Pacific Jules

20/12/2017 - The Best Things in Life are Free... like the B&B :-) :-)

We all know our swim is special...Dining at Doyles yesterday with overseas visitors was really lovely but it did make me think... After parting with a few hundred $s I thought about the happiness and joy we get from our daily ritual. And it's completely free!!! Of course we know it's so much more than a swim... About 350 joined in today including 17 newbies!

Sharing showers with friends afterwards is pretty good!

If you come down a bit earlier, catching first light or a  sunrise in this part of the world ...is just magic!

Getting old friends to join in and see them more often is great,like Sue with Heather.

So much warmth, support, camaraderie and laughter... 

Special moments when family join you for a swim, like Sophie's Dad Mike over from England, with niece Louise and Elliot

Pure joy when we've seen a Turtle like Carol and Barb today. (Barb declares ecstatically that she's  seen the Cow Nose Rays, Duskies and a Wobbie in the last week!)

You even get to have chats with legends like Chris who is yacht racing around the world and doing the Sydney to Hobart as part of it next Week! (Guy is a bit of a legend too for different reasons :-))

...and then there's the anticipation of what the swim will be like. A little rough but refreshing on a hot day. The temp is a bit warmer at 20.5 although there were some much colder patches.

Most of us love jumping the waves though. Paul, (who sometimes dresses up as Jesus) with a white, snowy nose!

The water got clearer as we hit Shelly Beach, all invigorated and refreshed having released all our stress and stretched our muscles!

Lots and lots of very happy people with endorphins flowing fast and furiously through their bodies!

Amanda and sister Debbie spread some Christmas cheer. Thanks for the pre-swim rum balls Amanda.

Val and Jill always there with a kind word...



Richard, Bernard and Mike ageing fearlessly!

Younger swimmers mix with oldies!

Running back with Sophie. (She was feeling a bit hypothermic after ditching the wettie), we bump in to my lovely overseas visitors and Freddie the dog!

and more friendly swimmers. Patrick with Chloe and Robert happy to see Turbo.

The thrill of making it through the waves and rip with your goggles intact! (A few swimmers lost theirs today so Ok the swim wasn't free for them!)

 A lot of you know the story of the Turtle... On Monday I was swimming early around The Point and Max called to me as there was a Turtle swimming and coming up for breath. It was such a beautiful sight but then we saw it had a balloon tie around it's neck which trailed behind him. It seemed to slow it down and with Max on the ready to help I managed to dive down and pull the blue string and it swam away! Please think twice about balloons and other plastic bits over Christmas that could end up in the ocean. I know our swimmers are very careful but it was a timely reminder.

A few photos above of swimmers last Christmas. Remember to wear something Christmassy at the swim especially on Christmas day, and have a fantastic Yule tide folks!

lots of love

Lainey

A couple of great pieces of video have been recently completed and its available on YouTube. 

 Zoe & Annalise's UTube on B&B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbfA2vgdD3s&feature=youtu.be

Jenny Knapman's UTube on B&B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddNJ_uVnbZY&index=5&list=PLSsPkdTEfOpnHLFsWnk1Imm_pI7XHaxf3 

SUMMER SWIMS

The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on a Saturday to be advised.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food and drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

EXCLUSIVE TO B&B

Introducing the INAMO PINK CURL - waterproof contactless payment tag! It's amazing!

ENTER "B&B" IN 'COUPON CODE' (& click apply) AT CHECKOUT TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT

Slip your CURL onto your existing watch or fitness band to make tap and-go payments. You never need to carry cash when going swimming again.
Enter "B&B" in the Coupon Code of the Shopping Bag to get your exclusive discount on your PINK INAMO CURL, or any other item on the INAMO website.

If you purchase the PINK INAMO CURL it's exclusive to B&B, so... if you see someone else donning one, anywhere in the world, you know they are a fellow B&B Swimmer - pretty cool hey !!!

Special offer ON NOW for B&B swimmers. Get Yours today!

Enter 'B&B' in the Coupon Code to secure your discount and the benefit of never having to carry your wallet down to the beach when you go swimming again.

* There are NO monthly account keeping fees, transaction or load fees

Bold and Beautiful is owned and operated by Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad Pty Ltd.

 

A couple of great pieces of video have been recently completed and its available on YouTube. 

