At least the sun was shining and the sea was calm. Afterwards I wished that I too had taken the plunge.
Now let's jump foward five years to 2010. I was determined this year that I too would plunge into the sea on Christmas Day. The event was taking place as usual at Clacton and, even more local to my home, a charitable sea swim had been organised at Felixstowe. In fact all around the British coast similar events were taking place. I decided however that I would prefer to do my Christmas Day swim more discretely in a small cove rather than on a crowded town beach. I suppose I was concerned not to make a fool of myself if I chickened out seconds after my toes first entered the water. The secluded cove I chose does not even feature by name on even detailed Ordinance Survey maps but locally it is called "Anchor Beach".
I suspect many people in Suffolk are unaware of its existance. Certainly I wasn't expecting a large throng of people dressed in their warm winter clothes on hand to witness my Christmas dip. What I hadn't bargained on was the weather! On Christmas Day morning I switched on the TV and selected the News Channel. In big bold letters across the bottom of the screen it said THE BIG FREEZE. Unprecedented low temperatures were being reported across the UK. At this point you are probably expecting me to chicken out?
Troy is not one to be deterred by TV headlines. Once I've made my mind up there is no stopping me. So I hurried down to the cove, stripped down to my swimming shorts and plunged into the sea. It was invigorating and I would recommend it to everyone. After a few minutes in the sea I also had a swim in an outdoor swimming pool. I don't have any photos to show you of my sea plunge but I do have a picture of the sea cove taken a couple of days before Christmas and also a picture of me swimming in the outdoor pool on Christmas Day.
Troy, being sensible, waited until spending Christmas in Lanzarote before having a Christmas Day dip in the sea. Surely you didn't expect ME to do it in the UK? After my dip, Father Christmas came to visit the Troy family on a camel.
I hope you all had a great Christmas and as this will be my last posting of 2010, I wish you all a happy, healthy and enjoyable 2011.
14 comments:
Love it! Clever Troy. There I was thinking how mad you must be for swimming in that freezing sea and all the time you're enjoying the heat. Lucky things. Glad you had a great Christmas.
Oh you really had me there! Didn't see that coming at all. Very envious of your Lanzarote holiday: sounds pure bliss.
Debs - I think it is fair to say that 23C air temperature and 20C water temperature makes a more rewarding experience than the typical UK Christmas Day dip.
Trish - gotcha!
Oh I am so jealous. Hope you and the rest of the family von Troy had an amazing time xxx
Super way to describe it! Glad you enjoyed your seasonal dip. Happy New Year 2011 to you and yours! Hxx
Hehe - fabulous. Glad you had the good sense not to brave the freezing UK seas on Christmas Day.
All the best to you and your family for 2011.
XX
auntiegwen - we all had a great time but it all seems so long ago already.
Hadriana - having been down to the UK coast today, it just reinforces that waiting until Lanzarote was the correct decision.
Suzanne - do you mean you've never fancied jumping into the Firth of Forth on Christmas Day then?
Really really thought you'd been and gone and done it in England. And Suffolk at that. Brrrrr. Lanzarote seems a very good idea indeed... oh, for warmth on our backs! Oh, well, better boil the kettle for a hot water bottle. Will put THAT on my back and dream of the Summer. xxxx
Oh - ha! ha!
Was holding my breath in anticipation!
Glad you had a great Christmas and holiday.
LWM - I should have thought about a hot water bottle before going to the expense of Lanzarote!
Catharine - that was two of us holding our breath then - it took me a little while to get into the sea at Lanzarote - I would never have made it in Suffolk.
LMAO you really had me going until the photo of you in the pool! I was in the UK for Christmas and I know there was nowehere that sunny this year!
What a sensible family decision you made to get out of Blighty, I kinda wish I had stayed home myself! Happy New Year.
Sarah - a Happy New Year to you, its really great to see you back here.
Having taking my 2011 New Year's "polar bear" plunge in the Caribbean Sea while vacationing in St. Maarten, rather than in my "home" Atlantic Ocean off of Long Island, I was not entirely surprised by the finale to your Christmas post, but I loved it anyway! By the way, the New Year's swim is an annual event there (described on my blog at http://thewater-blog.blogspot.com/2011/01/polar-bear-swim-caribbean-style.html) in case you're looking for a different venue for your next Christmas-season dip...!
You had me going there! I was thinking 'where is this glorious cove with palm trees.'!
Post a Comment