Due to unforeseen circumstances swimming was postponed from Monday to Tuesday this week, but it being nearly May, I get to go again on Friday. And twice a week thereafter till the swim itself.
After the last swim I remarked to my sister on the phone how I could understand people getting addicted to these early morning swims. Such an amazing way to start the day. How much more you achieved in that day for having started early and so positively. Such a high.
Hmmmm. So very very much harder today. My mind not with it despite the usually energising effect of a bright sunny morning. For the first time the water seemed cool as I got in.
Revisiting breaststroke, everything seemed laboured and difficult, despite having warmed up by length three. Every time my brain wandered in the slightest, my neck would angle upwards. So I would be gasping at the air uncomfortably instead of with the smoothness I would have had if only I'd been able keep my head in line with my spine, allowing it to rise naturally with my shoulders. Practice may make perfect - but it needs your brain to be in the game too, if you're going to entrench the physicality of the idea.
Oh and butterfly? I kept putting it off. After the next length, maybe. Or, no, I'll keep practising breaststroke till I've done half my lengths....Oh and now I need to get my side strokes in, because I'm sure it's doing my waist good.
Finally and for the first time ever I deliberately stop and pause at the end of a length. Stretching out on the water I start to rotate both arms above my head over and down, over and down. Reading the swimming.org advice has reminded me that the breathing is a bit like with breaststroke - you allow yourself to take a breath as your shoulders lift you up out of the water naturally as part of the stroke.
But like my early attempts at breaststroke the leg motion is just a feeble little effort behind me. I manage the length. Do I feel happy, exhilarated, triumphant? No. Somewhat silly and embarrassed. Tired and disinclined to put the effort in again. A length of leisurely backstroke and then back to breaststroke. No endorphin high at all today.
I understand it can be like this for FRED's learners. When you can't do something, whatever it is, the effort you have to put in is physically tiring. That goes for reading too.
That's why FRED coaching sessions are short, no more than 20-30 minutes at a time. Any more than this and the learner's ability to read starts to slow, they become less fluent and they experience more mistakes & difficulties. Those of us who read with ease will best understand this by realising that this happens to us too, when we read upside down or backwards. We start off fluently but after a while it becomes more difficult - our brain becomes tireder sooner because of the extra 'decoding' necessary.
If you have an inkling of what this feels like, perhaps you'd consider making out a cheque to Frest Read Easy Deal, and posting it to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
We'd be very grateful!
Me, though - not very pleased with myself today. Another school report comes to mind (German): 'Catherine must work harder to eradicate careless errors' (yes, Miss Loom)! So I did two extra lengths at the end because I couldn't be sure I hadn't lost count. And as penance for extreme wussiness.
Tuesday 30 April 2013
Sunday 28 April 2013
School reports
On the grounds of my height I was excused hurdles in the first year (Year Seven as it would be now) but we were then introduced to high jump. Various techniques were explained and tried but no-one could manage the Fosbury Flop. The teacher explained it again and unusually for me, I could visualise what she described. My turn came and........Yes! I got it! The only one in that lesson to manage it.
Obviously, I thought this was going to be my 'thing', my chance to shine, my glory moment and I volunteered to represent my form in high jump on Sports Day.
The embarrassment. They started the jumping at the highest I'd managed to do - and I couldn't even do that on the day! I never volunteered for anything sporty again. Crawling into a hole was much more attractive.
And did you ever have school reports where the subtext that you 'read' into them affected you more than the words that were actually written?
Year after year, for PE, I got: 'Catherine is a born trier', 'Catherine always tries hard'. In invisible ink afterwards I could always see 'but she never actually gets anywhere with it'. And these days, I'd probably also see 'LOL!'
So when you ask, 'why can't some adults read?', just remember all the subtexts that you've been affected by in life and the moments when your own sense of failure (even if, in reality, it was only you who saw it as failure), led to you to give something up or decide something 'wasn't for you'.
