swimming

An early swim

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

FRIDAY
We had a lovely day. First we went to meet up with Oreneta who is another blogging friend, i.e. we met first through our blogs and eventually got together face to face too.  These connections are very important to me here and it was great to see where she lives as well as meet the famous Chuck!  As well as being beautiful he was totally charming in spite of having three four legged females arrive in his home

The dogs all had a walk together round the village and then while Blue rested on the patio we went up into the hills which are easily accessible without having to drive or cross a major road. Not surprisingly I had a long fantasy about living there but unfortunately there is not a good connection to Granollers and for the moment at least we need to have access to school.
Afterwards we drove down to the coast to have lunch – early!  It was about 1.30pm

There is a lovely restaurant right beside the sea in between Premia and Vilassar. (If you are wondering how we managed with three dogs – we left Blue and Duna sleeping in the car and took Bonnie inside for a treat. It is a dog friendly place)

Then we all walked down to the sea. It was sunny, the water was aquamarine and unusually calm, I went for a paddle with Bonnie and suddenly realised it wasn’t too cold. Without taking time to think I threw off clothes and dived in. That must be the earliest swim I’ve ever done

Not long after the shadows started to lengthen and we made our way back up the beach

I wonder if you are thinking ‘how idyllic’?  If so then let me add that the less than wonderful part of the day was the fight that Duna and Bonnie had on the beach

Bonnie gets excited playing and that seems to wind Duna up so she pounced and teeth were bared and blood drawn. This time it was someone else’s turn to get his hand bitten as he tried to separate them. It’s a worry – it’s not something I have had to deal with ever before. Or not with dogs anyway

We are now keeping Duna under close supervision and she is always either muzzled or on the lead in the house. There is always something interesting to deal with here! Something new. Something challenging. As a friends aunt once said “You have to laugh!”


Salernes just west of Cannes

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

Just in case yesterdays photo failed to show how beautiful the bathing pool is here at the campsite I thought I’d show you another one this morning.

I am working on the computer which is balanced on a rubbish bin outside the toiletblock by our tent. My mobile phone is also plugged in recharging and lying on the edge of the drain!

Wild swims

~ Kate Wilson ~ 7 Comments

 


Before I left Cornwall last year I read a book called Waterlog by the late Roger Deakin and I find it has stuck with me – memories of some of his wild outdoor water adventures have become permanent images in my imagination and they help me when I am hesitating to take the plunge. If he could fling himself into an icy lake in Cumbria then surely I can do the same in the Pyranees? Over the past year I have swum of course many times in the sea but also in mountain rivers, lakes, woodland pools and, for sometime in the future, there is the tantalising dream of a dip in a totally wild unspoilt natural hot water mineral pool.This favourite pool is deep and mysterious and isolated – you walk a long way up river to get there and are rewarded with a magical setting. I am sure Les Dones D’Aigua live here. That strange shape is my reflection in the water – it was totally clear.A deceptively gentle looking river – it was impossible to swim upstream against the current. Had to wear my bathing costume here so it lacked that ‘je ne sais quoi’ of wildness.Duna’s first long swim – like me she prefers calm waters.These last pictures are of another hidden pool in the mountains of Montseny. Almost too cold even for me – but I did it!
And the dream of an open air natural hot spring? I heard of one close to the Bains of St Thomas in Catalunya Nord but we were leaving that day so it waits for next time….