TALES FROM UP NORTH
Swimming into the little bay formed by Bee Holme early this morning, I came across a bevy of swans, drifting in the still water in pairs and small groups, about a dozen in total. They appeared as calm and relaxed as I felt and they painted a sublime picture amidst the mist and shoreline oak. Following a hectic summer we are all relieved to have the lake back to ourselves it seems, and with my favourite season of the year to look forward to it puts me in an excellent mood.
The last time I swam over this way it was with a dear college friend at the height of the warm weather we enjoyed at the beginning of the summer. Adam was a formidable swimmer when we were students and calmly dropped me on the way over to the island (Damn! I thought by now I’d at least be able to stay on his toes…), but it was a real treat to catch up with him after so long, as it was to swim in such warm water together. We’ll do it again soon I hope, yet it seems another world away now, and did it really get so warm?