The Big Splish

Today, Friday, May 27th marked an end or shall I say a beginning?! Well, both really! Traditionally, the Tooting Bec Lido opens to the public on the second May Bank Holiday weekend ... which is this weekend. (Hasn't the month of May simply flown by ...)

Anyway, as from tomorrow Tooting Bec Lido members will have to (possibly reluctantly!) share the pool with the public. During the summer months (until the end of September) many more swimmers will have the pleasure of using ("our") fabulous facilities. Let's hope the weather continues to be as glorious as it has been for the last couple of months so that we can all enjoy our swims.

A word of warning though ... watch out for the return of the "sharks". Wetsuits have been starting to come and more of them will join in. They are usually extremely focused on getting their swim done!More interested in training for their upcoming Tri Athlon than looking out for other swimmers .... So, what that can mean is that they occasionally mow down "non sharks" :)

But back to today. This morning belonged to the Tooting Bec Lido Belles (and one Beau)! Sangeeta organised a group dive at 7am. This time the dive was to mark the end of two glorious months of swimming in more agreeable temperatures and the beginning of the summer season when the pool will no longer only "belong" to the die hard swimmers who come and swim at the Lido all year round ... come rain, snow, ice and even sun shine! Nooo, it will as mentioned earlier, also be shared with the general public.

To top the venue, team leader Sangeeta also persuaded many of the infamous Lido members to paint their toe nails in the colours of the cubicles ... green, red, yellow and blue! She even provided the varnish!

Enjoy the photos and videos as today (sadly) also marks the end of this season's blog because no one is allowed to take photographs or video footage at the Lido during the "public season".

But before I go (and I'll most probably be back come Oct 2011!) let me also mention another challenge. Sangeeta, this time inspired by no other than Egg, set a further challenge to her faithful group members. She called them up to join her in the challenge of swimming one mile. In return, the accomplished swimmer will receive a beautiful certificate designed by Wendy and signed by Sangeeta herself! Well, I ask you, who else could have possibly made the achievement official other than Sangeeta?!

So, today, also marked the day I took the challenge (full) on!). Before getting in for my swim, I wasn't sure whether I felt up to it? The air temperature was quite fresh and I had been recording all of the action which meant standing in the cold for longer than one normally does.

Anyway, as I got in I (surprisingly) felt very good! The water was warmer than the air - not always a good sign ... :) but I really felt happier in the water than out!

Need I say anymore? I swam the 18 lengths of the pool - got tangled up in the yellow monster's tail on three occasions .. but other than that it was a very good mile! Towards the end (on length 14) I could feel the little finger of my right hand stick out uncontrollably .. which (for me) is always the sign that I'm getting rather cold and should really get out! But my stroke felt really lovely and effortless so I pushed on. Mile done! I was a touch dizzy coming out of the pool though. Alison, who had also swam a mile but feels the colds much less than I do noticed me being a touch "wobbly". She kindly asked whether she should keep an eye on me until I had finished showering?! Other than shivering for a while I was fine! Thanx Alison and Thank you Sangeeta for handing me "The Mile challenge". And Wendy, thank you in advance for getting my certificate ready!

Enjoy the photos and videos !

and remember to also listen to today's audio boos :)

Gail swimming a few lengths ...

... before "The Dive"

Alison swimming on after The Dive

anybody know whose beautiful hand stand that is?

take another look - same person -

I think I'll giver her slightly different marks for this one!

this may be the clue you needed?!

the coloured toes belong to the hand stand!

Chris, Nick and Sue came later and missed out on the dive / handstand action

their sport was not to get tangled up in the rope attached to the dingy and Brian was holding, standing at the edge of the pool

Mr Bubbles was powering up and down

past the dingy and (only just) under the rope - Brian was playing tricks!

trying to catch out Nick and Jonathan!

Jonathan made it safely under the rope

no more messing around -

back to business for Chris, Nick and Sue!

For some reason the videos are not up loading ....

I will endeavour to keep trying ... in the meantime, enjoy the photos and the boos.

latest update: videos are uploaded !

The Dive

Hand Stand no. TWO

Anticipation before The Dive

Hand Stand No ONE