Swimming at Frensham Pond

This has been on my To Do list for ages. Last weekend we finally swam in the Great pond, with the wind rustling through the reed-beds and the blue sky overhead, and the sun shining and the sand under our feet. You are not allowed to swim very far out, so you have the feeling of being free but also, very confined, which is a shame. There is a yacht club and the yachts were out in numbers having races, there is also good angling in the pond. The "beach" is a popular place where Russian is the main language. The Russian men look very macho - like bodyguards or security men - but here they bring their wives and children, sometimes gossiping in pairs. You wonder what secrets they know. Surrey is a very beautiful county, especially down there in the south, with the sandy paths and the fir trees, and it's a shame to be reminded of the oligarchs and the Putin regime.

As the water is pale green, it's probably not a good idea to swallow it, but many people were taking in babies and small children with no regard to whether they swallowed water or not. ah well, maybe it's a question of what doesn't kill you....