Okay, let's be totally honest, I didn't actually do either of these things, but life sometimes throws you unexpected circumstances and then you just have to go with them.
So the night swim became a night bathe and the skinny dip was an unforeseen boxing day 'wade'. Both were unchartered territory for me and therefore I deem them acceptable to include on my list.
In my defence regarding the night swim (not that I have to defend myself, but somehow I feel compelled to), one evening in late August I was all set to run out into the waves on Conwy Morfa beach........... when I realised those waves were about a mile away at least! After that, I kept watching the tide tables and the shortening days and my well-meaning husband reminded me that I wouldn't be able to see the jellyfish in the dark. I'm afraid that did it for me (I did freak out rather pathetically in the summer when I got stung by one!)
Happily, in half term I booked a wonderful cottage near Chepstow which included a hot tub. Suddenly, a night time bathe in lovely hot water, relaxing with a glass of wine and under the gaze of the stars seemed a much more pleasant (and easier) proposition. In reality, there were no stars to see, just cloud and rain, but hey, you can't have everything!
Now for the boxing day wade. At one point I thought maybe the boxing day dip in the sea should be one of my challenges and then I remembered that we had something very special already planned for the day. It was the day we were going as a family to Llandwyn Island on Anglesey to commemorate my father in law. It was a significant place for him and as there were 10 of us together at Christmas it was the best time for us to go.
If you know the island, you'll know that it's generally never an island, rather a piece of land connected by a causeway to the rest of the beach. Although we had checked the weather, made arrangements for the transport of 81 year old mum and duly set off very early, no- one it seems had bothered to consult the tides. As we reached the causeway there was already water covering the sand. John managed to give his mum a fireman's lift across, others took their shoes off and walked across and those with wellies on gave piggy backs! I was gallantly carried by one of my nephews.
We must surely all have realised that the return was not going to be any easier, but probably we all hoped that the tide wouldn't rise too quickly. So a little later when we saw a despondent family sheltering at the end of the causeway we knew our hope was in vain. The water was rising, the wind was blowing, the rain was pouring down and there was absolutely no way we could stay freezing, marooned on the island for hours. Unexpectedly, the boxing day dip was back on the cards!
Without hardly any hesitation, we decided our only choice was to enter that icy water,....We all removed our shoes, socks and trousers and across the deepening waters we waded. I should add that Nana was sensibly exempt from this madness and was carried 'Sidan chair' style by her 4 grandsons.
In conclusion here, I return to my point at the start about unexpected circumstances. Sometimes they really do turn out to be the most significant moments. What would have been a pleasant yet poignant family walk on the beach has now become a family story, an adventure, a landmark occasion which will be often recounted and passed down through the generations. The unforeseen drama didn't dampen or destroy our resolve to say our final goodbyes; instead it added to our experience. My father in law would have approved and being the raconteur that he was, it was right, exactly right.
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