Poem 5 of 230: STATE TO STATE
(TUNE - IN THE KEY OF C MAJOR:
C2 F2 G2 F3
C2 F2 G2 F3
C2 F2 G2 F3
C2 F2 G2 F3
F2 G2 F2 C3
F2 G2 F2 C3
F2 G2 F2 C3
C2 F2 F2 F3 -
(TUNE - IN THE KEY OF C MAJOR:
C2 F2 G2 F3
C2 F2 G2 F3
C2 F2 G2 F3
C2 F2 G2 F3
F2 G2 F2 C3
F2 G2 F2 C3
F2 G2 F2 C3
C2 F2 F2 F3 -
slow then fast)
From Sydney Town,
In uni. break,
I drove south-west
To earnings make
Onion picking,
On the fields
Of Echuca,
That year’s yields.
After day’s work,
From Y.H.A.,
A group of us
Would not delay
To walk on down
To the dirt rim
Of the Murray -
For a cool swim.
On one such day,
I do declare,
Some three of us
Had a big dare
To swim across,
From state to state,
The wide Murray -
I took the bait.
Yes, foolishly,
I took the bait -
A choice that I
Would come to hate,
For I almost
Did drown that date,
Making the swim
From state to state.
(C) David Franks 2003
Hear here - http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=28897
From Sydney Town,
In uni. break,
I drove south-west
To earnings make
Onion picking,
On the fields
Of Echuca,
That year’s yields.
After day’s work,
From Y.H.A.,
A group of us
Would not delay
To walk on down
To the dirt rim
Of the Murray -
For a cool swim.
On one such day,
I do declare,
Some three of us
Had a big dare
To swim across,
From state to state,
The wide Murray -
I took the bait.
Yes, foolishly,
I took the bait -
A choice that I
Would come to hate,
For I almost
Did drown that date,
Making the swim
From state to state.
(C) David Franks 2003
Hear here - http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=28897
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| Youth Hostel Association stamp, from January-February 1987 |
My sister having helped encourage me back to swimming during 2015, by 2020 I found I'd reached similar conclusions on wild swimming (if not on everything) to Roger Deakin in his brilliant book Waterlog; below are some photographs of other scenic "swimabouts" - with glasses or prescription goggles/without wetsuit - in my 50s (when my clubfoot began to strain on walkabouts); and here are a few tips: when swimming across a river (as above), make it easier for yourself by walking a bit upstream of your intended landing point, or swim upstream first (the current should be less strong closer to the banks) and drift back to your starting point when more tired - after checking if there has been much rain upstream; instead of swimming out to sea, swim along a coastline so, if cramp or fatigue set-in, you are never too far from the safety of land (that said, I've practised coping with cramp and do risk swimming out); with a big hat and head-up breaststroke, you can swim for a long time without getting sunburn; if a pool is packed or small, or if concerned about leaving belongings (which may, rather, be taken with you in a swim buoy), get some useful exercise by simply treading water; and, if in shallow water, do backstroke...
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| Buracona, Sal, Cabo Verde; 16/12/2023 |
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| Salinas, Sal, Cabo Verde; 16/12/2023 - so salty, I could only swim my backstroke! |
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| Shelley Beach Pool, Cronulla; 13/11/15 & 23/10/23 - swam several times with sister |
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| Gunnamatta Bay Baths taken 13/11/15 and swam end-to-end and back in Dec. 2019 - if calm, doing (naturalists') breaststroke, you may see fish ahead on your bow wave |
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| Highgate Men's Bathing Pond on 16/5/16 - returning for a swim not long afterwards (Roger Deakin, above, also swam here) |
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| Barcelona's beachfront - swam on 27/5/18 |
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| Beyond Ostia's Neptune Statue near Rome - breakwaters overdo shallows, sadly; 4/5/19 |
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| Taken and swam 6/12/19, around the curve & back of beautiful Deep Water Bay Beach |
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| The "Secret Lake," Manchester, on 7/2/20, swam up-&-back when warmer on 23/6/20 and, as my local, a handful of times since... |
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| Thirroul Pool - shot in November 2015&16, & swam on a family visit in December 2021 |
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| Torquay on 30/6/18; swam 12/7/22, etc. - along at high-tide & out to a low-tide island (also free-diving with prescription goggles) |
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| Playa de Los Cristianos, Tenerife: shot from Montaña Chayofita & swam on 16/12/2022 |
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| Bathe at Paradise Valley, Morocco; 8/3/23 |
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| Agadir Beach, Morocco: the calmer Marina- side area is best for swimming; 11&14/3/23 |
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| Nice la Belle on 31/5/2023 - swam next day |
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| Bude Sea Pool - shot & swam 19/7/23, etc. |
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| Tinside Beach & Tinside Lido, Plymouth - shot 21/7/23 & swam the next (rainy) day |
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| Woronora River, SYD: shot/swam 21/10/23 |
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| Wattamolla Beach & Lagoon, Sydney - both shot and swam on 30/10/2023 |
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| Marrinawi Cove, Sydney Harbour: shot and swam 1/11/23 - slippery & sharp but scenic |
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| Kuta, Bali - shot & bodysurfed on 7/11/23 |
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| Both sides of Santa Maria Pier, Cabo Verde, swam/dived with Bitmore camera; 15/12/23 |
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| (Floaty) Salinas, Sal, Cabo Verde; 16/12/23 |
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| Buracona, Sal, Cabo Verde; 16/12/2023 |
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| Hotel Zone, Cancun, Mexico; 14/4/2024 |
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| Playa Centro, Isla Mujeres, Mexico; 15/4/24 |
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| XlaKaj Cenote, Yukatan, Mexico;22/4/24 |
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| Berlin's Tiergarten, Germany; 22/6/2024 |
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| Canne's Plage Macé; 6/6/23 & 29/6/24 |
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| Plage du Midi, Cannes; 3/7/2024 |
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| Lido Sanremo, Italian Riviera; 28/6/2024 |
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| Solarium Beach, Monaco; 3/6/23&2/7/24 |
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| Monaco's pool: shot 3/6/23 & swam 2/7/24 |
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| Plages des Graniers, St. Tropez; 1/7/2024 |
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| Palm Beach Club, Yao Yai Island; 6/12/25 - on a James Bond Island, Phang Nga, tour |
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| Freedom Beach, Phuket, Thailand; 8/12/24 |
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| 3 in 1 - pool, lagoon, Andaman Sea, at Laguna Phuket, Thailand; 12/12/2024 |
