Wind and wild energy

While driving to Manly this morning I heard an interesting piece on the radio about the forecast weather patterns in Australia. It appears  the tropical Pacific Ocean is approaching La Niña thresholds, and we are verging on a La Niña alert. This likely 2017-18 La Niña event is forecast to be short-lived and weak, with sea surface temperature patterns in the western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean not typical of La Niña. As a result, there’s little push towards widespread wetter conditions across much of the country. Models for the El Niño in the Indian ocean are showing neutral tending to positive, so you could say the boy child and the girl child are fighting each other. (There was also mention of the Gunung Agung volcano on Bali and that would lead to cooler conditions)

I’d say the little spat between the kids came to a head in Manly this morning.

Despite conditions that are not conventionally lovely, 3 newbies came to swim. Hope you enjoyed yourselves!

Stats –

Here is Emma, one of the 3 newbies being inducted by Ian and welcomed by the WoWs

Our meeting point start started to get busy

JK provided guidance and advice. We listened intently. In summary, Shelley is a good option

Swimmers enjoying the conditions

Jane opted to babysit

Happy anticipation

It’s great said Henrietta

Ros agreed

General consensus was that getting into the water was a Good Thing

JB

Some photos from the walk back

Dorset had swum earlier and was bowled over by the experience

And a nearly final word, an excellent ethic to follow

What am I reading? I recently was away for a weekend with friends from way back, and one of my friends Gilbert Mane (founder and former principal of the John Colet School in Belrose) has recently turned his hand to fiction writing as well as motivational speaking and ballroom dancing. He brought a copy of his first novel with him and I finished it over the weekend. It’s called the Revelation of the Elders (I need to clarify it has nothing to do with post swim coffee chats with the WoWs) but is about a world of powerful ancient manuscripts, psychic adepts, healers, mind readers and a thousand-year battle against the powers of darkness. I liked it a lot. It’s now available on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, and Nook. I’ve just started reading  The Good People by Hannah Kent but I’m not far enough into it to offer an opinion.

And now for the commercials…..

Summer swims:

As the Summer long distance swimming season approaches, management thought that it would be a good time to clarify what it takes to earn a badge. Three long distance swims are on offer:
· The 6 km swims are held every summer Saturday morning generally starting with the 7 am swim. The first 6 km swim will be on Saturday 2nd December.
· There is a 10 km swim once a month over summer also generally starting with the 7 am swim. Dates for these will be announced in the blog. The first will be on December 16th.
· If these swims are too long for you, you can try a Triple Manly to Shelly swim any day during Summer (distance 3.5 km) from 6.30 or 7 am.
You will earn a badge if you complete these swims and log them in iLog. The system will only record authorised 6K or 10K swims that are logged on the appropriate days. Badges will be presented at the Summer Badge Ceremony in March. If you are unsure of the routes and protocols for these swims, please ask at the desk before you swim. When swimming these longer distances, we request that, for safety reasons, you stay with the group. We also request that you do not swim in dangerous conditions. The quest for a little cloth badge is not worth putting your life at risk.
Enjoy your swimming.

B & B Fundraising Christmas Party

Please book early for the B & B Christmas Party, which will be held on Tuesday 12th 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). The theme this year is “Retro Christmas”. So come dressed in your finest Christmas paraphernalia. Lots of fun and dancing are guaranteed, with music again this year by the band, “Gluteus Maximus”, who play two types of music, Rock and Roll! The cost is $15 per head, with all proceeds going to the running costs of the B&B. Book HERE now! Don’t miss out on this fun event, numbers are limited.

Donations wanted
As usual at the Xmas Party, we will be raising money for the Royal Far West as well as for B&B. This year RFW have some amazing prizes which will be auctioned on the night, including fantastic accommodation packages. We would also be grateful to have additional prizes to be auctioned, so if you have something special that you are happy to donate for the auction, please contact Ian (ugoboyo@gmail.com).