23/08/2015 – One Fifty Lashes

I love the first rain after a long spell of dry weather. The ocean tastes and smells different. That first runoff adding a musky, mature taste to the brine. Bringing with it that unique blend of decomposing leaves, marinated rubbish, and weeks worth of dog poo.

A total of 105 swimmers joined the feast this morning. Including newbie Tori, who’s gorgeous eyelashes had everyone talking:

Apparently, the lashes survived the swim.

It is nice to see swimmers making an effort to look their best every morning. John is shaving his armpits and had his bikini line done recently:

Jane wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without a perfectly color-coordinated outfit:

Backstage, final touches are applied to wet-suits and caps:

Wrong Beach:  The Wharf Bar accidentally parked their surf boat in front of the Lifesaving Club this morning..

Lesley wrongly updating the Jimblometer to 4. She later conceded, having miscounted a number of plastic bags and stray condoms for jimbles:

Jackhammer Jo feeling a little less cold these days:

Sarah and Matt:

At Shelly, it was business as usual at Clowns Corner..

I even managed to coax Henrietta and John into a bit of waving and splashing:

The crowd was warming up..

Meanwhile, at the more reserved / no-nonsense Northern end of Shelly, everyone was playing it cool:

Until..

But it’s the leftovers after the ‘Let’s Go!’ that are the real characters:

The hardcore tarts know that the best photos are taken when most of the swimmers are already halfway back to the club.

And today was no disappointment:

Well done guys!

On the way back I bumped into Gillian and her competing underwater camera. Insults were traded. It got ugly pretty quickly. And before we knew it we found ourselves in the midst of a shoot-off:

In fairness, if it wasn’t for Gillian and her competing camera, this would have been a fish-less blog. Here’s a great PJ shot she captured and donated for today’s blog:

Despite the fresh runoff, everyone I spoke to was pleasantly surprised by how lovely conditions were this morning.

That’s all for today. Have a great Sunday and give each other a hug if you haven’t done so yet.

Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the view of the Bold & Beautiful Swim Group.

All characters and events in this blog post, even those based on real swimmers, are entirely fictional.

If I offended or misrepresented anyone, please speak to me in person or, as many of you have done previously, give me a forceful kick in the face with your flipper next time you swim past me on the way to Shelly.

Love you all.

Lips x

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Swimmers:    105

Newbies:     2 (incl. Tori)

Water:     18.4 degrees

Jimbles:   none!

 

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NOTICES

 

Next B&B monthly dinner

Bluewater Restaurant – Tuesday 8th September at 6.30 pm

Our guest speaker will be Guy Dunstan, who held CEO and senior management positions with major media and investment banking corporations in twenty countries throughout the world.  That was before he experienced a severe episode of mental ill-health (severe melancholic depression + bi-polar disorder) and was forced to leave the workforce.  From that moment, his life spiraled out of control in a seemingly never-ending downward vortex that ultimately resulted in him losing his career, reputation, wealth, marriage, family and friends.  He was left broke, homeless and socially shunned.  With seemingly no other options available, Guy eventually re-entered the workforce as a manual labourer working the night shift at the Sydney Fruit Markets.  After 2 years in that role he now regards this period as the toughest, yet most challenging, meaningful, and rewarding of his career.

Guy is uniquely placed to offer insights into the complex and largely misunderstood subject of mental health: its prevalence and impact in the workplace.  Guy will deliver an insiders view of what it is really like to experience mental ill-health in the workplace, and, in particular how this experience can potentially impact the lives of individuals concerned, the groups they work in, and the organisation as a whole.

Guy is currently Senior Advisor to The Black Dogs Institute, Australia’s leading research institute in the area of Mental Health and Mood Disorders.

Dinner $25 a head

Includes shared entrees, a selection of mains to choose (incl a vegetarian option), corkage (for byo wine only) and a little thank-you for the staff.  Glasses of beer or wine and desserts are also available at the special price of only $5 each.

Numbers are limited, so bookings are essential:

 To avoid disappointment and secure your spot please BOOK HERE NOW,

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Click here for BADGES