Category: Bobbing

#1291 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, Turner1 Comment
Dippers Day (Work in Progress)

Creatively, I am embedded in a pre-1820s Plymouth. Trying to imagine life in my local neighbourhood as JMW Turner would have seen it, but also wanting to include contemporary aspects that would have been unimaginable and crazily futuristic to him.  My normal life goes on around my creative thinking. When working in the studio radio and the dogs are my constant companions. The Work in Progress above is a concatenation of yesterday’s studio time. Apparently, mid-May is when semi-sea swimmers return to the cool waters around the British coast. Yesterday was named by the BBC as Dippers Day.This information was a news infill on the radio station I was listening to. A semi-sea swimmer only partakes May to September.

As a year-round swimmer I suppose I have noticed an increased number of swimmers in the last couple of weeks.

Lunchtime Thursday

Yesterday was glorious, my lunchtime dog walk was fabulous and there were many joyful Dippers Day Dippers. The whole concept set me off on a great procrastination when I returned to the studio. Sea swimmers in the 1820s in the style of Turner.  Not on my schedule at all.

But it will be today, after I have joined the Bobbers for a post-dippers day bob.

#1218 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, Hybrid PrintmakingLeave a comment

The last winter bob of the 24/25 bobbing season.

A super sunshine day to blow away February and Meteorological Winter. It was a low-tide swim and swim shoes were needed.

I did not do quite so well on that.

But cold feet and a rocky walk into the water is not a combination I could tolerate so two left feet it was.

We still have two months of very cold water to swim in. Yesterday was 9.4. It could have been worse.

My two left feet were absolutely fine, when you can’t feel your feet they don’t care who they are.

The refreshments of the day were a glorious lemon cake and salted caramel chocolate bites. Worth every moment of our chilly swimming.

#1195 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn abstract photography, Bobbing, Serendipity1 Comment

Picture yourself in a boat on an Ocean.

With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.

My apologies to The Beatles for lyric altering.

Mid-February and a Friday Bob brings the gift of Marmalade.

Gill’s marmalade is fabulous and we have been given a pot, or two every year since Covid lockdowns.

Inspirational Bobbers

A chilly bob warmed up by the thought of marmalade and butter on hot toast.

And for me the challenge of creating a marmalade sky to accompany this blog.

You can just about see the tangerine trees on the end of the island.

Here is Gill the Marmalade Goddess and Lola as you have never seen her before; as a doggy hot water bottle for intrepid February Bobbers.

Let’s get the weekend started.

#1180 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn BobbingLeave a comment

Storm Éowyn drove the bobbers indoors. Two intrepid bobbers, bobbed briefly and then joined other bobbers in a warm kitchen for a fabled ‘ dry bob’. Always a joyful gathering full of giddy chattering, crumpets and coffee.

Not that Éowyn caused a huge amount of upset to life on our peninsular. The sea was much too rough for regular bobbing so a dry bob in a kitchen was the very best of plans.

Éowyn may not have caused much local upset but she sent a pre-storm which really kicked a punch.

While not exactly in the eye of the hurricane we spent ten minutes unable to drive or do anything until the hail/thunder and lightening moved on. The pre-storm may also have driven us into a lovely warm café and interiors store. Those particular storm clouds had a gorgeous rustic interior rather than the traditional silver lining.

Nkuku, Harbertonford

Storms on the horizon have not been a bad thing at all.

https://www.nkuku.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Webtopia-Search-Brand-Pure&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAkc28BhB0EiwAM001TVGD7KY1_o_09syZWxb4gjvone5DzzQDCS8LBZuFFNZHiUDSmZlQohoCw1sQAvD_BwE

#1169 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, Serendipity1 Comment

Monday morning with more murmuration. Really couldn’t help myself there. Although of course that was actually Sunday night. Here is a bright morning photo from Sunday too.

Bright dawn sunshine lights up a rust stained wall at our swimming zone.

We chose an area very similar to our home zone, with ladders and handrails to ease our way in and out.

Looks can be deceiving. This was not an easy location to get in, but it is the choice of local dippers.

Yesterday was a day of wrapping up warm and enjoying the smug sensation of a sea swim achieved early and a whole day left to warm up in the sunshine.