Most of our learners appreciate the chance to go right back to the beginning of learning to read. Sometimes people ask for our help and when we do the initial assessment before we match them with a coach, we find they are better at reading than they think they are. For these learners working with FRED can be as much about overcoming self esteem issues and developing confidence. It is always humbling to hear how positively working with FRED has affected them and changed their lives.
I have no doubt whatsoever that I am going to complete this swim. The failure I still fear, is not achieving anything by doing it. I can still hear the words in my head 'she never actually gets anywhere'.
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
Obviously, I thought this was going to be my 'thing', my chance to shine, my glory moment and I volunteered to represent my form in high jump on Sports Day.
The embarrassment. They started the jumping at the highest I'd managed to do - and I couldn't even do that on the day! I never volunteered for anything sporty again. Crawling into a hole was much more attractive.
And did you ever have school reports where the subtext that you 'read' into them affected you more than the words that were actually written?
Year after year, for PE, I got: 'Catherine is a born trier', 'Catherine always tries hard'. In invisible ink afterwards I could always see 'but she never actually gets anywhere with it'. And these days, I'd probably also see 'LOL!'
So when you ask, 'why can't some adults read?', just remember all the subtexts that you've been affected by in life and the moments when your own sense of failure (even if, in reality, it was only you who saw it as failure), led to you to give something up or decide something 'wasn't for you'.
Most of our learners appreciate the chance to go right back to the beginning of learning to read. Sometimes people ask for our help and when we do the initial assessment before we match them with a coach, we find they are better at reading than they think they are. For these learners working with FRED can be as much about overcoming self esteem issues and developing confidence. It is always humbling to hear how positively working with FRED has affected them and changed their lives.
I have no doubt whatsoever that I am going to complete this swim. The failure I still fear, is not achieving anything by doing it. I can still hear the words in my head 'she never actually gets anywhere'.
So to avoid this, I do once again ask you to please consider donating to FRED by sending a cheque for Forest Read Easy Deal to:
and please send me your swimming tips, & I'll advertise your cause / business on the blog.
Many thanks
Catherine
Many thanks
Catherine
Thursday 25 April 2013
Butterfly? Why on earth?
You have to admit it seems a pretty silly way of swimming, with your front half doing one thing and your legs doing something else entirely. A bit like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Butterfly has always had the aura of a novelty act for me. The one you might try for a bit of a laugh at the end of the session.
And yet they take it seriously. It's in the Olympics!
Butterfly dolphin, as I knew it as a child, is one of the two strokes I'm most ....nervous is too strong a word.... doubtful of my abilities in. The other one that concerns me is front crawl, simply because I find it more tiring than my normal breaststroke or backstroke and worry that I won't manage full lengths of it.
But at least I know I can co-ordinate myself in front crawl. Reading the instructions for 'basic' dolphin I understand most of it. But I know I'm going to struggle with two kicks for every one arm stroke. It may not sound hard when I read "kick your arms in, kick your arms out". It may be that using that mantra will suddenly make everything click in a way it never has done before.
But I really don't think so. It just feels completely counter intuitive. I think I'll be concentrating so hard on getting the two kicks in that I'll forget to manoeuvre my arms and end up flailing about in a most embarrassing manner.
Does it matter? Yes. This started just as a way of raising some money for FRED. But now it's personal. I'm going to start on butterfly next, because of a linked reading & swimming memory. There was a large banner on the wall of Derby swimming baths & I can remember the day when, from in the pool, I realised I could read the words: 'Practice makes perfect'.
Would I have been six or seven perhaps? I don't know. And I didn't really know what the words meant back then. They sounded a little admonitory, in an 'eat your greens' type of way. But I'm the lucky one and always have been, without ever (back then) appreciating it. I picked up reading easily.
With reading I hardly had to practice - I just got it. I don't know why, I just did. But I moaned throughout my childhood because I didn't feel 'special'; I wasn't 'good at anything'. 'But, Catherine, you're good at reading, you're good at spelling, and English', my mother would say (or sigh, a little impatiently, if I'd been going on about it).