 Zoe & Annalise's UTube on B&B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbfA2vgdD3s&feature=youtu.be

Jenny Knapman's UTube on B&B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddNJ_uVnbZY&index=5&list=PLSsPkdTEfOpnHLFsWnk1Imm_pI7XHaxf3 

SUMMER SWIMS

The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on a Saturday to be advised.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food and drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

EXCLUSIVE TO B&B

Introducing the INAMO PINK CURL - waterproof contactless payment tag! It's amazing!

ENTER "B&B" IN 'COUPON CODE' (& click apply) AT CHECKOUT TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT

Slip your CURL onto your existing watch or fitness band to make tap and-go payments. You never need to carry cash when going swimming again.
Enter "B&B" in the Coupon Code of the Shopping Bag to get your exclusive discount on your PINK INAMO CURL, or any other item on the INAMO website.

If you purchase the PINK INAMO CURL it's exclusive to B&B, so... if you see someone else donning one, anywhere in the world, you know they are a fellow B&B Swimmer - pretty cool hey !!!

Special offer ON NOW for B&B swimmers. Get Yours today!

Enter 'B&B' in the Coupon Code to secure your discount and the benefit of never having to carry your wallet down to the beach when you go swimming again.

* There are NO monthly account keeping fees, transaction or load fees

Bold and Beautiful is owned and operated by Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad Pty Ltd.

The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on a Saturday to be advised.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food and drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

EXCLUSIVE TO B&B

Introducing the INAMO PINK CURL - waterproof contactless payment tag! It's amazing!

ENTER "B&B" IN 'COUPON CODE' (& click apply) AT CHECKOUT TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT

Slip your CURL onto your existing watch or fitness band to make tap and-go payments. You never need to carry cash when going swimming again.
Enter "B&B" in the Coupon Code of the Shopping Bag to get your exclusive discount on your PINK INAMO CURL, or any other item on the INAMO website.

If you purchase the PINK INAMO CURL it's exclusive to B&B, so... if you see someone else donning one, anywhere in the world, you know they are a fellow B&B Swimmer - pretty cool hey !!!

Special offer ON NOW for B&B swimmers. Get Yours today!

Enter 'B&B' in the Coupon Code to secure your discount and the benefit of never having to carry your wallet down to the beach when you go swimming again.

* There are NO monthly account keeping fees, transaction or load fees

19/12/17 Beautiful Tuesday

What a great morning at Manly today.

This is Chris and Arthur two of the gung ho boys from the 6.30 crew. Looking fit!

This is Jason and it was his first swim today after many months of contemplation. I hope that you enjoyed your swim.

This is Skye, Karen & Stacey, looking happy & energetic.

Our beautiful Annie & Michael before their 7am swim.

Beautiful friends Annie, Martin, Michelle, Mary, Peter and Penny ready for their swim.

A few of the young benchies, Matt, Murray, Daniel and Tom, looking happy.

Matt contemplating his swim on the way from the car park.


What a stunning morning.

Stats:

Temp 21.4

Newbies:11

Swimmers: 226

Have a great Day !

Jenny :))

 

A couple of great pieces of video has been recently completed and its available on YouTube. Hope you like them. 

 Zoe & Annalise's UTube on B&B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbfA2vgdD3s&feature=youtu.be

Jenny Knapman's UTube on B&B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddNJ_uVnbZY&index=5&list=PLSsPkdTEfOpnHLFsWnk1Imm_pI7XHaxf3 

SUMMER SWIMS

The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on a Saturday to be advised.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food and drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

EXCLUSIVE TO B&B

Introducing the INAMO PINK CURL - waterproof contactless payment tag! It's amazing!

ENTER "B&B" IN 'COUPON CODE' (& click apply) AT CHECKOUT TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT

Slip your CURL onto your existing watch or fitness band to make tap and-go payments. You never need to carry cash when going swimming again.
Enter "B&B" in the Coupon Code of the Shopping Bag to get your exclusive discount on your PINK INAMO CURL, or any other item on the INAMO website.

If you purchase the PINK INAMO CURL it's exclusive to B&B, so... if you see someone else donning one, anywhere in the world, you know they are a fellow B&B Swimmer - pretty cool hey !!!

Special offer ON NOW for B&B swimmers. Get Yours today!

Enter 'B&B' in the Coupon Code to secure your discount and the benefit of never having to carry your wallet down to the beach when you go swimming again.

* There are NO monthly account keeping fees, transaction or load fees

Bold and Beautiful is owned and operated by Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad Pty Ltd.

