Tricky

Tricky was in the water when I arrived. I changed quickly and got in, i wanted to get a shot before he got out. The water has taken a real dip in temperature, around 9ºC according to David. As it was Tricky stayed in for ages, I had finished my twelve lengths and he was still going, he eventually did eighteen lengths.
He had thought the sauna was on (I think it was on Sunday) but it wasn't, then after Sue chatted to the lifeguards it was! By this point I had changed anyway, will it be on tomorrow? who knows?

At last, Chris has a new hat. very pink it is too, my camera seemed to think I was taking a picture of a flower. I don't have an 'actor' setting. With the clocks having gone back there was much more light this morning despite it being somewhat overcast.

'So how do you make a Swiss Roll?' Kate was about to tell me before she realised I was joking. She's memorizing the recipies in her bid to reach the Great British Bake Off. This one was certainly a winner!

Under a leaf

Chris and Sue have a rest. Who's that in the background?

Michael checks the temperature, 11ºC. It's getting colder.

Sue B heads towards the gathered leaves. They stick to goggles and find their way into your trunks!

Sangeeta swims below the leafy surface. She saved a frog from the pool yesterday.

Mild mile

Only one car in the semi-gloom of the car park when I arrived this morning which is unusual.

I shared the water with Vince and Fred. It really felt warmer to me today. I was swimming six lengths to Freds four and eight lengths to Vinces six.

Mandy got in later, obviously getting ready for Halloween with that swim suit.

Hilary making her way through the leaves. I'd gone on to do eighteen lengths, just over a mile.

On my final length I just caught Elizabeth passing in a blur. The water was 12ºC, perhaps the highest for a while with the cold snap we're prommised for the weeks end.

Autumnal tree

This autumnal tree stood out on the trackside of the pool, it would have looked better if we had a bit of sun.

The water is beautifully clear at the moment, I guess no one's wearing sunscreen anymore!

Not sure of this chaps name, Richard? I like the arm reflection on the surface.

Hilary in a bit of a blur. Despite the clarity of the water the light level is low at this time of year.

Chris really needs a new swimming cap. Another fourteen lengths today at around 12ºC.

More Nando

Michael peering through the gloomy water at me.

Angus gave me a wave as he passed by.

Kate had made a cake for the occasion!

Michael glides past, I like the surface reflection.

Elizabeth powers through the water making up for yesterdays absence.

Kate comes back again, good reach.

And Elizabeth too, although I cropped out her foot.

Here's the 'Lardy cake' that Kate made. It was just the thing after a fourteen length swim. Water still around 11.5/12ºC.

Nando caught me before I left for work, 'Your blog needs more pictures of me' he said. So I obliged.

Mild & misty

Our first autumnal fog. It was mild, still but damp. The few swimmers in the water were getting out by the time I got in. Twelve lengths mostly on my own.

I should have waited a bit then I could have joined Chris, Sue, Ian and Nando.

Sue wanted to do two more so Chris left the water and the others swam on. It was 11.5ºC in the water this morning.

Ian and Nando make their way back to the shallow end.

Tooting triangle

I mostly swam alone again, funny because Friday mornings are usually one the busiest. Like the Bermuda triangle everyone had disappeared.

Another victim of the Tooting triangle! Vince had gone leaving just his wetsuit behind.

I must have been too early, by the time I was getting changed there were over a dozen swimmers in the water.

David took the daily temperature, it had gone up to about 11.5ºC. Twelve lengths again, I could really do a few more at this temperature.

Mixed bag

Mild, the sun breaking through. More swimmers than I've seen for a few days.

Vince in a wetsuit, I like this image, the way the arm and leg reflect each other and how he's taking a breath.

Fred in his shroud of bubbles, he stopped to say hello after I took the shot.

A leaf that's almost completely decayed.

I'm not sure what this mans name is, I liked his ponderous breaststroke through the floating leaves.

A self portrait, my camera tied to the bar on the edge of the pool. Not sure why the colour is so electric.

Egg obliged with another leap. I got down low to give him extra hight.

I like the colour of this bicycle. I swam twelve lengths again.

Legs & Co

'Were you going for an up the skirt shot?' asked Sue B after I snapped this. Erm, No. I just wanted to catch her coming down the steps though the leaves. Being labled a pervert is a risk you take photographing your fellow swimmers.

The nights rain and cloud had slipped away, it was a mild and sunny morning. Despite a later swim the pool was still quite empty. I did another twelve lengths, almost on my own.

Toward the end of my swim a few more people got in. This time it's Sue R smiling down at me, I love the patches of colour and trees in the water.

I then had several attemps at a self portrait dive. I liked this version best despite my knee getting in the frame. The water was 10.5ºC according to David.

Self timer

An early start today, the water was almost empty of people but a lot of leaves had blown in overnight. Tricky had just finished swimming and Carl was already changing. I'd have to swim alone.

The leaves are alive in the water. It's difficult to describe how they move, like a shoal of fish, turning and catching the light as you swim through them.

Although the air was milder than yeasterday I was only planing a twelve length swim because I needed to get into town.

Due to lack of other swimmers I decided to play about with the timer function on my camera to try and get some aquatic self portraits.

There's a ten second countdown, the last five indicated by the LED lights on the front of the camera.

I then did my best to swim in front of the lens with varying results as you can see.

I quite like the random nature of the framing, it's difficult to judge when to swim. Even with the cloud cover I'm silhouetted against the sky.

This last shot was me explaining to Elizabeth who had just arrived what I had been doing. It must have looked quite strange me trying to swim over the same spot again and again in an empty pool.