In a moment of New Year madness I completed my online entry for the 1 mile, Great North Swim in Windermere, 24th June. I blame that Mrs Thompson - these mad cap schemes are usually her crazy, enthusiastic idea.

My mental preparation for the event has entailed reading Lynne Cox's 'Swimming to Antartica' - surely Windermere in June can't be as cold as the waters she endured?? When my hands and feet feel painfully cold I will be inspired by her words and her magnificent achievements and swim faster and harder to generate my own heat to warm up. (For those seeking inspiration see http://www.lynnecox.org/)

I have to confess to having swum a mile in cold water before - but many, many years ago, when I swam with Whitby Seals. Whitby Seals used to hold a mile swim in the River Esk at Ruswarp as part of the Whitby Regatta weekend. I think I swam this twice. That was back in the days when we wore our normal swimming cozzies and were smothered in stinking lard to help keep us warm. Here's the embarrasing photos. I guess they were taken pre-swim, as I don't look blue with cold.

Thankfully entry for the Great North Swim is conditional on wearing a wetsuit. Having hung in my cupboard for the past few weeks, today could be the day my wetsuit finally gets wet!