The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on a Saturday to be advised.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food and drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

EXCLUSIVE TO B&B

Introducing the INAMO PINK CURL - waterproof contactless payment tag! It's amazing!

ENTER "B&B" IN 'COUPON CODE' (& click apply) AT CHECKOUT TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT

Slip your CURL onto your existing watch or fitness band to make tap and-go payments. You never need to carry cash when going swimming again.
Enter "B&B" in the Coupon Code of the Shopping Bag to get your exclusive discount on your PINK INAMO CURL, or any other item on the INAMO website.

If you purchase the PINK INAMO CURL it's exclusive to B&B, so... if you see someone else donning one, anywhere in the world, you know they are a fellow B&B Swimmer - pretty cool hey !!!

Special offer ON NOW for B&B swimmers. Get Yours today!

Enter 'B&B' in the Coupon Code to secure your discount and the benefit of never having to carry your wallet down to the beach when you go swimming again.

* There are NO monthly account keeping fees, transaction or load fees

Monday 18th December 2017 - “sniff the wind, ride the tide, split the rip....”

Roger said,

Everyone will be there....

 

It’ll be grand

 

We can be in the blog

Talk about Santa

Sweep up the glass

Sniff the wind

Put our pretty caps on

 

Ride the tide

Split the rip

Pose for Simon

Snack on Devon 

Watch the skies 

See Roberto’s next cap

 

Pat strange dogs

And drink coffees together ...

 

It’ll be a Merry Cancer Council rashy Christmas 🎄

 

Water temp 21.5

Swimmers 290

Newbies 2 of the 10

 

Have a great week ahead  a Merry Christmas 

Simon

 

Ps Lainey saved a turtle

Ppss 

if you lost this flipper see Ian tomorrow 

———————————————

SUMMER SWIMS

The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on a Saturday to be advised.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food and drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

EXCLUSIVE TO B&B

Introducing the INAMO PINK CURL - waterproof contactless payment tag! It's amazing!

ENTER "B&B" IN 'COUPON CODE' (& click apply) AT CHECKOUT TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT

Slip your CURL onto your existing watch or fitness band to make tap and-go payments. You never need to carry cash when going swimming again.
Enter "B&B" in the Coupon Code of the Shopping Bag to get your exclusive discount on your PINK INAMO CURL, or any other item on the INAMO website.

If you purchase the PINK INAMO CURL it's exclusive to B&B, so... if you see someone else donning one, anywhere in the world, you know they are a fellow B&B Swimmer - pretty cool hey !!!

Special offer ON NOW for B&B swimmers. Get Yours today!

Enter 'B&B' in the Coupon Code to secure your discount and the benefit of never having to carry your wallet down to the beach when you go swimming again.

* There are NO monthly account keeping fees, transaction or load fees

 

 

 

 

17/12/2017 To half way or not to half way?

Mornin' all. Inner Westies here. 

That was the question we all pondered on arrival...

 26 newbies, 420 olbies (doesn't quite work does it!) and warm water 20.8 degrees. 

Seas have been rough this week and again this morning. Even a bit of surf at Shelly.

The pictures tell the story today - lots of happy snaps.

 

And Toby (swimmer of the day!!) - check out his cool necklace...

Made it back again

Dangerous current. Dangerous man (but we couldn't do it without him !)

See you all next week. 

 

SUMMER SWIMS

The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on a Saturday to be advised.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food and drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

EXCLUSIVE TO B&B

Introducing the INAMO PINK CURL - waterproof contactless payment tag! It's amazing!

ENTER "B&B" IN 'COUPON CODE' (& click apply) AT CHECKOUT TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT

Slip your CURL onto your existing watch or fitness band to make tap and-go payments. You never need to carry cash when going swimming again.
Enter "B&B" in the Coupon Code of the Shopping Bag to get your exclusive discount on your PINK INAMO CURL, or any other item on the INAMO website.

If you purchase the PINK INAMO CURL it's exclusive to B&B, so... if you see someone else donning one, anywhere in the world, you know they are a fellow B&B Swimmer - pretty cool hey !!!

Special offer ON NOW for B&B swimmers. Get Yours today!

Enter 'B&B' in the Coupon Code to secure your discount and the benefit of never having to carry your wallet down to the beach when you go swimming again.