Big blooming deal. It wasn't singing. It wasn't painting. It wasn't anything that would make people notice me and admire me.
Thankfully I am mostly a little more mature now. And I not only realise that I'm lucky but also that the other things I want to achieve won't just be handed to me on a plate. I have to work at them. And if practice won't quite make perfect, it will at least be more perfect than it was. And I'll have a darn sight more satisfaction out of it for having made myself do it.
And that's what I think our learners have realised too. That's why we often get most success with learners who have made a very personal commitment to make this change. Because they're going to have to work and they're going to have to practice.
And if they can do it, so can I.
If by any chance you were lucky too and found reading easy, spare a thought for those who weren't so fortunate. Please send a donation to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
- made out to Forest Read Easy Deal. It'll help our learners keep practicing.
And yet they take it seriously. It's in the Olympics!
Butterfly dolphin, as I knew it as a child, is one of the two strokes I'm most ....nervous is too strong a word.... doubtful of my abilities in. The other one that concerns me is front crawl, simply because I find it more tiring than my normal breaststroke or backstroke and worry that I won't manage full lengths of it.
But at least I know I can co-ordinate myself in front crawl. Reading the instructions for 'basic' dolphin I understand most of it. But I know I'm going to struggle with two kicks for every one arm stroke. It may not sound hard when I read "kick your arms in, kick your arms out". It may be that using that mantra will suddenly make everything click in a way it never has done before.
But I really don't think so. It just feels completely counter intuitive. I think I'll be concentrating so hard on getting the two kicks in that I'll forget to manoeuvre my arms and end up flailing about in a most embarrassing manner.
Does it matter? Yes. This started just as a way of raising some money for FRED. But now it's personal. I'm going to start on butterfly next, because of a linked reading & swimming memory. There was a large banner on the wall of Derby swimming baths & I can remember the day when, from in the pool, I realised I could read the words: 'Practice makes perfect'.
Would I have been six or seven perhaps? I don't know. And I didn't really know what the words meant back then. They sounded a little admonitory, in an 'eat your greens' type of way. But I'm the lucky one and always have been, without ever (back then) appreciating it. I picked up reading easily.
With reading I hardly had to practice - I just got it. I don't know why, I just did. But I moaned throughout my childhood because I didn't feel 'special'; I wasn't 'good at anything'. 'But, Catherine, you're good at reading, you're good at spelling, and English', my mother would say (or sigh, a little impatiently, if I'd been going on about it).
Big blooming deal. It wasn't singing. It wasn't painting. It wasn't anything that would make people notice me and admire me.
Thankfully I am mostly a little more mature now. And I not only realise that I'm lucky but also that the other things I want to achieve won't just be handed to me on a plate. I have to work at them. And if practice won't quite make perfect, it will at least be more perfect than it was. And I'll have a darn sight more satisfaction out of it for having made myself do it.
And that's what I think our learners have realised too. That's why we often get most success with learners who have made a very personal commitment to make this change. Because they're going to have to work and they're going to have to practice.
And if they can do it, so can I.
If by any chance you were lucky too and found reading easy, spare a thought for those who weren't so fortunate. Please send a donation to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
- made out to Forest Read Easy Deal. It'll help our learners keep practicing.
Wednesday 24 April 2013
Forest of Dean, beloved, beloved
I've been meaning to say this for a while.
I'm the only person associated with FRED who doesn't actually live in the Dean. One of FRED's aims is to provide interesting and fulfilling volunteering opportunities for those living in the area. But in the early days of a charity, I guess you can't be too picky. It's a lot of work and you need help and support and there I was, taking redundancy at a useful moment and offering to come on board and do some fundraising.
Well, would you say no? But what Julie Carthy, FRED's founder didn't know, was how far back my association with the Forest goes.
I remember little bits of visits in my childhood but it wasn't until I first started living & working in Gloucestershire age 21 & just out of 'library school' that it began to creep into my heart.
