waterbabies

There is a 25m public outdoor pool in the park that opens every summer and it's just a couple of minutes walk from our place. Early morning is the best time to go, while the lil' ones are just about stirring in their futon.

We went a bit late last Saturday and the sun was already high and so were the screams of delight from the lil' early birds. The water in the pool is just over half a meter at it's lowest and 1 meter at it's deepest, so it's still ok to swim laps - as for me... increments of half a lap. Bloody shame ain't it?. Gimme a few more weeks and I'll get the stamina back.

It's fun to watch (obviously what I do more in the pool than swim) kids and their dads mostly, bonding in the pool. There's the father who swims freestyle with his arms only since his daughter is snugly afloat, towed and tethered to her mighty dad's feet and they both cross the full length of the pool and back again. A young mom coaxing her lil' boy who I think is just about 4 to 5 years old, to take a huge jump into the pool into her mom's waiting arms. He does it with a yelp and a smile as he lands safely and realizes the depth of the pool and says "kowai" (scary) but mom sets him up again for another jump.

I watch and then swim some more and before I knew it, I'm toasted. Dang, I got my swim cap on and you know what that means! The new Marukome buzzcut surely does not help at all!