* There are NO monthly account keeping fees, transaction or load fees

It's summer time and the surf's up

Hearing distant thunder early this morning, I made a quiet wager with myself that the 6k and 10k swim would be called off. Betting against yourself is the best bet there is because there are no losers, but more on that later.

Despite the conditions, over 300 bold and beautiful people came to swim together at Manly this morning, including 19 newbies. Water temp was 20.5 - my body perception tells me that the air and water temps were pretty much the same, and that was very pleasant.

Here are Michael, Grant and Jesse, all ready for the 6:30 swim

As well as Annie and her brother Tommy

 Upper management aka the gods above are discussing Secret Management Business. Good to see you're keeping the meds up, Ian

Here's a vaguely arty photo courtesy of IOS11

Some happy weekend faces, but little do they know what they're about to hear (although JB knows and is keeping shtum for the moment)

 

 

The 6 and 10 are off!!! As in not happening today

It's the solemn duty of the gods above to inform us and dispense their wisdom.

The waves are this big says JK

Some appear perturbed but for others it doesn't seem to have sunk in yet

The advice as always is to be aware of and realistic about your ability to handle conditions on the day.

Many opted for the Bold and Beautiful Summer Biathlon - walk to Shelley, swim and then walk back

Some took the Half Way option

At Shelley

The obligatory dog photo

The Bower boulders. Just because

I have no idea what this is

I heard many stories of duskies and wobbegongs today, but this is what I saw

Pauline and Binh

Errol looks to be having a good day

This is newbie Astrid who was using the Shelley showers with new swimming friends Amanda Anna (or have I got that wrong? If I have, very sorry) and Anne. The real A team 

,

And these on the way back. This blog product has a mind of its own and sometimes decides to rotate photos.

Turbo playing his favourite game - biting the waves

Made it back!

 

Back on dry land many of us can hang about and chat over our morning coffee, it's such a nice start to the weekend

Some have to work, thanks for the great job you do, lifeguards and lifesavers



And  now......

Summer Swims
The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on a Saturday to be advised.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food and drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

EXCLUSIVE TO B&B

Introducing the INAMO PINK CURL - waterproof contactless payment tag! It's amazing!

ENTER "B&B" IN 'COUPON CODE' (& click apply) AT CHECKOUT TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT

Slip your CURL onto your existing watch or fitness band to make tap and-go payments. You never need to carry cash when going swimming again.
Enter "B&B" in the Coupon Code of the Shopping Bag to get your exclusive discount on your PINK INAMO CURL, or any other item on the INAMO website.

If you purchase the PINK INAMO CURL it's exclusive to B&B, so... if you see someone else donning one, anywhere in the world, you know they are a fellow B&B Swimmer - pretty cool hey !!!

Special offer ON NOW for B&B swimmers. Get Yours today!

Enter 'B&B' in the Coupon Code to secure your discount and the benefit of never having to carry your wallet down to the beach when you go swimming again.

* There are NO monthly account keeping fees, transaction or load fees

 

Cool, clean and contagious (no I'm not talking about the A-Team)

What a morning! It was lovely to come down to some nice swell breaking off the point and a bunch of surfers and bodysurfers getting long peeling waves! Official temp was 19.7 degrees but I reckon there were patches of 17...

I arrived as the Mayor of the Bold and Beautiful, The Right Honourable Ian was addressing the gathered masses... though clearly Hon. Bruce Baird was not interested...

Coming around the point the A-team were tightly bunched together...

And then Irishman Alex seemed to have a clear lead over the Ghost and Big Vin...

 

But by the time of the ramp Big Vin had cruised past on a wave, hitting the shower as Irishman Alex walked sheepishly up the ramp!

It was also nice to have Swedish Sarah back at the swim this morning... here she is mid head shake to dry the hair...

I missed who hit their 1000km swim today - maybe you can congratulate them in the comments!

I've had a big week in Pastor-land... one of our young couples had an emergency C-section and then their little girl was rushed to ICU with little chance of surviving. The nurses are now calling her their Christmas miracle baby after a remarkable recovery. It has reminded me this Christmas of the amazing gift of life and that the greatest thing we give each other is not presents but presence - being there, for and with, one another!

If you want to join us in celebrating Christmas you are welcome to join us at Carols on the Corso this Sunday at 5pm. I'd love to see you there!

The Bishop.