With 4 million unemployed at the time, I ended up as a research assistant (and later project manager) of a Sports Council funded project based at what is now the University of Gloucestershire. Anyone who knew me at that time was mightily confused: 'Catherine....sport?'. It didn't quite compute.
Suffice to say, although I learned a lot about sport (including that it really is the taking part that matters in some cases), there were definitely times when 'fish out of water' syndrome came to the fore and I needed to escape. So my husband & I used to come out to the Forest at the weekends and ...... breathe. Breeeeeaaaathe. Deeply. Restoratively. At peace-ly (see, when you know words, you can play with them too!)
I used to call it 'time out of time'. Like going away with Dr Who in the Tardis. It was necessary to me. Nutritious. Beautiful. We saw foxes and jays. But never a deer. Not for years. Not until I'd worked there for over 8 years, in fact. People who know the Dean find that astonishing.
So many more memories I could share, but, to quote Rod Stewart: Forest of Dean 'you're in my heart, you're in my soul....'.
Do you have a place like this in your life? Or perhaps you've visited the Dean or live there. Whatever your connection, perhaps you could consider helping us out with FRED? It's a rural area so transport costs for our coaches can add up. A little cheque made out to Forest Read Easy Deal would go a long way! If you'd like to send one, please send it to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
with our thanks.
The 'good' aches are with me strongly today, outlining all the places my body worked hard with on Monday morning. I'm especially pleased about the ache in my calves which to me suggests I may be getting the legwork right. I'm going to read the swimming.org advice about butterfly stroke next, I think.
I'm the only person associated with FRED who doesn't actually live in the Dean. One of FRED's aims is to provide interesting and fulfilling volunteering opportunities for those living in the area. But in the early days of a charity, I guess you can't be too picky. It's a lot of work and you need help and support and there I was, taking redundancy at a useful moment and offering to come on board and do some fundraising.
Well, would you say no? But what Julie Carthy, FRED's founder didn't know, was how far back my association with the Forest goes.
I remember little bits of visits in my childhood but it wasn't until I first started living & working in Gloucestershire age 21 & just out of 'library school' that it began to creep into my heart.
With 4 million unemployed at the time, I ended up as a research assistant (and later project manager) of a Sports Council funded project based at what is now the University of Gloucestershire. Anyone who knew me at that time was mightily confused: 'Catherine....sport?'. It didn't quite compute.
Suffice to say, although I learned a lot about sport (including that it really is the taking part that matters in some cases), there were definitely times when 'fish out of water' syndrome came to the fore and I needed to escape. So my husband & I used to come out to the Forest at the weekends and ...... breathe. Breeeeeaaaathe. Deeply. Restoratively. At peace-ly (see, when you know words, you can play with them too!)
I used to call it 'time out of time'. Like going away with Dr Who in the Tardis. It was necessary to me. Nutritious. Beautiful. We saw foxes and jays. But never a deer. Not for years. Not until I'd worked there for over 8 years, in fact. People who know the Dean find that astonishing.
So many more memories I could share, but, to quote Rod Stewart: Forest of Dean 'you're in my heart, you're in my soul....'.
Do you have a place like this in your life? Or perhaps you've visited the Dean or live there. Whatever your connection, perhaps you could consider helping us out with FRED? It's a rural area so transport costs for our coaches can add up. A little cheque made out to Forest Read Easy Deal would go a long way! If you'd like to send one, please send it to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
with our thanks.
The 'good' aches are with me strongly today, outlining all the places my body worked hard with on Monday morning. I'm especially pleased about the ache in my calves which to me suggests I may be getting the legwork right. I'm going to read the swimming.org advice about butterfly stroke next, I think.
Tuesday 23 April 2013
I felt that...
Some inkling today of how I'll feel at the end of the full week. I'd been idly writing mental blogs about how I hoped I'd be really tired after it all but with a big sense of satisfaction & pride. And hopefully with FRED's coffers a little fuller.
