Monday 22 August 2016

You Know the Summer Holidays are Coming to an End When...



... almost all of your swimming companions depart on the weekend for Paris or the Netherlands. After having arrived in the Touraine in mid-July to spend six blissful weeks in their maisons secondaires (holiday homes) they are now back at home, preparing to go back to work and getting the kids ready to go back to school.


While they are here Huub, Ingrid, Anneloes, Tristan, Bruno, Anne, Carole, Chantal, Jean, Marie José, Constance and me arrive at 10.30 am for a couple of hours swimming. It's all very informal. Everyone has different goals and there is quite a lot of chat. I've been regularly swimming a kilometre. Bruno has been training as a swimming instructor (Fr. maitre nageur). Tristan has been working on his technique. Huub has been testing new products and achieving a personal best. Marie José swims to relieve a back problem. We all swim for general fitness and well being. 


For six weeks swimming is top priority, then the holidays end and we go our separate ways until next year. We rarely see one another outside the swimming pool, and in fact, if we do run into one another, comment that we hardly recognised the other with their clothes on!


All photos courtesy of Ingrid de Winter (and in case you hadn't realised, the swimmer is me).

To see previous posts about Preuilly's excellent swimming pool click the following links:







****************************************************

Loire Valley Nature: A photo has been added to the entry for Agile Frog Rana dalmatina. This is our most common frog.
A photo has been added to the entry for Swifts, Swallows and Martins. It shows young Barn Swallows gathering on the electricity wires prior to beginning their first migration south for the winter.
An entry has been started for Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus. This lovely wader is occasionally recorded in the Touraine.

3 comments:

Sheila said...

You must be proud of that shot of the single swift taken at the
chateau. Gorgeous.

Susan said...

Do you mean the young swallow sitting on the wisteria? I seem to remember Simon took that, leaning over the wall above an alarming distance.

Emm said...

You inspire me to get out and do more exercising.

Post a Comment