 

Thursday 14th December: So much drama

So much headline drama this morning that we almost need two blogs and a Panadol. First it was the swell and whether we swim from the beach or ½ way. Ian as usual took command like a young Trump in training and suggested we swim from Shelly. Either that or build a great big wall to stop the waves coming in and make the non-swimmers pay for it.

So, some went to Shelly and some through the surf – we are group that welcomes all swimming preferences. Of course, ½ way wasn’t as option because it was too bumpy. Then after we managed to resolve all that there’s not one but two birthdays. Marco seen here with swimmers so bright your humble blogger had the wear sunnies and sunscreen.

And Rob’s birthday was today too and his sons came down for a swim to celebrate with him. The female swimmers thought Rob should bring his sons down for his birthday every week.

So we get over the birthdays then the breaking news is that Kate is expecting a baby today and we thought we’d need to add one more newbie to Ian’s newbie list but the little bub is waiting till there’s a bit more dry land. Here’s Kate with her mate Gabby and little Teddy whose real name is Theodore. Teddy can’t wait to get a new mate to play with.

We didn’t think we could pack anymore drama in when Mary raised the alarm that one of our women (or a man who voted yes which is OK) left her swimmers in the change room. Mary kindly volunteered to bring the swimmers in tomorrow, so they can be claimed. To avoid confusion we have featured them sideways like they are swum in

There are many mental, physical and metaphysical challenges in our tribe and one of the most hotly contested is the nicest guy in Manly. This title was held by Derek until in a shock announcement today Shaun usurped him to claim the crown and proudly wear the T-Shirt.

The debate raged for a least a few minutes before the next drama distracted us:

Now all this drama needed an international twist and we know we can always rely on Mark the Spaniard. Here he is with his Dad Xavier who is out from Spain (surprisingly) and who did the whole swim in the challenging conditions. Like I always say, the Spaniard never falls far from the tree.

Keep Talking

Pete Anthony

Stats

Swimmers: 230 (Plus one lost pair)
Newbies: 6 (almost 7 if Kate had her baby)
Temperature: 20.7 (felt like 21.13)

Summer Swims
The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on Sat 16th Dec at 7am.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

EXCLUSIVE TO B&B

Introducing the INAMO PINK CURL - waterproof contactless payment tag! It's amazing!
ENTER "B&B" IN 'COUPON CODE' (& click apply) AT CHECKOUT TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT

Slip your CURL onto your existing watch or fitness band to make tap and-go payments. You never need to carry cash when going swimming again.
Enter "B&B" in the Coupon Code of the Shopping Bag to get your exclusive discount on your PINK INAMO CURL, or any other item on the INAMO website.

If you purchase the PINK INAMO CURL it's exclusive to B&B, so... if you see someone else donning one, anywhere in the world, you know they are a fellow B&B Swimmer - pretty cool hey !!!

Special offer ON NOW for B&B swimmers. Get Yours today!

Enter 'B&B' in the Coupon Code to secure your discount and the benefit of never having to carry your wallet down to the beach when you go swimming again.

* There are NO monthly account keeping fees, transaction or load fees

 

Wednesday 13/12/17: mane post ('The morning after')

If there were a few sore heads after last night’s Christmas party, they were either not in attendance this morning or else were very well hidden…  Around 300 swimmers managed to drag themselves out of bed for their dose of Vitamin Sea (or perhaps they partied through the night and bypassed bed altogether?).  It helped that the water temperature was back up to 21.2 - we even had six newbies join us today.

Above: Some well-rested 7 o'clockers make the transition from Bacchic revelry to aquatic calm...

A big thank you to all those who supported the Royal Far West Raffle and Auction at the Xmas Party last night. Just over $3000 was raised on the night. A great result.

Above: Edwina, Michael, and Di.

For those who are feeling a bit worse for wear, try getting some cabbage into your diet today - the Greek philosopher Aristotle (or perhaps a pseudo-Aristotle, no one’s really sure) encouraged it as a remedy for hangovers (the logic being that, as the vine and the cabbage were natural enemies in the agricultural world, the one would cancel out the effects of the other) (Pseudo-Arist. Problemata 873a).

Above: Bobbing heads and the glare of the sun at The Point.

Eschewing neat wine might also help next time, and you’ll be in good company - the ancient Greeks and Romans considered unmixed wine to be only fit for Barbarians, more refined types drank theirs mixed with water.

Above: Waiting patiently for the 'Let's Go!'

