BB's kitchen

Good evening. I have been informed that the sea temp is a balmy 14oC today. Still way to cold for me unless I take my meds. Haven't tested that one out yet. I may try a dip in the water for a few mins and see if I don't turn too blue. if I do it while it's still warm then i should suffer too much. I will still have to take my heater and hot choccie with me though.

csam, as another who loses all colour from the fingers between September and March I understand where you are coming from. However, I have raced in winter but accepted that it'll take me a while to warm back up. As the heart is asked to pump at elevated rates the net result is that the fingers eventually get warm. I suppose that it works in the sea too, but can't guarantee survival unless you can swim HARD for over an hour. I recall that I've done a couple of cold wet races when it was mile 8/9 before I warmed up. Not bad for a 10 mile race at pb pace.

PS I drink a lot of tea too. Large mugs of it. Partly they are to wrap my hands round to warm up again.

Hot tea is essential after any open water swimming.  Its the only time I drink standard tea

helluva couple of days.

looking forward to a V e r y loooooong weekend

 in 5 days time I have a day off.

Hello ghost town.
It's strawberry season, so don't touch those that wifey has just picked. She counts them you know. I swear she does.

Me no like strawberries, am waiting for raspberries and blueberries.

I love all soft fruit.  When it is in season I have it on my cereal or porridge in the mornings, but I can also eat a whole punnet as a snack.

Any ideas where I can get a passport photo and a red swimming hat before 7am tomorrow?

Evening girls and chefs
For some obscure reason it hasn't rained here today (yet).
Bike ride with the tri group. I was definitely going out with group 2 today, but an absence of leaders meant that group 2 was divvied up between group 1 and group 3. As one of the G3 riders had a set of F' in heavy panniers on (preparation for some long ride) I was allocated to G1. The route turned out to be around 60 miles at an asphalt burning pace. They didn't bother with gears, just stood up in the pedals and acted like men. 19.1mph average.
I'd say I was shgged, but I've not got the energy for that.

Barbecue this evening, We like doing them on charcoal, mostly for the atmosphere if I'm honest, but there is a subtle smokiness added. We'll normally do burgers first, as it adds some fat in the fire. Wifey had bought some beautiful lamb steaks, and marinated them in yoghurt and curry paste. Gorgeous. Skewered mushrroms to accompany.

Hey look! It's just started a bit of rain!

Good going Blisters, Wish I could cycle fast. I'm just a plodder - or whatever the cycling equivalent is.

No rain here either, bath water on the garden again. I have eaten too many chocolate digestives today. Lets face it one is one too many. At least I had a vegetable kebab at work. I think I am feeling more than somewhat bloated today.

Got lucky with my shift tomorrow, was asked to do an early, which means that I can go for my long run tomorrow eve before it gets dark rather than having to get up at the crack of sparrows and fit it in.

Must go I think the cat is breaking the house up.

T Mouse, I disagree. One chocolate digestive is not too many. Two or three are about the right number with a mug of coffee. Chocolate and coffee seem to work better together than chocolate and tea, IMHO.. If you want 4 or 6, just have another mug full!

Good luck with the run, and take an umbrella..

Back from a weekend of swimming.  I went down to Dover on Saturday and did a 2 hour swim in water that hasn't warmed up yet.  Then spent some time absorbing information from more seasoned swimmers and got some great tips.

Then this morning I did 3:15 in the sea at Bournemouth.  The water is warmer there and it was much more enjoyable.  We had ginger cake afterwards

I am now exhausted, hungry (even though I ahve eaten out the contents of the house), thirsty and sore.  I think I might also be sunburnt.