One word? When seven would do…

Done :). I can’t deny it’s been a slog at times. 1073 lengths is bloody loads, it’s been 12 sessions which would have meant the 12 weeks in which I had to do it in was perfect but for the fact the first week we were away camping at Sustainability and the last week we’ll be away at Christmas camp. I quite like the fact the offficial dates are the day before Davies’ birthday to the day before Scarlett’s birthday :). That along with a missed week due to illness meant I had three catch up sessions to fit in too. I’ve thrashed my personal record for the 75 lengths I did for the Swimathon in April where I did 75 in 1 hr 37 minutes and have now done that in 1hr 27 minutes, I have achieved over 100 lengths in 2 hours more than once and I have also given myself a new record for most lengths in one session of 110.

There have been several points along the way when I would have happily climbed out of the pool and never gotten back in, I am pleased to not be swimming next week and I will sit and watch the kids lessons the week after, not least because it will be their last swimming lessons for a year or more…

But I am glad I have done it. I am pleased to have achieved something challenging, I’ve swum the bloody channel! 🙂 I am proud of myself both for sheer stubborness and bloodymindedness, for doing something I would have laughed at someone telling me I could do a year ago, for facing dislikes of parading around in a swimsuit, of getting my make up splashed, of knowing I don’t have the perfect stroke or the best technique, I am not the fastest but I do have stamina and determination. I feel I have beaten something from way back when I had my swimming lessons at that very pool as a child of 8 or 9 or 10. I really struggled learning to swim, I was not a physically able child and didn’t have the inbuilt flotation devices I do today 😉 I used to loathe the smell of the pool, the rather grubby changing rooms, the sight of the ceiling as we were told to look up while doing backstroke. Once I had mastered basic swimming I stopped lessons. I never made it to the Big Pool, so I am thrilled to have conquered that big pool big time.

I was cheered by Davies and Scarlett and congratulated by several instructors and lifeguards who have been aware of my challenge, Ady greeted me with a bottle of fizz and I’ve had a personal invitation to attend the sessions starting in January for adult swimmers to improve their stroke technique from the instructor running it.

Donations for the actual charity have been quite slow but I got a hefty amount for the swimathon after I’d actually finished it so I am hoping completing this will trigger a flurry of people sending cash, it would be good if my personal achievement could be matched in a decent amount of cash for a very worthy charity. Not really being able to give to charity from a salary by monthly direct debit is something I have missed doing since such practises were clamped down on my the CCCS. I have spent about £30 on swimming sessions, hopefully that ‘investment’ pays off in making several times that amount for the charity rather than me just giving it to them and not bothering with the swimming :).

And the rest of the day? Davies did some room tidying while Scarlett watched something with sharks (think it was Deadly 60) and had her Sharks top trumps cards out to keep matching them up with what was on TV, for a child who can’t read she’s had to make a great leap towards other methods of recognition, I almost think it has helped in making her more aware of stuff :). Both kids want journals for next year and had in their heads the sort of thing they wanted – I think we have found them at an ebay shop very gorgeous, might have to get myself one too :).

I wanted to nip over to my Dad’s to borrow some wallpaper scrapers so we decided to do that before lunch – I was also thinking about Christmas cards. We won’t be doing them next year but we have now done photocards every year since Scarlett was born so it would be nice to do them one last time. I do have moral dilemmas with Christmas cards but I know several people keep ours and we only give them rather that buying other ones for family too. I’d found some from previous years while sorting stuff out so have about 20 blanks and envelopes so we decided to go for one box plus some extra photos to put in the blanks. So armed with santa hats and a camera we headed out to the garden to take some pictures.

Cue much silliness and lots of ‘smile for Baby Jesus’ and ‘Look out for the giant polar bear’ 😆

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Actually some of them are very lovely just for capturing Davies and Scarlett and who they are right now so I will treasure some of the ‘misses’ but we settled on one that is sufficiently them whilst still being a ‘nice’ picture.

Dad wasn’t home so we called into the supermarket for some bread and I got us a cake each as they were on 3 for 2 and Boots for something for my hair. I don’t know if it is the swimming pool, the central heating or something else but it is in a right state at the moment – greasy in some places, dry and frizzy in others and perpetually tangled. It feels like it should either be dreadlocked or shaved off! I found some specific swimming pool treatment shampoo and will hope that not going swimming for a while sorts it out. Either that or my next sponsored trick will be shaving my head! 😆

Back at home we had lunch and all ate rather too much so had an hour of sitting round cuddled up on the sofa while our bodies digested our lunch. We ordered the Christmas cards online and then decided to call in on Dad one last time before swimming so packed everything up and went via my parents house. Dad still wasn’t home but as we were about to pull out of the end of his road so he pulled in so we went round the block. He lent us a couple of wallpaper scrapers and we had a quick catch up chat before heading off to the swimming pool.

Today was the most important session really as I certainly didn’t want to have any lengths left to do so it was all a bit of a mad scramble and I got into the water with barely two hours. I managed it by the skin of my teeth really with the 99th length being started after the whistle had blown for everyone to get out of the pool as it was closed. Davies stood at the end and cheered me on and both the kids were so proud of me 🙂

At home Ady had dinner on for the kids and a bottle of fizz chilling for me :). We made a start on the wallpaper stripping – just the thing for arms tired from all that swimming ;). The kids finished their tea and were very keen to help out so while Ady had a bath the three of us stripped and soaked. I love their ability to turn anything into a game, their scrapers became characters, the wallpaper being taken from the wall suddenly had a voice (complete with American accent) and they were full immersed in the task and their imaginations. Very efficicent they were too – I love it when we occassionally do get to engage them in domestic servitude ;).

One wall complete 🙂 Ady finished it off with them and tidied up while I had a bath with a glass of fizz. They went to bed, we watched the High street history programme and I spoke to Julie on the phone and sent some emails and texts making final plans for tomorrow.