Unrestrained revelry was associated in the ancient world with Dionysus (known as Bacchus in the Roman pantheon), the god of the vine, religious ecstasy, and wine, amongst other things.  He was a major figure in Greek myth - a powerful god, and definitely not the sort of fellow to cross: the story of Dionysus and the Tyrrhenian pirates is a well-known example of the wrath of the god.  The pirates kidnap a young boy (actually Dionysus in disguise) and take him aboard their ship, he asks them to take him to the port on Naxos but the pirates instead steer in the opposite direction.  The lone survivor, Acoetes (who recognised the boy as a god from the start), later recounts what happened when the pirates refused to do the god’s bidding:

 

‘Now, by that god himself (for there's no god closer than he) I swear I tell what's true, as true as past belief: the ship stood still upon the sea as fixed as in a dry dock. The crew, bewildered, rowed with dogged strokes and spread the sails, twin means to make her move. But ivy creeping, winding, clinging, bound the oars and decked the sails in heavy clusters. Bacchus [Dionysos] himself, grape-bunches garlanding his brow, brandished a spear that vine-leaves twined, and at his feet fierce spotted panthers lay, tigers and lynxes too, in phantom forms. The men leapt overboard, all driven mad or panic-stricken. Medon's body first began to blacken and his spine was arched into a curve. "What magic shape is this?" cried Lycabas, but, even as he spoke, his mouth widened, his nose curved out, his skin turned hard and scaly. Libys, trying to pull the thwarting oars, saw his hands suddenly shrink - hands no longer - fins they might be called. Another, when he meant to clasp his arms around a hawser, had no arms and jumped limbless and bending backwards into the waves. His tail forked to a sickle-shape and curved like a half moon. All round the ship they leapt in showers of splashing spray. Time after time they surfaced and fell back into the sea, playing like dancers, frolicking about in fun, wide nostrils taking in the sea to flow it out again. Of the whole twenty (that was the crew she carried) I alone remained. As I stood trembling, cold with fear, almost out of my wits, the god spoke words of comfort: "Cast your fear aside. Sail on to Dia [Naxos]." Landing there, I joined his cult and now am Bacchus' faithful follower.’

            Ovid, Metamorphoses, 3.658-691 [trans. Melville]

 

Above: Dionysus and the Tyrrhenian pirates as dolphins, Athenian black-figure kylix C6th B.C. (Staatliche Antikensammlungen).

 

No dolphins (or pirates) were spotted today, although there were sightings of the fever (what a fantastic collective noun!) of Cownose Rays - a very impressive sight for those lucky enough to have got a glimpse.

Above: Metamorphosis of the Tyrrhenian pirates, Etruscan black-figure hydria C6th B.C., (Toledo Museum of Art).

 

Recommended reading (bottom of the blog): As an unashamed Classics nerd, I live in hope that one day someone will ask me, ‘Alex, I would absolutely love to immerse myself in the world of ancient Greek and Roman literature - where should I start?’  Alas, it hasn’t happened yet, so I’m taking matters into my own hands and adding a ‘recommended reading’ section to the bottom of my monthly blog post.  (N.B. You can find good translations of Classical texts by most of the major publishers (the Oxford World’s Classics editions are generally pretty good, as are most Penguin editions), or online through websites like the Perseus Digital Library, or theoi.com)

This month: Ovid’s Metamorphoses.  This is an absolute cracker.  Ever wondered how the Bosphorus got its name, or what the origin of the term narcissism is, or perhaps you’ve pondered why aráchni (αράχνη) is the Greek word for spider?  You’ll find the answers in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a narrative poem containing over 250 myths (most relating to transformation of one form or another) by the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso.  Ovid is funny, clever, subversive - an easy sell and an absolute joy to read.

Valete omnes ('toodles everyone'),

Alexandra

______________________________________________________

Summer Swims
The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on Sat 16th Dec at 7am.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

 

EXCLUSIVE TO B&B

Introducing the INAMO PINK CURL - waterproof contactless payment tag!  It's amazing!

ENTER "B&B" IN 'COUPON CODE' (& click apply) AT CHECKOUT TO GET YOUR EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT

Slip your CURL onto your existing watch or fitness band to make tap and-go payments. You never need to carry cash when going swimming again.

Enter "B&B" in the Coupon Code of the Shopping Bag to get your exclusive discount on your PINK INAMO CURL, or any other item on the INAMO website.

