It’s been such an eventful week that when the weekend rolls around , it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief. Coming down to manly , having a swim, catching up with anyone and everyone allows a welcome break from the realities of everyday life.
Its winter now and getting colder each week but dare I say it the peak of winter hasn’t hit yet. I arrive in the dark and can hardly see how calm or rough the sea is.
Todays view down the promenade
Initially numbers looked low but eventually people turned up and I’m told there were 280 swimmers, two of whom were newbies.
Someone is nice and organised, a complete contrast to me throwing my things anywhere.
Val and John chatted beforehand and reflected on the turtle appearances during the week.
Speaking of turtles , Louise and Gillian witnessed him coming up for air and having a swim . I found Jason and Dorset chatting with Matt Davies today. I’m told he was awarded senior club person of the year , he’s in patrol 11 of the surf club. What a mouthful. He might be more well known now thanks to his encounter with sharks eating seals in front of him last weekend.
these two happy ladies were looking forward to their swim. Swim time, chat time, almost always ends with a hot drink afterwards to warm up .
Margot joined us from the blue mountains, here with Megan and Leveena.
Shaun had a shoulder replacement last year and he’s now back doing the full swim, slowly but surely he’s gaining his strength and it’s been remarkable to watch over the months. Here he is entering the water with friends.
I saw a cuttlefish today but he stayed way down deep, no hope of a good photo. But I did see Jenny and Henrietta on the scenic route. There were reports of a shark at the point. Still haven’t heard exactly what type but there were no injured humans so it was more than likely one of the frequent visitors.
Conditions were nice and calm, temperature today was 19.1 , guy managed to body surf his way in on a small wave . Boys will be boys .
Once back on land there were smiles all round. Even though everyone’s a bit cold the thrill of swimming in such a beautiful environment and having exercised brings out the positive chemicals in our system. And it’s free! One good reason to keep coming.
Nat and vira walking to Shelley
Clare, Craig and Michael were all smiles, they rarely frown in any case.
I admired this beautiful dog and discovered the owners come from the Sunshine Coast and that Mark was a newbie yesterday. Dog is called misty , my previous cats name.
Another dog I admired was called coco , sitting with Chris , he’s part of the manly masters. A group I regularly photograph from the surf club who train super early on the beach and in the ocean.
Rainer, Ian and Michael chatted on the wall post swim. Michele must have learnt blog tarting from Rainer , second appearance for today .
Cathy and Dave also caught up outside the club. Dave’s one of the “salt of the earth locals” who surfs a lot and here and up the coast. Hasn’t donned a pink cap yet!
Brian , Kerry and Abra having their hot drink and chat together
During the week I listened to a podcast of Richard Fiedler , where Kate Mulvany was talking about Mark Priestley and his battle with depression. He took his own life at a young age.
Then I heard about Kate spade and Anthony Bourdain both taking their own lives . A friend recently revealed she too was struggling with depression plus working full time rotating rosters and managing children and family life.
You never know who in your inner circle or in your peripheral group may also struggle with any mental health issue. It pays to remember how easy it is to be kind , the energy required to be unkind outweighs the energy expended in plain old kindness. That’s the lazy side of me coming out. Most humans are decent and kind but I’m throwing that out there for you all as food for thought.
Have a nice long weekend everyone. Winter badge rules- 20 swims over 7 different weeks, with or without wetsuit. Nude swim on the 23rd June , my next blog date !
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