Todays blog is brought to you from Thredbo, where I am skiing for a few days. Did you know that Thredbo is also a destination for "wild swimming"? and, at altitude one can truly say that they "get high" from swimming! Last year a marvel of brave mermaids squealed with delight as they sampled the icy cold thredbo snowmaking dam and Thredbo River... in Thredbo these feats are still the talk of the town and we "*may*" have started a trend, of sorts..... I understand that Falls Creek also arranges an event in early winter to raise money for charity by dunking in their lake! The Aussie alps are full of opportunities for wild swimming - please don’t swim alone & make sure you’re prepared !
Photo of the Thredbo River
Hot off the press: A HUGE thank you to everyone for supporting the petition to help our beloved cuttlefish, which was tabled in the NSW Parliament yesterday (link in case you havent yet, https://www.change.org/p/taramoriarty-ban-giant-cuttlefish-spearing-in-coastal-nsw!) - a great start and hopefully momentum will be unstoppable!
Back in Manly El Nino continues to work with mother nature to bring sublime swimming conditions: (thank you lainey for the photos !)
water temp: 16.4
air temp: 15.4 - heatwave !
conditions: calm with a few bumps
vibe: happy
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Sadly, El Nino is bringing summer weather to Thredbo this year. Whilst the snow recedes revealing the beauty of the snowgums, it also reveals an icy beast.. softening in the warming winter sun to form slushys even bigger than 7-11! Notwithstanding, a few days in the mountains work wonders for head clearing...
If wild swimming isnt your thing, Thredbo also has a world class leisure centre, with what the locals claim as the "worlds slowest pool", water slide and a ninja warrior type obstacle course. it is not unusual to see Olympians and other world class athletes completing "altitude training blocks" at Thredbo (1,365m in the village). I havent swum with anyone famous - there are 2 days to go, however!
Winter wild swimming is enthusuastically supported around the world.
If you havent seen the movie "hold your breath", I recommend it. Free diver Johanna Nordblad attempts to break the world record for distance traveled under ice with one breath (Netflix).
Then there is the "ice mile" - a one mile swim in water temperature of 5 degrees Celsius or less wearing just a standard costume, goggles and one swim hat. I believe some of the B&B community have completed or attempted or training for this amazing feat! If you feel like its your thing, to find out more check out the website as it does recommend a doctors advice! https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/the-ice-mile/
In iceland swimming in freezing water is called "beserking" (in 2017 I tried it, with the bribe of peppermint schnapps!) involving dunking (head under) in a stream, clothed (in contrast to the natural ultra hot springs!) - here's a picture of my friends Andrea, Paul and I in may 2017 dressed as "wonder woman", having earned the status of "Beserker" which apparently is for life.
This is Andrea and I (dressed in wonder woman costumes, because, why not?) running towards the stream, in order to "dunk" in!
In Argentina, you can swim around the Perito Moreno glacier, in August (an organised event) where the water is between 1-2 degrees. dont get stuck on the ice!
Of course there is the polar plunge - in Antarctica for the South and Svalbard (or Northern Canada or Alaska) in the North. have plunged in both and i can report that its pretty darn cold! Literally takes your breath away! A shot of vodka afterwards is most welcome (and a super hot shower!)
I hope you are all enjoying summer in winter, as always stay warm, be kind to each other, look after and out for each other and have a wonderful wednesday!
Jocelyn
Announcement - in case you missed the announcement on social media:
New BnB budgies have arrived. To celebrate BnB members are being offered a 20% discount, in- store only for 2 weeks. (after 2 weeks the discount will revert to 10%)To receive this discount you must show your BNB pink cap when purchasing.
They look fantastic thanks to Georgina Hart's amazing design & generosity in donating her design to BnB, once more. You can find her amazing art at Georgina Hart art-online or at her gallery in Seaforth.
The swim suits should be available in store and online in two weeks in men’s, ladies thin strap one piece and ladies sport two piece.
In spring we will be able to do a pre-order batch if any ladies would like the thick strap design or if anyone would like towels. Dates for this pre-order will be announced nearer the time.
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