Category: Bobbing

#1335 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn blogging, BobbingLeave a comment

Another day and another squeezed in swim to the days activities. My real handbag has to double up as a swim bag. The dogs had to take a small break in their actual walk.

And I was on a time constraint to get my habitual swim done. Barely time to pose for an action shot.

My neighbours and the Bobbers were all planning dips at 10 but I needed to be out of the water and on the way at that point.

Bobbers at 10. Firestone Bay

Our dogs needed to be groomed and we needed to be on the road.

Yesterday a friend published a Substack about the phenomenal rise in sea swimming at Firestone Bay. I love the way he writes so thought I would share his musings with you.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thehutongbagelco/p/a-cultural-phenomenon?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2zszs8

After reading this I shared this photo of our Bobbers with him.

Summer and Winter Bobbers.

I would urge you to read his Substack.

While everything he says is true he certainly understates the significance of The Hutong Cafe.

I believe is is the beating heart of the Stonehouse Peninsular. A place where heart, passion and good vibes flood out to touch every swimmer, tourist, business person and their dogs who pass by the door. You don’t,even have to go in to feel the magic of Hutong.

Bottom right our dogs at Hutong.

We have taken our friends and family to Hutong. We even made Covid Friends in the Hutong Queue in Pandemic times. Bobbers pop in for warm ups. Does Jack  even mention they offer a free hot water bottle service?

A ponder with someone elses ponderings at its heart. What is not to love.

#1331 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn abstract photography, Architecture, art, blogging, Bobbing1 Comment

Our Autumn Equinox performed pretty well yesterday. Our 12 hours of daylight were sun-filled with just a hint of chill.

And if natural sun were not enough we popped along to Devonport Market Hall to see Helios an installation by Luke Jerram.Featuring a giant orb, representing the sun and an ambient soundtrack that represents many of the cultural, social and science impacts that the sun has on humanity around the world.

Bean bags and chairs are provided for static appreciation and the architecture of the Market Hall encourages  360 degree viewpoints.

I managed to get one of my complicated images. Which has half of my body balanced on a table and plugged into the mains via a socket extension. A dangerous position to be in, if it wasn’t just a trick of many lights.

12 hours filled with sunlight of different sorts. My final moment of sun worship was a little on the chilly side but worth the cold to spend time swimming towards the setting sun.

Helios is free to visit at the Market Hall, Devonport. Open daily until Sunday 28th September.

#1327 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn BobbingLeave a comment
Digitally enhanced

Fantasy Bobbing is the slightly unrealistic thought process that goes through most bobbers minds. This is one of our bobbing areas with just a touch of Disney. September is the cusp month of sea temperatures, they start to drop around now.

Another fantasy is tide times. There are a core of bobbers who like to swim between ten and eleven on aFriday morning.

We swim as near as possible to high tide.  Over excitement from the Friday bobbers declared high tide at ten today ( the opposite was true). So bobbing was replaced by breakfasting and great quality nattering.

High tide was at 4pm only two of  us bobbed. It was somewhat chilly.

We bobbed between the first paragraph and the one you have just read. Today is not the cusp, that moment has officially passed.  The sea temperature has actually dropped .

Last week I bobbed about in a beautiful balmy sea not really wishing to get out. Today we bobbed about but knew that it would be sensible to get out. 

The difference? Maybe 2 degrees. The temperature is 15.4 degrees today. An early start for our winter hardening. The irony is that in May, when the water hits 15.4, we bob about, joyously frolicking in what, after a long cold winter and Spring feels like swimming somewhere tropical.

But today it was a wooly hat kind of moment.

Cold digits and all other parts.

#1357 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing1 Comment

Early morning and our bobbing zone was like the M25. The motorway that circles London. Pre-work swimmers were getting their laps in while we walked our dogs. Then just like the tide they ebbed away and by 9:30 our little bay was down to about 25 less driven swimmers/bobbers.

©Corrinne Bobber

The 9:30 bobbers were driven by cake and chatter but we stayed in the water a very long time in order to deserve the cake.

©Debs Bobber

Naval personnel provided additional waves, making three rapid passes just beyond the swimming zone. Helicopters were also very busy buzzing about. The curious thing is how much love the bobbers have for our tiny, busy bay. I can’t even remember why we chose this place as our habitual swim zone. The other beach, by the pool, is easier and more popular. But for the bobbers, Tranquility Bay is home.

And the bay that all others are judged against. Other bays may be warmer or more exotic but this little bay is where our bobbers gather and that is what makes it special. In other news an effective waterproof camera has been bought. The Bobbers as you have never seen them before.

©Kim Bobber

Have a great weekend.

Never seen before on this blog the steps and the tarmac promenade that overlooks our bay.

For book lovers the Tarmac Promenade leads off The Salt Path. Unlike The Salt Path the Tarmac Path and the stories that unfold from it are genuine, only moderately embellished and none of  the bobbers have taken more than the odd biro from their previous employers.

Although once there was a voyeur on the Tarmac Promenade. Someone should write a book!

#1352 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Beach Life, Bobbing1 Comment
A fabulous weekend away in South East Cornwall.

Bobbers Bob away sometimes. In our dreams our away bobbing bay looks like this but the weather had other ideas.

Which in truth was a mixed blessing. This camping field remained empty. We chilled as the rain came down. We hunkered down and talked rubbish in the biggest camper van and in the morning the sun came out and we were the first on the beach. But the sea was very, very cold. But we will remember it like this because for a wet weekend it was perfect.

#1325 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Bobbing, Firestone Bay, Swimming1 Comment

Lonesome Bobbing is not my normal way of sea swimming, but it is not unheard of. Bobbing with the Bobbers is the normal way of things for safety and sociability.  Is it even bobbing if you are alone?

I wasn’t even truly alone on my lonesome bob. Two neighbours and a dog,  were there before me. And thank goodness they were because in an attempt to capture a pet portrait I dumped my keys in the sea.

I was so busy doing the constricted-undressing- in -public towel wrestle I didn’t even notice their loss. When Tim noticed the brightly coloured key cutters bands and rushed in to rescue them. The photo is a fake, post-processing tweakery. They dried out quickly on a warm step,retrieving them I noticed the vivid colours ,created by bright, morning- sun and my sunglasses at a really low angle, close to the incoming tide. I popped my sunglasses over the lens of my phone camera.

Using my sunglasses as a filter.

Blurry but interesting, this impromptu image needed a little tweakery, but I might make a little polaroid filter for my phone camera for these brightly sunshiny days.

Lonesome bobbing, thankfully not truly lonesome.

#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