Birthday surprise

The very next day after we returned from adventures in Lapland, I was faced with yet more excitement - in the form of turning 30. Alas though, my birthday fell on a Tuesday and with beloved Brockwell Lido still on winter timetable, it would have to be the usual trip to Tooting Bec Lido down the road in the Tim taxi.

I beetle down the road wearing my best socks to meet Tim as usual in Brockwell carpark at 7.30. After a frankly perfunctory "Happy Birthday" he asks if I can do him a favour and check the girls' changing rooms here at Brockwell for his goggles, as he's been told they're in a changing room but they aren't on the boys' side. I'm doubtful but, deciding to humour Tim, I acquiesce.

You can see what's coming... in retrospect so can I.

For yea the girls' changing room is festooned and bedecked with every colour of balloon and streamer, framing the most beautiful gallery of beaming Icicle faces, all cheering and laughing at me. Never have I felt so loved and so betrayed at the same time.

You can read the 'insider' story brilliantly captured on Icicle David's blog here. Honestly the first line is like Shakespeare.

Heartfelt thank-you to Tara and the Fusion team for allowing (dare I say facilitating?) this whole subterfuge!

Of course Tim had made the most wonderful cake - coffee and cardamommmm - a feast for the eyes and the tum:

My steely look

And a completely excellent card (that suggests I could look good as a blond and with a tail):

Then my very own guard of honour:

And birthday swims (on a Tuesday, cor!) with balloon:

Unique combo of Austrian military tattoo and Forever Friends balloon

In excitement after swimming I got a bit carried away with the balloons...

Bust replacement service

At the lovely Lido Cafe, coffee and prosecco appeared as if by magic, and we set upon the cake with gusto.

What better way to start a new decade than in the cooling waters of Mother Brockwell, entirely surrounded by her finest Icicles?

Winter Swimming World Champs - Part IV

Congratulations if you've made it this far - I barely have myself. But here we are at the fourth and final installment of this Arctic Lappish World Champs wheeze.

The last day of races had a fun, end-of-term feel, not least thanks to the collective hangover following the previous night's dinner and dance (and in our case the hard local liquor the night before that). Moreover, all individual events were now done and dusted, leaving the much more jovial affair of relay racing.

But oh no! Relay teams had to be mixed gender, and not one of the Brockwell Icicle boys was present. Who would come to the rescue of 8 Icicle damsels in distress..?

Enter Josef of Austria, in training for cross-Channel swim, recent completer of the hallowed Ice Mile challenge and general knight in shining speedos, who set us girls a-flutter:

When we informed him of our team name he considered for a second and then cheered "Go Broccoli Team!" which seemed entirely in keeping with the Brockwell Way.

We hastily cobbled together a team of Josef, me, Noelene and Talya, ready to take on the 4 x 25m freestyle relay challenge:

Broccoli Team

All that remained was to kit Josef out with an Icicles hat:

and we were all set to race.

We were placed in lane 8, one lane in from the far side, with Josef taking on the first length followed by me, then Noelene, then Talya in the glory seat...

Waters were more than a little choppy with swimmers passing every which way, but taking up Josef's momentum I came in 2 seconds quicker than yesterday's race time, and remembered to look our for the bottom of the river (which was black and bumpy).

The beady-eyed among you may have noticed that impatient Talya *might* have put in a *slightly* early appearance for the final leg, but dare I say it's the Brockwell Way?

All in all a most jovial bonus swim, a new honorary Icicle and more hot-tub opportunities - what more could we wish for?

Broccoli soup

Oh and not forgetting our chic new tattoos courtesy of Josef's employer, the Austrian MOD:

With so many swimmers in each race for the relays, it soon got pretty crowded in the hot tubs - but somehow no-one seemed to mind too much...

(I later discovered that the chap next to me in the pic above - quiet Estonian Henri - is the WORLD RECORD HOLDER for endurance ice swimming: 2,400m in an ice hole in Siberia. Yikesicles!).

Meanwhile, Liz had been getting a small swimming fix in the little plunge pool just beyond the racing area:

 ...as documented in her excellent, somewhat abstract, video here:

With races over it was time to bid farewell to Sara, off for more nordic adventures in Sweden with friends. But not before she found a new pal for David's Rab jacket, sported by one John Conningham-Rolls who, er, sort of organised the Championships.

What a Rabble

So we are almost at the end of our tale. Later that night we board the sleeper train at Rovaniemi station - after a dance around in the snow on the platform:

Goodbye Rovaniemi

Helsinki: coming ready or not

A quick drink in the cosy train bar, then lights out for a much needed recharge after days of ice- and booze-fuelled excitement.

Arriving in Helsinki next morning, we had half a day to enjoy the city before our flight home.

Guided by our sixth sense for good pastries (and Talya's app), we made a beeline for a lovely old cafe-restau, family run since mid 19th century:

 As for me, I'm enjoying the last day of my 20s <sigh of nostalgia>

Then all aboard a little ferry for a trip to the island of Suomenlinna!

Among the rocky outcrops and cobbled streets, I half expected to see a Moomin amble by...

"Dagens basta stund" ("Best moment of the day")

At this point Talya, Liz and I headed back to the mainland for a swim in a glorious 1920s swimming pool right in the city centre:

Helsinki heaven

Here they alternate men's and women's days, and naked swimming is very much the order of the day. And what a wonderful and refreshing end to all the week's madness! I opted for an exceedingly leisurely head-up breaststroke in the slow lane, nodding hello to the other ladies as we made our way sagaciously, amicably round. I didn't even count my lengths, and felt altogether content to be a human. Hooray for naked swimming.