Having pushed myself to work at it yesterday, I can now tell you I already have some of that feeling. And I can tell that by the Wednesday my immediate family (love me though they do and supportive as they are) may well be putting up with a grumpy Catherine. A tetchy overtired Catherine. A potentially petulant reverting to 3 year old type Catherine.
I think we might need some extra donations in sympathy for all they're going to have to go through too.....don't you?
Mary Moore, a Facebook friend of mine, couldn't think of any swimming advice as such but told me of a game she and her sister used to play while swimming:
"we met in the middle, doing our lengths and said a word. The other person would then have to think of a word beginning with the last letter of that word and pass it on at the next meeting and so on. No repetitions allowed, so it eventually becomes difficult."
and for giving me that I get to mention the non-profit theatre group Mary's involved with: The Hexagon Theatre Company.
In case you haven't got Facebook you can buy tickets for their latest production, 'Blackbird' on this week 25th to 27th April 2013 at 7.30 pm at the Cotswold Playhouse and billed as: "A tense, edge-of-your-seat drama. A man has an unexpected meeting with a woman from his past, and their earlier relationship comes under close scrutiny. Where will your sympathies lie? Will it be a clear-cut, straightforward choice for you? What will it lead to?"
We play a game like Mary's in our family too (though never in the pool). We call it 'what does it make you think of?' - you say a word, and the next person says the single word your word made them think of. Kids love it. I wonder if it's difficult to play these games & enjoy them if not being able to read has meant your vocabulary is smaller or you can't work out what the last letter would be?
As always, if you're enjoying this blog please consider donating to FRED by sending a cheque for Forest Read Easy Deal to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
and please send me your swimming tips, & I'll advertise your cause / business on the blog.
Many thanks
Catherine
Many thanks
Catherine
Monday 22 April 2013
Breaststroke - I'm sensing an improvement!
Straight in at the deep end today, no messing, and I'm instantly trying to put into practice the idea of putting my face under the water as my arms go forward.
I feel I'm going faster, though whether it's the technique or the determination I'm not sure. The idea of alternating the push of the legs with the pull of the arms so that there's always something 'propelling' me forwards seems to be what I naturally do. I stop worrying about that and try to increase the productivity of my leg movements by pulling my heels up to my bottom before pushing them outwards.
My lower back starts to ache again and I can't seem to remember the head in the water part at the same time as I concentrate on my legs. After five and a half lengths, I breathlessly turn onto my back to rest & scull while trying to work it through in my mind.
According to the swimming.org advice, in breaststroke most of the propulsion comes from the legs. This is the exact opposite of my own experience, so when I turn back over I make sure I'm holding onto my core muscles firmly (core - around the abdomen), to support the power going through the legs.
A breakthrough comes when I start to breathe out in bubbles as my face goes into the water. I remember to look at the floor of the pool (or at least my head is angled that way - my eyes are shut) and every time I feel I'm gasping too hard I remember Gail's advice: 'Smooth, slow long strokes are better than short fast ones. Relax into the swimming is the key.'
Relaxing is also the key for many of our FRED learners. They vary in their reading ability when they arrive with us but one thing they all have in common is a lack of confidence about their abilities.
The free one to one coaching our volunteers provide, means the learners can go at their own pace in a supportive environment, at a mutually acceptable time and place. Little & often, like with the swimming, for 20-30 minutes two or three times a week. We take them all right back to the beginning of learning to read, which helps them (& us) discover what their personal 'tricky' bits are, and support them to practice and relax until they too can manage things more smoothly.
Time for a couple of reminders:
If you're enjoying this blog please consider donating to FRED (www.forestreadeasydeal.org.uk) by sending a cheque for Forest Read Easy Deal to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
I feel I'm going faster, though whether it's the technique or the determination I'm not sure. The idea of alternating the push of the legs with the pull of the arms so that there's always something 'propelling' me forwards seems to be what I naturally do. I stop worrying about that and try to increase the productivity of my leg movements by pulling my heels up to my bottom before pushing them outwards.
