27th December 2010. Norfolk. Snettisham 11.00am

After a very disappointing December when work and illness have kept me out of the water. Only S.W.'s and M.G.'s posts have been keeping my swimming hopes alive. My closest encounter with the water during this time has been taking the passenger ferry from West Lynn to Kings Lynn. However dramatic this has been,(in the middle of the river in a blizzard and the boat crunching into the ice flowing out to sea, incidental the first time in my life I have seen ice in the River Great Ouse) It is not swimming so I commit myself on Christmas eve to a post Christmas dip in the Wash by inviting some old friends to witness the insanity thus leaving myself no opportunity to back out.
As I walk over the top the wind cuts right through me straight off the sea but seeing the waiting trio I  brazen it out. Dropping my stuff I start stripping off as we chat about Christmas, food , booze and presents. Today is the first trial of my new wetsuit socks and gloves and to mark the occasion I top this dashing ensemble off with my floral swimming cap. I walk calmly into the water and within a few steps it is deep enough to swim.  For the first minute the socks and gloves seem to be making this incredibly easy no tingling hands! Toasty feet! However as soon as I start to kick the socks half slide off my feet and are flapping around like extra useless flippers. I am actually swimming though not just flapping around trying to keep my arms moving which is an improvement from last time. I can't actually give any real description of the water. It was cold. That seems totally inadequate but I can only really describe it's effects by how long it took for me to start stiffening up which was roughly five minutes.
 Only when I got out of the water did I make the transition from black and white to technicolour. Skin on fire, check. No feeling in feet, check. My wonderful friends await holding out the towel and proceed to hand me clothing in the appropriate order. There are quite a lot of people around today but they completely ignore us as if we are just a cold water mirage?
Fully clothed in record time I take the requisite sea shots I know they look as if they are almost in black and white but it really was that grey. Luckily for you faithful readers M.G. and S.W. are still filling the blog with beautiful swimming porn type photography. Back to the car for medicinal hot sweet tea and then off to the pub and open fires and rather stronger medicinal drinks.

This dip has restored my confidence however and I am  determined to make it into January. See you all on the other side. Happy New Year !