I LOVE MANLY BEACH... It's majestic beauty and tranquil waters makes me feel invigorated to begin the day. There was no rain in sight and the sky and water really put on a show. Many swimmers spotting blue gropers, dusky sharks, a turtle and hundreds of schools of colourful fish. The air temperature is dropping and so is the water temperature. But hundreds descended on the beach this morning. The Bold and Beautiful swimmers are definitely a BRAVE bunch.
It makes the morning even better when you get to come down and meet and greet people in the Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad. I suppose that is one of the perks of participating in the blog, the mere fact I can randomly approach people and ask to take their picture and ask a couple of questions (with full conviction) because I am blogging. Hahahahaha
I had the chance to interview a few Bold and Beautiful swimmers who have never appeared on the blog and like all of my blogs I ask them:
- How did you start swimming with the Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad?
- How does it make you feel?
6:20am
6:20am Good Morning
6:30 Squad heading in
Beautiful sunrise was the backdrop of the 6:30 Squad's swim
6:45am I love how the sky is always changing colour #cottoncandysky
7am Squad 310 peeps strong this morn...BOOM!
7am Squad on their way to Shelly (okay you can't really see them but trust me they are in the pic)
Beautiful Manly Beach
7am Squad finished the swim. Yayer!
Now here are some of the awesome people I interviewed today:
Introducing Leonie and Paul
Leonie "I have been watching them for years and I wanted to be brave and bold. I practiced and practiced and it was a personal achievement to be able to come and swim with them. I started swimming last year."
Paul "I started for the same reasons as Leonie and it is a fantastic way to start the day."
Introducing Jill (centre) with her daughters Milly (Left) and Alice (right)
Jill "I started swimming many years ago, 4 or 5 years ago"
Milly "I started swimming down here basically because of my mum. It is refreshing, a great start to the day and invigorating."
Alice "I started swimming becausee the family were into it so I had to jump on the family band wagon. Also mainly because of days like today. Plus coffee afterwards with my mum and my sister."
Introducing Lyndal
"I started swimming with the Bold and Beautiful in 2013 because I was an injured marathon runner and I thought I would work on swimming as part of my 5 year plan to run a triathlon. It makes me feel really great when I do it."
Introducing John
"I couldn't think of a better way to start the day. I swim every weekend and I have been for the past 5 years. It makes me feel wonderful."
Introducing Greg and Sue
Greg "We heard a lot about the ethos down here. We both retired last year so we thought we would give it a go. We both started swimming on Australia Day. It makes me feel welcome. "
Sue "Elaine has been asking me to come down here to swim for years. So I thought I better do it now that I am retired. It makes me feel fantastic. "
Introducing newbies Jess's friend (sorry I didn't catch your name) and Jess.
"We started swimming for the challenge. It was so cool. We saw lots of fish and little sharks."
Introducing Roger (also a Saturday Blogger)
"I swim as hard as I can and when I come back I feel really tired and zenned out. I started swimming because I was lonely. I know hundreds of people now. It has changed my life. It is unreal!"
Introducing mates Sylvain (left), Ben (centre) and Lara (right)
Sylvain "I started to swim with those guys about 3 months ago because I am training for a half ironman. I feel like an aussie doing this because I am originally from France. It is a nice way to start the day it is awesome."
Ben "I started swimming with the Bold and Beautiful because it makes me feel spicy!" hahahahahaha
Lara "I have been swimming with the Bold and Beautiful for about 2 years now. I started swimming to spend time with my friends because they are the ones that introduced me to the group. It makes me feel fantastic!"
Side note: I was stoked to meet Lara this morning. I have considered myself for the past 8 months as the token Asian female that swims with the Bold and Beautiful. You will usually find me wearing a high visibility colour swimsuit or wetsuit so I am easy to spot, just in case. Hahahahaha. After interviewing Lara we realised we have been swimming on alternate days this is why we haven't crossed paths before this morning. I usually swim Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturdays and Lara swims Fridays and Sundays. hahahaha. Between us we have every day of the week covered. A stereotype of asians is that we cannot swim. So together Lara and I are reversing the "Asians can't swim" stereotype slowly. Hahahaha. You are never going to catch us on the Bondi Rescue TV show.
As a mother of 5 boys life is super busy. Here is a fabulous article I read this week. "Connecting with our Kids in the Midst of our Busy Lives" by Heather Grimes
"1) Slow Down – “We are often so rushed to get out the door, dinner on the table and everyone to bed that we miss the small precious moments that are actually there. See if the next time you catch yourself rushing around, if you can take a deep breath, check in and see what or who you might be missing.”
2) Make Contact – “Families are often together but are not actually spending quality time connecting – everyone is doing their own thing, like sitting next to each other while everyone is on their own devices. Where can you make contact today – a simple hug, smile or loving touch can go a long way.”
3) Make it Count – “When was the last time you told your child or partner that you loved them, really looked them in the eyes and expressed your gratitude for something they said or did? See if you can find at least one thing to be grateful for with your family and tell them!”
4) Be Kind – “When we get caught up the stress and demands of keeping up with every day like, we can forget to be nice to each other. See where you can be kind to your loved ones today – perhaps doing something like leaving a sweet note in a lunch box or sending an unexpected text saying, “Just thinking of you.” Be kind whenever possible, knowing that it is always possible.”
Full article is found http://www.mindful.org/noticing-connecting-with-our-kids-in-the-midst-of-busy-lives/
The Taste of Manly: Food Wine and Sustainability Festival is on this weekend in this beautiful part of the world. It is in it's 30th year. Wow! So if you are free come down and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere and listen to great bands whilst enjoying the finer things in life.
Have a fabulous weekend. I know I will with my crew. A lot of you cannot believe I am a mother of 5 and people constantly ask me if I am serious. hahaha. So here they are!
Have a fabulous weekend, peace out
Nat
Statistics
Swimmers: 310
Newbies: 4
Water Temperature:19.7
House Keeping
*B & B Trivia Night* As you are aware B&B is a free for all activity, but there are ongoing costs that need to be met. To help support B&B and keep it the wonderful, inclusive, growing phenomena that it is we will be arranging a fund-raising Trivia Night at The Steyne Hotel on Tuesday 12th July. Please keep this date free so you can come along. In order to make this event a success, we are asking for: - volunteers to assist in the organisation of the event - donation of goods and or services that can be used as auction items or raffle prizes If you can assist with either of these can you please contact John Kelly [email protected]).
*Winter Badge* It's nearly that time again. Winter is coming ... and so are the winter badges. The winter swimming season runs from 1 June to 31 August, and to qualify for your winter badge, you must: - swim at least 20 times during this period - swim in at least 7 different weeks - log your swims To qualify for the WWW badge (winter without wetsuit) you must complete all of the above without wearing a wetsuit or any other form of bodily thermal enhancement (don't forget to check the "without wetsuit" button on the log in screen). Why not give it a try? Any questions - email Ian ( [email protected])
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