My lower back starts to ache again and I can't seem to remember the head in the water part at the same time as I concentrate on my legs. After five and a half lengths, I breathlessly turn onto my back to rest & scull while trying to work it through in my mind.
According to the swimming.org advice, in breaststroke most of the propulsion comes from the legs. This is the exact opposite of my own experience, so when I turn back over I make sure I'm holding onto my core muscles firmly (core - around the abdomen), to support the power going through the legs.
A breakthrough comes when I start to breathe out in bubbles as my face goes into the water. I remember to look at the floor of the pool (or at least my head is angled that way - my eyes are shut) and every time I feel I'm gasping too hard I remember Gail's advice: 'Smooth, slow long strokes are better than short fast ones. Relax into the swimming is the key.'
Relaxing is also the key for many of our FRED learners. They vary in their reading ability when they arrive with us but one thing they all have in common is a lack of confidence about their abilities.
The free one to one coaching our volunteers provide, means the learners can go at their own pace in a supportive environment, at a mutually acceptable time and place. Little & often, like with the swimming, for 20-30 minutes two or three times a week. We take them all right back to the beginning of learning to read, which helps them (& us) discover what their personal 'tricky' bits are, and support them to practice and relax until they too can manage things more smoothly.
Time for a couple of reminders:
If you're enjoying this blog please consider donating to FRED (www.forestreadeasydeal.org.uk) by sending a cheque for Forest Read Easy Deal to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
and also - don't forget to send me your swimming tips, & I'll advertise your cause / business on the blog.
Many thanks
Catherine
Many thanks
Catherine
Friday 19 April 2013
That'll teach me.....
....to get ahead of myself.
When I announced yesterday that I'd signed up for 'The Big Splash' on swimming.org, I did of course mean that I was about to do it.
When I got back from work & settled down to do so, guess what? That was last year's initiative, riding on the back of the Olympics. Scanning the pages, I hadn't noticed a date - it's quite small and not on every page. But I had seen what appeared to be a still 'live' sign-up form, which was what made me assume I was on safe ground. A little disappointing, but it does just go to show ....... you can't believe all you read (or at least, think you've read). See - reading - there's that link again!
My apologies.
More swimming advice coming in, though not always in the comments to this blog (I think Google tries to make you sign up for a Google profile before you can, which I know is putting some people off).
My friend Gail writes (at speed, knowing Gail):
"don;t breath under water and don't drown! Seriously, thought, the important thing is to keep your breathing regular and not "gasping" so that your muscles stay oxygenated. Smooth, slow long strokes are better than short fast ones. Relax into the swimming is the key."
I think that's good. Even a little meditational, perhaps. I did try to get a little meditational during my baseline assessment swim but had to stop. Accidentally snorting water up your nose is not comfortable. Obviously I need to perfect my technique on that too.
Bless Gail, she then went on to write: "Good luck. When does this all take place and what is it in aid of? i cannot open the attachemnt you sent me for some reason".
So she sent the advice without even being aware of the sweetener on offer.
Gail & Steve live in Spain and they rent out the apartment under their house. They have a pool (for all that swimming), a hot tub and fabulous views towards the mountains and the Mediterranean. You drive through orange groves to get there. When we stayed two years ago we all shared an amazing paella they persuade a local restaurant to do for them takeaway-style.
Enjoy!
- and if you do, please consider sending a cheque to Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL, made out to Forest Read Easy Deal.
Thank you
Catherine
When I announced yesterday that I'd signed up for 'The Big Splash' on swimming.org, I did of course mean that I was about to do it.
When I got back from work & settled down to do so, guess what? That was last year's initiative, riding on the back of the Olympics. Scanning the pages, I hadn't noticed a date - it's quite small and not on every page. But I had seen what appeared to be a still 'live' sign-up form, which was what made me assume I was on safe ground. A little disappointing, but it does just go to show ....... you can't believe all you read (or at least, think you've read). See - reading - there's that link again!
