14/11/13 – So much to smile about…

 Such a happy swim today! Everywhere you looked from 6.30am until the last swimmers left the cafe, were smiles and gorgeous, friendly faces lit up in glorious sunshine! It helped being greeted by 8 week old ‘Oompa’ before the swim!

Then again the beautiful sunrise could have put a smile on your face at 5.46am this morning!

(Well done to Vanessa who did her first Bolderdash with JK and Inez)

 

 An incredible start to the day… and yes it is a Thursday 😉

We all fell in love with Tui’s baby sister. Jalna was smitten…

It’s Shady Shaun’s birthday tomorrow. Here he is ‘glamming up’ with Midge after an early swim! He’ll be there for Storchy’s Boot camp tomorrow and it might be featured on the new Channel 10 Wake Up breakfast show! If you aren’t swimming watch it!

 Last photo of Oompa! His owner, Todd aka Larry informs us that female bulldogs can have up to 8 teets whereas boys only have 2!

Krystina and Stephen bring along a new friend from New York. Some of us break out into the song as we stride through the (gentle) waves. My version is different… ‘I want to be a part of it, Manly, Manly!’

 A ‘seaweed exfoliation’ getting in though today. This was the view under the water.

Oh and smiling swimmers! Happy Birthday for Monday Dr Jane!

The sun shimmered on our favourite corner of the world, lighting up our path to Shelly.

 Aswell as being weedy it was cloudy under the water today but there were still fish about.

Try and spot yourself in my photos of swimmers at Shelly.

I headed for the yellow hut at Halfway to see the yellowtail over the white rocks. I saw this eagle ray on the ocean floor and I swear he winked at me!

Can you see the catfish amongst the weed?

I caught these 2 ‘Besties’ having a chat on the way back, not sure if they swam to Shelly but whateva! 

What a wonderful surprise awaited us as we got in to shore. A class of school kids from Kempsey ran down to meet us with cups of orange juice! The money we raised at our Gatsby Ball partly funded their trip down to The Royal Far West to have health assessments and a seaside break! They came to say ‘Thank you’!

A few mermaids…

Thank you for the ‘Thank You’ Kempsey kids and Royal Far West! I even felt a tear coming on when I saw this at the end of the swim.

Lovely Elaine K had her birthday swim today (although we couldn’t find her at Shelly) John gets a cuddle!

Some of us have to go to work but others stay around on the sunny benches for a coffee, head to Bluewater Cafe or sit outside Manly Wine. Here is Drinky saying a thank you to all the B&B swimmers who have visited his Amber Tiles shops at Seaforth and Mona Vale. Remember our sponsors who help keep this amazing group going!

142 swimmers today including 38 Drinks Expressers and 3 Bolderdashers. 6 Newbies.

 

Air Temp 16 Water Temp 20.2  YAY!!!!

 

BOTTOM OF THE BLOG

B & B Attendance Login App

The new B&B Attendance Login App is live!! Using the App you can log your swim (only if you did swim), between 5am and 9am on the day of the swim.  No need to tick the attendance sheet as the App does that for you.  As swimming with the B&B has become the coolest thing to do, using the App will reduce the queue for the sheets so you will never be late for the 7am call.   

To get started, please send an email to Ian Forster (ugoboy@optusnet.com.au) requesting to have your account activated.  You will receive detailed instructions how to operate the system. No badge, but bragging rights for being an early adopter.  Happy ticking.

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Badges, badges and more badges!!

Summer Badge season is just a couple of weeks away!! The first 10km swim could provisionally be held on 14 December.  Watch this space or share your view with John Bond.  He is making sure that the swim does not conflict with other events.

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Have more Fun with the Pacific Challenge

Our website guru, Magnus Butlin has developed a fun new page which shows a different take on the Pacific Challenge. The new page shows each swimmer’s progress over the last week (or fortnight/month/two months) in terms of their position on the leader board. 

The bumps chart can be accessed from the Pacific Challenge page via a button in the top right hand corner. Take a look and see how many people you have passed in the Pacific Challenge in the last few weeks:

http://www.faulconbridgesoftware.com/bb/pub/bumps.htm

The ‘divisions’ listed are the columns currently shown on the Pacific Challenge page. At this stage, only the first five columns (300 swimmers) are shown.

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B & B Christmas Party

The B & B “Mad Hatters” Christmas Party will be held on Tuesday 3rd December at 6.30 pm in the Moonshine Bar (2nd Floor) at the Steyne Hotel. All swimmers and partners/friends are welcome (no under 18s unfortunately). Wear your craziest hat or other headwear. No need to be shy as we will have the whole bar to ourselves. Finger food will be provided and drinks will be at bar prices. Lots of fun and dancing are guaranteed, with a band featuring one of our very own swimmers. Come along to find out who it is. The cost is $10 per head, with all proceeds going to the running costs of the B&B. Don’t miss out. Bookings are essential. Book HERE now so you don’t miss out!

http://www.boldandbeautifulmanly.com.au/christmas-party.html

Bold and Beautiful Swim School 

The B&B Swim School on 21st December is now full. This will be the last swim school for the year. There will be more next year, so watch the blog for details, or contact Sarah Anne – phone 0420 923 067 or email info@pacificjules.com.au.

Staying safe

Remember that there are no badges for scaring yourself silly!  While it is great to extend your boundaries, it is important to know your limits.  Do read these excellent tips on staying safe in the surf.  To read, or even download, click here.

 

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY EVERYONE!

Lainey Loo aka Elaine