Monsoon Lido

Sue totally submerged, pushing off and getting away from the rain drops

Monday morning and it is raining cats and dogs ... Sue Rentoul even compared it to a monsoon ... she too cycled to the lido and arrived just seconds before me ... her glasses were completely steamed up ... plastered in raindrops .. not sure what her vision must have been like ?! :)

The water still at 5 Celsius (at least in the deep end - where the thermometer is). I couldn't catch up with David to check what it was in the shallow end... probably, as usual 1/2 a degree colder!

Despite the relentless rain it was such fun at the lido this morning ... swimming two lengths was simply amazing - gorgeous actually! The water felt softer than usual .. probably thanks to hours of continuous rain! There are always two sides to a coin!

Swimming two lengths was indeed pure ecstasy ... and yet I don't think I could swim five lengths which is what the swimmers entered for the endurance race at the championships will have to swim ..!

After my swim and some time in the sauna I went in the pool again. This time I was partly being filmed by Sasha who is doing a film on people preparing for the championships and partly holding the camera myself as I was walking down the steps into the water. Sasha also asked me to hold the camera while jumping in .. and then I offered to hold it while diving in (the deep end) .. I'm sure it will make for interesting footage!?! Sasha is working on an MBA in film (I think to remember her telling us...)

Before and after all that activity I took a series of photos.

the view from cycling : the path that runs parallel to tooting bec road towards the lido was like a stream

view out of my cubicle

lovely rain drops

Sue Rentoul on her swim - she swam two lengths and a few widths .. I think two ?!

Charlotte taking performing at the opening ceremony of the Champs. very seriously .. she is practicing every day - come rain, or rain ... which is practically all we have had for the past few days ... mind you, she did shelter under the pull put roof in front of the caf!

Now that's what I call good planning!

Barbara, staying dry walking from the sauna to the pool ... before getting ...

... well, wet! ... but not totally wet! To be fair I asked Barbara to keep holding the umbrella for the sake ...

... of great shots!

... she walked one width holding the umbrella ...

... before swimming one width back .. Barbara is doing remarkably well ... she dislocated her shoulder a few weeks ago and is slowly able to get the full use of her range of movement back!

Both arms fully stretched out again. Great to see!

Remember to also catch up on all of today's boos!