My apologies.
More swimming advice coming in, though not always in the comments to this blog (I think Google tries to make you sign up for a Google profile before you can, which I know is putting some people off).
My friend Gail writes (at speed, knowing Gail):
"don;t breath under water and don't drown! Seriously, thought, the important thing is to keep your breathing regular and not "gasping" so that your muscles stay oxygenated. Smooth, slow long strokes are better than short fast ones. Relax into the swimming is the key."
I think that's good. Even a little meditational, perhaps. I did try to get a little meditational during my baseline assessment swim but had to stop. Accidentally snorting water up your nose is not comfortable. Obviously I need to perfect my technique on that too.
Bless Gail, she then went on to write: "Good luck. When does this all take place and what is it in aid of? i cannot open the attachemnt you sent me for some reason".
So she sent the advice without even being aware of the sweetener on offer.
Gail & Steve live in Spain and they rent out the apartment under their house. They have a pool (for all that swimming), a hot tub and fabulous views towards the mountains and the Mediterranean. You drive through orange groves to get there. When we stayed two years ago we all shared an amazing paella they persuade a local restaurant to do for them takeaway-style.
Enjoy!
- and if you do, please consider sending a cheque to Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL, made out to Forest Read Easy Deal.
Thank you
Catherine
Thursday 18 April 2013
Swimming.org advice - what a great website!
I completely forgot that I said I'd fill you in on what I found on the swimming.org website, so hastily clicked back there and oh! It's brilliant.
Click 'Go swimming', then one of the 'Quick link options'.
I chose 'Improve your swimming' and then 'Improve your swimming technique', a little concerned I would instantly be faced with pictures, diagrams and video demos and that I'd have to click away fast. But no! Hurrah! While all those things are on offer, I was able mentally to blank them out, picking up the following on the way past:
"Strokes should look smooth without too much splashing"
and
"Don’t forget about turning at the end of the pool too, as a good turn can help you get into a rhythm in the water so you don’t feel the need to stop after each length."
I think good turns are the least of my worries, but the site is at least partially aimed at competitive swimmers. I'll see how I go. If I'm feeling good I might just attempt a tumble turn. Maybe. Or if someone wants to sponsor me specifically for that, then definitely. Let me know. What the heck - life is for living....
Scrolling down further, past the video links I come to:
I know I'm going to need to read front crawl and promise I will attempt at least one length of butterfly over the course of the five days, and perfecting backstroke will be a good bonus, but for now I want breast-stroke.
There's quite a lot there and I need to read it carefully. I want to know if it answers the question I raised after my sister's comment on my 'Who is this FRED?' post.
I also found this on the website. I've signed up. Get involved in August it says, and have the chance to win FREE swimming for a year.
Now that would be nice!
If you're looking to improve your swimming & have found this useful, please show your thanks by sending a cheque to Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL, made out to Forest Read Easy Deal.
Many thanks
Catherine
Click 'Go swimming', then one of the 'Quick link options'.
I chose 'Improve your swimming' and then 'Improve your swimming technique', a little concerned I would instantly be faced with pictures, diagrams and video demos and that I'd have to click away fast. But no! Hurrah! While all those things are on offer, I was able mentally to blank them out, picking up the following on the way past:
"Strokes should look smooth without too much splashing"
and
"Don’t forget about turning at the end of the pool too, as a good turn can help you get into a rhythm in the water so you don’t feel the need to stop after each length."
I think good turns are the least of my worries, but the site is at least partially aimed at competitive swimmers. I'll see how I go. If I'm feeling good I might just attempt a tumble turn. Maybe. Or if someone wants to sponsor me specifically for that, then definitely. Let me know. What the heck - life is for living....
