids' lessons. Sometimes there are only one or two other people in there - in fact, just after Christmas, I arrived to dimmed lights and a completely empty pool. I called to the lifeguard to check it was actually open; it was, and I enjoyed 20 minutes with the whole pool to myself, before someone else arrived...