Rowing Taster Day.

It was an almost cloudless sky when I sat outside first thing this morning but later the clouds appeared again. But no rain!

Straight after breakfast I sanded and painted the upright shelf pieces and then did a couple of small jobs that had been on the to-do list for a few weeks. I sanded and cut slots in two pieces of wood for the beach sign which hides two plugs. I then hung the three photos I took when we last visited St Ives. I'm quite obsessive about positioning pictures on walls and had to make sure they were central on the wall and exactly level. I also rejected two different sets of frames before deciding on click frames.

The photos are all of the same bit of slipway. I couldn't decide which one I likes the best, printed all three and then discovered they made a pleasing triptych. At least I think so. 

Then it was off to the beach. The rowing club were running taster sessions for people who might be interested in joining the club. For once I said I would have a go too. You never know, I might like it or at least if I learnt how to row I could be an emergency extra rower when as sometimes happens one person drops out at the last moment and then nobody gets to row. The were a number of people wanting to try rowing so it was a while before I had my turn in the boat. There were two experienced rowers (including Peter) in the boat as well as the cox. The sea was reasonably calm and we rowed right out to the buoys before stopping to enjoy the view. But I'm sad to say I didn't enjoy the experience. I found it quite frightening to be out on the water, I'm sure the fact that I'm a poor swimmer had a lot to do with it even though we had lifejackets on and in twenty years of sea rowing Dave (the guy who runs the club) said there has never been an incident. Although I've enjoyed being in slightly bigger boats, with engines, on rough water it just didn't feel safe sitting there so close to the water. That said I would like to go out once or maybe twice more on beginner level rows to see if I can get over this silly fear. 

Update- Peter has just come home, sixteen people came to try rowing and apparently I rowed well.

Another event was also being held on the beach, a synchronised swim (comedy style) to raise money for the local schoolchildren's swimming lessons.

Photo by Lynne Dickens. 

(I didn't bring my camera as I didn't want to leave it unattended while I was by the water.)

You can see a video filmed by Dianne Richards here though it misses out the part at the beginning where they run to the sea, decide it's too cold and run out again. I too appear in the video right at the beginning (purple top, white legs) standing with some of the others come to row.

After all that standing around and marching in the water I was glad to get home and jump under a hot shower. Afterwards I made a big pot of soup using up all the limp veg from the fridge with cabbage, tomatoes and lentils which will be nice and warming for our supper.

Above - I bought this lamium maculata for the shape and colour of the leaves, the bright purple flowers are a bonus though I'm not overly keen on the purple spots on the leaves.

You can see more of the scarecrow festival here in this video by Dave Bird.