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 

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 

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 

The reward

  

This morning as I arrived at the pool, Anthony was swimming his last lap. As I walked towards him to take my morning photo he looked at me and shook his head. 

"12.3 degrees! " he said. What? It dropped to much in one day!? 

This is the coldest water I have ever swum in! Now I do feel like I can wear the badge of "Hardcore" 

"If you really want to exercise regularly for the rest of your life, you need to exercise for the inner rewards of the activity itself." 

The incredible feeling of swimming in this beautiful tidal pool, with the sunrsing and chatting, laughing and being encouraged by friends is quite a reward.

Happy Thursday!

Shirley xx 

Find your bliss

I've been questioning  lately why I'm getting up early before sunrise and driving to the tidal pool to then jump into cold water and swim!?

Its getting to winter here in Cape Town which means cold, rainy mornings and the temperature is dropping daily. The coldest this year Anthony recorded yesterday : 14.6 degrees! It was so cold!

Then I listened to Rich Roll Podcast yesterday and he said something that really resonated with me...it made me think deeply...and I realised that I had found my bliss.

This tidal pool and the ocean, the friends I have made in the last 3 months, the early morning routine, the habit, octopus, little sharks in the pool, dolphins ...spectacular sunrises...this is my bliss!

I have found my bliss!

Do you know what you want, what makes your really happy?

Bliss : perfect happiness, great joy
Synonym: delight, heaven, paradise, Utopia

Happy Wednesday

Shirley xx

The secret to happiness

The true secret to happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all details of daily life.

William Morris, "The Aims of Art." 

6:40 am 

This morning there was a diver in the pool. It was quite dark so he had a headlamp on.          

Another beautiful autumn sunrise with the water temperature dropping to a cool 15.3 degrees! 

Go where you feel most alive! 

Where do you go ...to feel alive?

Happy Tuesday

Shirley xx

Simplicity

"Perhaps this sounds very simple, but simple things are always the most difficult. In actual life it requires the greatest discipline to be simple, and the acceptance of oneself is the essence of the moral problem and the epitome of a whole outlook upon life." - C.G.Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul 

7:03 am Sunrise with dolphins swimming in the ocean in the distance being chased by Orcas! The water temperature was a lovely "warm" 16.9 degrees! Peter our "shark whisperer" has now discovered the beautiful Octopus he has named "Octavia"!  We have seen her every morning in her spot under a rock. Peter is sure she is looking after her eggs! How exciting! The water is so clear we can easily see her and all her colours and long thin tentacles as she swims. 

The sunrise swimmers as we sit and chat and swim together every morning. It is the most simple and wonderful way to start my  day! 

How do you simplify your life? 

Shirley xx