If you purchase the PINK INAMO CURL it's exclusive to B&B, so... if you see someone else donning one, anywhere in the world, you know they are a fellow B&B Swimmer - pretty cool hey !!!

Special offer ON NOW for B&B swimmers. Get Yours today!

Enter 'B&B' in the Coupon Code to secure your discount and the benefit of never having to carry your wallet down to the beach when you go swimming again.

* There are NO monthly account keeping fees, transaction or load fees

 

12/12/17 Beautiful Summer Morning

Sunrise today, just before the 6.30am swim. What a beautiful summer morning!

This is Peter, one of our "Newbie" swimmers today, he has been working up to this swim for months.

Finally, today he did it! Yep there & back. Well done Peter.

We have a lot of "Doggie Regulars" at B & B.

Here are a few of the gang today.

Edwina on the wall with the girls - Molly & Bella.

This is Felix, Ian's dog made himself very comfortable in someone's bag while he waited for Ian to do his "yoga".

This is the adorable Polly always gets a hug from many of us, while she waits for Ingrid.

This is Napoleon, patiently waiting for his mum.

And the beautiful Buddy, waiting for Georgina.

What a good looking group Nicko, Murray, Shannon & Tom. The back and ...

the front.

What a playground we have here today.



See you all tonight in your Christmas outfits.

(We will miss Ian McNight tonight....you and Gayle always have the BEST outfits...hope you are being looked after well after you Op this week. Wishing you all the best Ian.)

Have a great afternoon. 

Jen :))
 

 

Stats:

Water Temp : 20.1

Swimmers 280

Newbies: 10

Lost Item to day - somebody lost a black string bag with keys in it. If you found it pls contact Ian at [email protected]

Summer Swims
The 6km summer swims will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on Sat 16th Dec at 7am.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

B & B Fundraising Christmas Party
Please book early for the B & B Christmas Party, which will be held TONIGHT -  Tuesday 12th December at 6.30 pm in the Moonshine Bar (2nd Floor) at the Steyne Hotel. All swimmers and partners/friends are welcome (no under 18s unfortunately). The theme this year is “Retro Christmas”. So come dressed in your finest Christmas paraphernalia. Lots of fun and dancing are guaranteed, with music again this year by the band, “Gluteus Maximus”, who play two types of music, Rock and Roll! The cost is $15 per head, with all proceeds going to the running costs of the B&B. Book HERE now! Don’t miss out on this fun event, numbers are limited.

11/12/17 - Constructive Patterns

We tend to think of the beach as the place where the water ends and solid land begins. It’s a fair supposition but, even though sand is solid, our beaches are as fluid as the ocean. Harsh storm swells impact the beach and tear it down. Whilst gentle summer waves reorganise it to higher levels. The seasons, the tides, the El-Nino oscillation and gentle waves. All of these these forces combine to result in the beach you walked across today.

It was also once thought that your nervous system was fixed and unchanging. We now understand it’s connections, like grains of sand on a shifting beach, are shaped according to our surrounding environment's impact upon us. The storms of life tear us down, but just like the ocean we too possess deep patterns of gentle constructive waves. Central oscillation patterns that, if fully developed, build our system, reorganising our life at a higher level.

 

(click photos to zoom...)

 

 

 

 

 

(For more on the Beaches Brains and Waves thing go here)

With love,
Andrew Maher.

Gentle, Light Touch Chiropractic Collaroy - mention you swim with B&B

Stats:
Swimmers  217
Newbees  6
Water  20.1 degrees C.

Summer Swims
The first 6km summer swim occurred on Saturday 2nd Dec at 7am. They will continue on most Saturdays thru to Feb.
Proposed 10km swim on Sat 16th Dec at 7am.
Note: Swimmers for 10km are required to bring their own food drink requirements to be left at Manly.
ALL swims are dependent on suitable ocean/weather conditions.

B & B Fundraising Christmas Party
Please book early for the B & B Christmas Party, which will be held on Tuesday 12th December at 6.30 pm in the Moonshine Bar (2nd Floor) at the Steyne Hotel. All swimmers and partners/friends are welcome (no under 18s unfortunately). The theme this year is “Retro Christmas”. So come dressed in your finest Christmas paraphernalia. Lots of fun and dancing are guaranteed, with music again this year by the band, “Gluteus Maximus”, who play two types of music, Rock and Roll! The cost is $15 per head, with all proceeds going to the running costs of the B&B. Book HERE now! Don’t miss out on this fun event, numbers are limited.