Wonder

6:44 a.m. 

14.6 degrees "warm" today and a beautiful high tide swim...

Allow curiosity to lead you to wonder. 

Spring life

8:19 a.m. 

We had a wonderful swim at high tide with beautiful big waves splashing over the wall! 

I love swimming at high tide! 

14.9 degrees sea temperature :-)) definitely warming up .... 

Quote I'm pondering: " The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. " 

 - Henry David Thoreau 

Well that was a waste of time

I never finish a swim and come out the pool and think, "Well that was a waste of time."

Never. 

Today was no exception. The pool at Dalebrook is super nice :-)) 

6:53 a.m. 

14.5 degrees sea temperature ... so warm :-)) 

Happy Friday!!

Shirley xx 

Stoked

6:56 a.m.

My "stoked" happy face after my swim...

Stoked: adjective - excited or euphoric 

13.7 degrees sea temperature...

What makes you happy? 

Shirley xx 

Essentials

6:58 am 

Essentials for winter sunrise swims....

1. The "tempeature" guy ( Anthony has been taking the temperature for 7 years now) and nobody ever agrees with his digital themometer! :-)) If Anthony is not at the pool, then I get the dreaded task. 

2. Flippers ...they are the best investment in avoiding urchin spikes in your feet! They also help me at high tide to swim faster...

3. Friends ...meeting all the other sunrise swimmers every morning is the joy of my life. Lots of laughter and chatting and the best way to start the day!

4. Salty sea water that is so cold it takes your breath away. It often happens that I come out feeling amazing and "stoked" on a high for the rest of the day!!

What is essential to start your day? 

Happy Tuesday!! 

Shirley xx 

The beauty and mystery of right now

Movement is living and exercise is medicine.  - John Zapotocky, 92 

A cold front has come through this weekend to Cape Town and we arrived at the pool in a storm. 

The sea temperature has dropped to 11.5 degrees and we had a very quick swim! It was lots of fun swimming in the rain. We even had hail. All the rain has been wonderful as we are still going through a serious drought. 

I was wanting to post a picture everyday of my sunrise swims! I cant believe its already September  on Saturday! 

 Happy Monday xx 

Hello August

My morning routine since January has been to wake up at 6 a.m. to  a cup of tea.

Put on my costume and clothes and drive to the tidal pool in Kalk bay. 

Then jump into cold water and swim lengths with all the other "crazy" sunrise swimmers. 

It's the most crazy and beautiful way to start everyday! 

Then I'm in my home "studio" for the rest of the morning to potter and create with clay...

Today we had a whale in the bay and we watched it's huge tail flapping out the water.

We are so blessed to start the day this way! 

Paradise found... 

Happy Wednesday! 

Shirley xx 

What's luxury for you?

7:34 am : the most beautiful red sunrise this morning is luxury for me! 

13.9 degrees sea temperature 

My new little slab jugs that are almost ready to fire 

The colours are Malachite and Granite 

A  cuppa tea and carrot cake in this sunny cafe is also luxury! 

The Lighthouse cafe in Simonstown ...I love all the French decor and cute tables...and the food is good! 

In  her memoir Plant Dreaming Deep, poet and memoirist  May Sarton wrote, "If someone asked me what the idea of luxury is, I think my answer would be: flowers in the house all year round."

What's your idea of luxury? 

Happy Friday 

Shirley xx 

Breathe...

6:58 am : A very early morning  we  at the pool! It is still so dark!!

7:28 am the sun has risen and we are finished our swim and ready for a large  cup of tea!!  Sea temperature was 14.1 degrees... 

We pop into the lovely Salt restaurant in Kalk Bay after our swim...

for a quick chat with our shivering friends who have also been swimming with us! 

Yesterday we celebrated to wonderful life of Nelson Mandela! He is a hero and I love this quote of his...

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. 

This is one of my teapots for a customer with the bright orange aloe flowers and two little willow warblers. I'm busy making a few more smaller ones for a market I will be selling my work at. 