Convening with Clare, Noelene and Biba later, we discovered that they too had factored in a bonus swim - in the sea from the shores of the island! You just can't keep a Brockwell Icicle out of water....

And that, I think, is a good place to leave us - all swimming until the last possible moment before it's time to go home.

Winter Swimming World Champs - Part III

Onwards and upwards to day #3 of racing - this time reserved for the seemingly more serious business of freestyle. Talya and Noelene were entered for both 25m and 50m (gulp), and Sara and I had gamely (rashly) signed up last minute for 25m. Well it seemed a pity to go all that way and only swim for 25 seconds.

Hopefully you know the drill by now (it's bloody cold and you swim as fast as you can through ice crystals then zoom into hot tub before hunkering down with a cardamom bun - got it?).

So without further ado, here are Sara and Noelene, handily grouped into a single race for the 25m, waiting nervously in the assembly tent:

Prepare for take-off (your clothes)

Sara even managed to get a cool pic of the startline from competitors' perspective (complete with icicles forming on the lane ropes)

For the race Sara was placed in lane 1 (nearside) and Noelene in lane 3, both recognisable in white Icicle hats. Hopefully you can just make out Noelene getting prodded down into the water with a stick by her marshall before the off (all part of the fun to make sure everyone starts with shoulders submerged).

(Sorry I didn't quite catch you finishing Sara - got distracted with watching)

Cheers!

17th for Noelene and 25th for Sara - nice one Icicles! Time to make friends with some Scandinavian swimmers - both in the sauna:

...and the hot tub:

Up next: the mighty Talya - a natural in the water and several knots faster than the rest of us.

With minimal fuss and fanfare, she emerges, she swims... and comes 6th!!! 6th I tell you!! Hooray for Talya!!

This calls for some well-earned rejuvenation in the er, hottie tub:

Now for my turn. And unlike Talya, I like to get my knickers in a twist as part of the build-up:

Long johns silver

 (Again I wonder, "Why am I not in a home?")

Cowering outside assembly tent

I was delighted to discover I was again racing with Polish Jola and Brasilian Luisa from our head-up breast-stroke race and with yesterday's experience under my belt, excitement just about got the upper hand over race nerves. Inside the assembly tent I was seated directly behind a row of tall steely muscular men limbering up, and again I was struck but the sheer absurdity of clumsy weedy me being in the same competition as these athletic specimens.

I was glad to be placed in lane 1, closest to the crowd and therefore Icicle family, who gave me a hearty cheer off the start. (Thanks to Clare for steady hand in filming. I particularly like the bag sequence at the end)

An enduring memory will be the first time I breathed to my left and came face to face with a huge block of ice that was the edge of this temporary river pool. Amazing!

20th place for me, although to look at my reaction you'd think I'd won:

Brockwell bicep-curls

We were pleased to catch up with our new friends Ram, inventor of the Ice Mile (and therefore Noelene's hero):

Everyone say "Ice Mile"

 ...and gentle giant Darren Miller of very-hardcore-but-also-fun-and-friendly Team America (he's on the left in pic below - didn't catch middle chap's name):

 
Now onto the 50m freestyle - yes TWO whole lengths, eek.

Here we have courageous Noelene, heading out amongst the snow flurries and conveniently placed in the nearside lane for optimal spectator experience. I particularly enjoyed her little rest at the turn, so very Brockwell (hope you don't mind, Noelene!) Note also some bonus footage at the end of poolside attendants removing ice from the water as it forms.

 Fantastic 15th place for Noelene - this calls for celebration:

Noelene fortifies the sinews

"Would you like some brandy?"

"Sure why not"

Doing the rounds

"Bastards drank all my brandy"

At least the obscenery affords some diversion:

Team Tooting were also out in force, 60 strong and devastating in both vim and vigour.

All that remained was Talya's 50m freestyle. Expectations - and therefore nerves- were high amongst the Icicles.

As we waited outside the assembly tent, I nipped round the side and caught an exclusive glimpse of Talya hatting up:

Icicle hats - our secret weapon

Here she comes and it's game on for our last race of the day:

A stonking performance resulting in an amazing 4th place!!

The mighty Talya (world ranking: 4)

We all rushed around gleefully cheering "Talya came 4th!" for hours. Meanwhile, our star Icicle was following recommended rewarming procedure...

For the evening's entertainment we had the thrill of the gala dinner (the competition's social event) to look forward to.

Quick nip back to apartment to don gladrags and spruce tails - Talya, Liz and I picking through the wreckage of our room after previous late night and frantic hungover scrabble to get to races in the morning:

The kids' room

The dinner itself was held in a huge function room arrayed with tables and silverware at the Santa Claus Hotel (and on the Festive Floor, no less) in downtown Rovaniemi, and consisted of a huge buffet replete with all manner of salmon, hearty salads, bread, cheese, the works. I even tried some reindeer pate (seemed rudi not to), which came with a sauce of red cranberries that looked disturbingly like little noses.

We made a goodly feast and treated ourselves to some fizz to celebrate our many swimming successes, before heading down to hit the dancefloor, heaving with the world's most dedicated winter swimmers!

For once we are not Entirely Surrounded By Water - for tonight girls, it's raining men...