A beautiful blustery day, the wind is blowing the clouds along in a clear blue sky with a few mighty banks of Cumulonimbus and some humilis, promising rain later. The mass of white scudding clouds hold the rain, sucked up from the ocean and stored there until it is dumped on the land in refreshing showers.

The sea is emerald green and the waves come in at forty five degrees to the shore, crashing on the shingle. It is a wondeful day to clean out the winter drabness and start afresh. The sea just lures you into its grasp. This is the first swim of the season and the water temperature is nine degrees centigrade.

Away we go. It took a few attempts to acclimatise a little, and the walk in took three goes, before launching out. Even standing with the water at pelvis deep, the impulse to gasp was right there, in anticipation of what was coming. The reality is a lot less that the expectation. The mind seems to over react in more extreme conditions, and over compensates for the shock.

The launch in was as ever…. had to make a big effort not to gasp, and went in and out a few times.

The swim was short- a few strokes. Very invigorating and a strong sense of accomplishment. Nothing else makes the body and mind so alive as that coldness that envelopes the whole body.

That joy and shock that makes the lungs gasp.. “Let all that has breath Praise the LORD…” Does that gasp of surprise and praise, rise to Him…?

The sea is incessant, it just keeps coming in on the shore, breaking continually.. It appears to be going forward, but at this point it is going out. The sight is deceiving…

It leaves a sense of freedom- the cold does something for us that heat cannot do….