This week has flown by! I'm remembering to...

breathe...

always leave room to exhale after each inhale...

Happy Thursday 

Shirley xx 

Keep showing up...

There are 18 Tidal pools in and around Cape Town. I have decided I want to explore and swim in all of them...

Our first new Tidal pool was the very large pool at St.James beach. We were the first to jump is and the sea temperature was a cool 13.6 degrees.

It was very low tide so we saw lots of life and starfish. 

Sunday we were back at our favourite pool - Dalebrook. The temperature went up to 14 degrees!

I have been swimming for 6 months now...my challenge is to swim through winter and all year! 

I got my first pair of flippers as a reward and I love them! I'm swimming so much faster now!

Hello Monday morning swim! It was so cold! I'm really finding it hard to swim in these cold temperatures after a Durban holiday where the temperatures were a lovely warm 21.5 degrees!!

Tuesday was back to school for my two girls. This means very early morning school run. we get to the pool at 7 a.m. and it is still dark! 

It is so beautiful to swim as the sunrises!! My absolute best time to swim.

Keep showing up...

The tide was high this morning and I really love swimming when its a bit rougher and not so still and shallow. My flippers help so much with swimming faster and also any urchins that might be at the bottom or sides of the pool! 

I've had 11 urchin spikes in my foot and it is so painful!! 

Happy Wednesday! 

I hope you find time to get outside and get moving! 

Shirley xx 

Go for consistency

We woke up to the sound of lovely rain today in Cape Town. Its a wonderful sound as we are experiencing a terrible drought. 

But it was really hard to get out of my warm bed and go for a cold swim!! 

I was motivated by the fact that I had friends I was meeting at the pool, and we would swim together. 

This is a big help on the cold rainy days...

I also have friends who have been swimming all year round for 7 and 8 years!! They keep on reminding me and say..."Don't think about it, just keep doing it everyday. Try not miss a day!"

This too is a great motivator.

 I also feel "addicted" to the morning cold swim! I have never regretted a swim in the 6 months I've been swimming. I always feel soo much better after the swim. I  really want to challenge myself to keep going everyday! 

I'm going for consistency! 

13 degrees sea temperature ...another beautiful swim.

What is your morning routine?

Do you have an exercise that you have been doing everyday for years? 

Happy Thursday

Shirley xx 

Inside an out

Make room in your life the for the stuff that lifts you up!!

This morning Anthony our "temperature" guy was back swimming. He has been off for 6 weeks recovering from having a stent put in after a mild heart scare. Its so lovely to have him swimming with is again! Todays temperature was 14.4 degrees... I'm getting used to the cold again!  

The bare essentials. springsuit, goggles, basket, towel, tea ... 

This beautiful art gallery is  a quick walk away from the tidal pool.

Artfark Gallery in Kalk Bay is one of my favourites! 

Happy Wednesday! 

Shirley xx 

Take your time

Take your time. 

I'm learning to stop rushing, stop being so busy and when I swim every morning to actually stop .... 

to breathe and take in the beauty and be in the moment. To really enjoy my swim, it doesn't matter how many lengths I swim. Tomorrow I'm going to take my goggles and look around and see the starfish and the beauty that is in the tidal pool. It's ok to go slow. 

14 degree sea temperature. 

Happy Tuesday! 

Shirley xx 

Let go..

I have been away on a holiday to visit my Mom, friends and family in Durban.

It's always good to go back and visit old friends and spend time with my Mom who is so frail at the moment. But what I realised when I was away were all the things I missed! The things that I value. The things that are so meaningful in my life. 

This gave me perspective on my life...and it was such a good thing! 

This tidal pool that I have been swimming in everyday for the past 6 months is one of the things I missed the most! 

It is so good to be home. 

We live in paradise..

Hold on to what matters. Let go of the rest. 

Sea temperature: 13.4 degrees ( it felt so much colder ) 

What do you value in your life?

What makes your life meaningful? 

Have a wonderful Monday 

Shirley xx