To swim or not to swim? That was the question this morning as varying reports about blue bottles came in from early swimmers - some people had been stung, others hadn't seen anything untoward.
Above: 7 o'clockers making their way to the point.
There was much consternation amongst those getting ready for the 7 o'clock swim. Would the blue bottle sightings put them off? Would they risk it? Was it worth going north perhaps?
Above: The lovely WOWs, pre-swim. Will the blue bottles put them off? Never!
If you'd lived in the Mediterranean a couple of thousand years ago, you might have been tempted to ask for advice from one of the many oracles. The most famous of these was that of the god Apollo at Delphi, although the oracle's statements were famously (and frustratingly!) vague and ambiguously phrased.
Above: JK doing his very best Delphic oracle impression, 'There are blue bottles, but there are also no blue bottles... Swim at your own risk.'
A suppliant had to be careful how they interpreted the oracle's statement, as a seemingly good omen could turn out to be quite the opposite. Herodotus reports the story of the Lydian king Croesus who consulted several oracles including the one at Delphi when he was deciding whether or not to go to war against the Persians. The response was that, if he did make war against the Persians, he would destroy a mighty empire. Taking this as a good omen Croesus attacked Persia only to eventually be defeated - the empire he destroyed was his own!
Above: 7 o'clockers on the move.
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: Virgil's Aeneid. The Trojan prince Aeneas makes a couple of appearances in Homer's epics (a mixture of impressive and not-so-impressive moments) but he is the titular character in Virgil's epic. T. S. Eliot called Virgil 'the classic of all Europe', and his Aeneid recounts Aeneas' and his followers' flight from Troy, their wanderings around the Mediterranean, and eventual settlement in Italy where, after a war with some of the local inhabitants, Aeneas is to lay the foundations for what will one day become the civilisation of Rome. I love Virgil, and I hope you do too.
Valete omnes ('toodles, everyone'),
Alexandra
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2018 Summer Badge Ceremony – Sunday 18th March
You’ve done the hard yards and got your Summer Badge(s), now come and collect your badges with all the pomp and ceremony the B&B can muster. Bring along $10 for each badge you have earned (correct money appreciated). The venue is the Royal Far West Children’s Home (opposite the beach) on Sunday 18th March, straight after the regular swim! Everyone is welcome, family, friends and swimmers alike.
A $5 donation will be payable to the RFW at the gate for hosting this event, and .... RFW will provide a FREE breakfast (bacon and egg sandwich and a coffee/tea). Bookings are essential to ensure there is enough food. Book here for Badge Breakfast
All 2018 summer badge qualifiers will be presented with their well earned badge(s), so whether you are getting one personally or you want to enjoy the celebrations of your fellow swimmers, a great morning is guaranteed so come along, soak up the atmosphere and get inspired for the upcoming winter badges...
Monthly Dinner – 13th March 2018 – Guest Speaker
The next B&B monthly dinner for the year will be held on Tuesday 13th March at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. The guest speaker on the night will be one of our swimmers, Sharnie Connell who is a marine science specialist. Sharni will present the case for establishing a Sydney Marine Park.
The Sydney region’s incredible coasts and ocean are at the heart of our enviable lifestyle. Our beaches, bays and waterways are truly iconic, and are renowned for their beauty both above and below the water, yet less than 1% of our waters are protected. A science based multi-use Marine Park for the Sydney region will secure a healthy blue backyard for our boating, swimming, surfing, and fishing lifestyle, and protect it from the pressure of coastal development and many other impacts. Sharnie, and many other environmental professionals, maintain that we need a Sydney Marine Park to protect our coastal lifestyle for generations to come. “We’ve got stunning terrestrial national parks around our harbour and coastline, but we have none in the sea. We have thriving marine parks to our north and south, but none around Sydney, where we need it most.”
The cost of the dinner is great value at only $25 a head, which includes shared entrees, and a selection of mains to choose from (including a vegetarian option). Glasses of beer or wine and desserts are also available at the special price of only $5 each. Numbers are limited, so bookings are essential: To avoid disappointment and secure your spot please book HERE.
RANDOM MONTHLY SWIMMER PRIZES STARTING IN FEBRUARY !!
Thanks to an amazing new partnership, B&B will be awarding random monthly prizes just for swimming !!!!
What's the catch... you MUST LOG YOUR SWIMS TO BE IN THE DRAW !!! To learn more about how to log your swims if you aren't already, please find details further down in this newsletter
As of 1st February, every time you swim with B&B and log your swim as such, on our daily attendance software, you will automatically be entered into the monthly lucky swim prize !!!
Yep, each time you swim with B&B and log your swim that equals an entry into the random prize draw !!!
Prize draw will be completed at the end of each calendar month and completed by the computer software.
And there's more... THERE WILL BE AN EVEN BIGGER PRIZE FOR RANDOM SWIMMER OF THE YEAR !
And there's still more.... there will be a surprise event with maybe even more prizes... launching this relationship and the details of the prizes one weekend in February. I guess you'll have to swim to be lucky enough to be there :-)
*Conditions apply:
You must swim with B&B in the mornings to be eligible to log your swim.
Completing your own swims later in the day, whilst that is awesome, it isn't eligible for logging.
You must complete your log for the morning swim on the morning of your swim.
All swims, as always, are completed at your own risk, as per general B&B disclaimer.
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