Day 138 – 1st December 2010

Back from my travels to New York and returned to blasted snow! Sorry to be a grump but snow and I just don’t get on! To name a few reasons; it’s disruptive to work, it’s cold, it’s disruptive to work, it’s cold, it’s disruptive to work ........

A little about New York, not to rub it in at all, but just so I can look back over this and re-enjoy the experience! Sharon and I became adults for a few days; no children meant no children talk and no “Daddy can we or Mummy can we or arggggggg”. Love them and certainly missed them, but getting to talk to Sharon without interruption was a “neat experience” (NY talk). We shopped until we dropped (literally), we ice skated in Central Park, we saw Wicked (best musical ever) in Times Square and we saw Michael Buble in concert at Madison Sq Garden; sitting just 3 rows back from the stage! Oh yes and not forgetting we did eat in between!!

We got back Tuesday midday after a decent 9 hour flight, all ready to get back to normal life. We were met head on with a true English winter; snow everywhere and minus 1 degrees. For the first time ever in my life this had a brand new meaning and horror; it is called Swimming. Putting it out of my mind I went about the usual unpacking and time with kids and then bed, but the morning came around exceptionally fast unfortunately.

Down at the Arches there were less than usual, however, my usual friends (Bob x 2, David, Soweichi, Paul, Mike, Bella) were there. They all went in, I think they did a quick in and out. Big Bob and I went for a proper swim. The beach was completly white and the snow was still dopping down from above; the sea was very calm; luring us into it’s claws (claws being the operative word if you see our hands afterwards). We went straight in without hesitation and swam along the coast to the donut at the first groin, then turned and swam back to the pier and then turned back to the donut. I bailed out half way back to the donut, but Bob being the man, finished the swim. I think we must have done 14 minutes (him 15 minutes) before we trudged back up the beach. To say my feet and hands hurt was truly an understatement, I really thought they could snap off. Just getting my flipflops back on was so difficult that I ended up on the beach on my bottom as I couldn’t stand and slip them on (Bob did exactly the same a minute later!). Jumping into a very hot shower was clearly silly as I very quickly felt sick and had to squat down; it only lasted about 30 seconds, but it wasn’t very nice. I guess my blood pressure must have dropped in the sea very quickly and then the hot shower raised it very quickly. Need to definitely be careful of that! Tomorrow I will go back again, although for the first time since I started I really am not looking forward to it. I think I may just do 10 minutes max tomorrow as I don't want to overdo it, plus I have to somehow get through the snow and up to London by late morning.

The temperature I believe was about 6 degrees in the water and -1 in the air; so far the coldest for me ever.

Utter madness!!!