A pub roast dinner and a day of basking and walking in winter sunshine completed Sunday.

Morab Tropical Gardens

Let’s see how Monday shapes up.

#1168 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn art, Bobbing2 Comments
The Rain it Raineth Every Day. Norman Garstin 1847-1926

Sometimes it feels as if this is true. William Shakespeare wrote the quote which is the title of this painting and the nearly true statement in Twelth Night. One of my favourite W.S plays.

A rainy day in Penzance. What to do?

A lot of enjoyable faffing about and dog walking in damp conditions and an afternoon trip to Penlee Gallery and Museum.  Which was a wonderful welcoming place.

And here is the serendipity of  live blogging.

The sun is out this morning, the Bobbers are up and the sea is exceptionally chilly.

No more arty faff. Just me and sunrise and my post swim plunge pool.

In my dreams the pool was a hot Jacuzzi.

theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing1 Comment

My favourite physical activity is sea swimming. I do it year round and the sea temperature today is 12 degrees.

What are your favorite physical activities or exercises?

I do not consider myself a               ‘hardened’ sort of person. 12 degrees is about the mid-point of swimming in Plymouth.

The Bobbers, my swimming group have dipped in water at 7.8 but I don’t think the water has ever gone above 16 degrees in the three years we have been swimming regularly. If I were to ask the internet about swimming  in 16 degree water the advice would still be that it is not advised. We do just fine doing something many people would recoil from.

#1078 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, Serendipity2 Comments
©Debs Bobber

It’s been a while since there was a bobbing blog, or should I say  Bobbing Blogue.

© Debs +Juliet Bobber

This morning October pulled out a fabulous combination of sunshine, good sea temperature and excellent biscuits. 8 bobbers, 3 dogs and a non-bobbing bobber caught an early high tide and filled the bay with chatter and some swimming, before we all departed for almost a whole day of doing stuff elsewhere.  There was a bit of bounce to add to the experience, not as much as I created in the picture below but we never look this cheery when the sea is actually this rough. Grim determination is the facial expression on those days , this morning the smiles were genuinely generated. It really sets you up for the day.

©Debs+Juiet Bobber

#1029 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, Serendipity1 Comment
Still Summer.

August 31st and it is still summer, only just, the summer tide is going out. But not before the bobbers managed a historic bob, with P.S Waverley the world’s last working Paddle Steamer coming into the background of their evening swim. A paddle steamer and three choices of cake. It really was an epic bob.

©Angela Bobber
Bobbers stretching all the way from the shore to the buoy.

Our Cornish bobbers got to see the Waverley twice, catching her again on their return across the Tamar.

Still summer, a phrase that uses the word ‘still’ two ways.

It is still summer but summer has also slipped into its still phase. The last summer storm, Lilian, happened a week ago. She was a screamer for a few hours, rattling chimney pots and screeching up our cobbled back lanes  before stirring the sea into a murky stew for a few days.

Since Lilian we have slipped into the still summer phase, no raging heat, gentle rains, crystal clear seas and some really lovely days. Not that I am looking at Summer 2024 with rose tinted glasses. She arrived shockingly late when June had already started and Spring hardly made an appearance. Tomorrow we hit the first day of Autumn/Fall, lets hope summer drags her heels a bit and leaves as late, if not later than she arrived.

#994 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn BobbingLeave a comment

Another swim spot called 9 bobbers to the water yesterday. After a few days of grim weather our usual dipping zone was packed with swimmers eager to put the rainy days behind them. Tranquility Bay was anything but tranquil.

This nearby swimming area can easily accommodate 9 or 10 swimmers and all our paraphernalia.  It is a picturesque spot with arches and seats cut into the rocks.

Trippy editing

It is a favourite place for people to enjoy just taking in the views and sometimes enjoying some weed.

Trippy photo editing for today.

We were lucky the whole area was available to us at just the moment we needed it. A few realistic images follow.

But why let reality get in the way of a good blog.

As you can see from the altered image below this area is just a few steps further west from Tranquility Bay.

Curiously the current was very strong yesterday and tried to sweep us all back to our usual bobbing area . Mother Earth wooshing us back to where we should be.