Scrolling down further, past the video links I come to:
- Perfecting front crawl
- Breaststroke tips
- Perfecting backstroke
- Butterfly for beginners
- Advanced butterfly
I know I'm going to need to read front crawl and promise I will attempt at least one length of butterfly over the course of the five days, and perfecting backstroke will be a good bonus, but for now I want breast-stroke.
There's quite a lot there and I need to read it carefully. I want to know if it answers the question I raised after my sister's comment on my 'Who is this FRED?' post.
I also found this on the website. I've signed up. Get involved in August it says, and have the chance to win FREE swimming for a year.
Now that would be nice!
If you're looking to improve your swimming & have found this useful, please show your thanks by sending a cheque to Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL, made out to Forest Read Easy Deal.
Many thanks
Catherine
Wednesday 17 April 2013
Back to the point!
If you're enjoying this blog please consider donating to FRED by sending a cheque for Forest Read Easy Deal to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TLMany thanks
Catherine
156 page views so far! But let's face it, the point of this blog is to raise money for FRED. No-one in their right mind would seriously choose to improve their swimming just by reading words. Who, apart from me, here, in this context, would refuse to look at pictures, diagrams, videos, someone offering to demonstrate what position to put my head & arms in?
So it's definitely not true to say that if you can't read you can't learn. But here are some of the reasons why I think literacy is a cause worth raising money for:
If you can read, you therefore have choices, and you can change your life. For example if I (or you) want or need to -
- I can read the nutrition advice on food labels
- I can browse job adverts and understand what they're asking for
- I can apply for council housing or mortgages and understand better what I'm doing
- I can read the advice on my medicines
- I can find out when the bus goes
- I can teach myself how to do new things (textile pattern design for example), either by reading or finding a course from a poster / prospectus / online
- I can take part in what's going on in my community - because I know it's going on
- I can have a say in my life because I can more easily find out about issues that might affect me eg the debate about Europe
- and so many many more things besides, including all the benefits of fiction reading that go so far beyond pure escapism (the development of empathy, for example)
Adults who can't read go through a lot of stress trying to cover it up - there's a stigma attached to it. It seems much more acceptable to say - 'ooh, me & numbers! We just don't go together!' than it is to say the same about reading. And it takes real courage & commitment for our learners to come forward & ask for help.
I have finally received some swimming advice for breast-stroke (see comments) and will be putting it into practice next time. During April I'm swimming once a week, then twice a week in May building up to the actual swim starting on 27th May. I'm not going to apologise for the fact that the advice came from my sister Rachel because she's fabulous at what she does. You can tell by the feedback from her clients who range from Tate (yes, the Tate) and other national arts organisations, through studios, colleges, support organisations, arts & cultural companies, right down to individual artists and local charities
And Rachel, if any of those clients would like a link from here..... you know what they have to do. I'd like to improve backstroke next...! Pass it on.
Tuesday 16 April 2013
Two cautionary tales and a gold medal
A huge thank you to the fabulous Millbrook Academy who have agreed to let me do my swim for free. What stars!
Some good aches this morning. I'm not sure what the muscles down the sides of my upper back just under my arms and down to the bottom of my rib cage are called (anyone?) but I definitely stretched those yesterday. Which leads me to the cautionary tales which I read (see there's a link already) in the 'i' newspaper. Firstly, Andrew Marr, whose work I tend to like a lot, is recovering from a stroke. His words: 'beware being too enthusiastic on rowing machines.'
In another report, 'Man, 23, dies during marathon'. I'm long past 23, in the prime of my middle years, in fact. Still...... But then, quite coincidentally, I came home to find the report from the doctor about my five year health screening. Apparently my risk score for developing heart disease, kidney disease, stroke &/or diabetes in 10 years is only 1.3%. I think I can keep going.
And when I looked at the sports reports for swimming and found that British open water swimmer Daniel Fogg had just won a gold medal at the swimming World Cup in Mexico, for the 4th leg of the 10km Marathon, not only did I think - Wow! Well done, Dan! I also thought - aha!
Because what better place to go for advice about swimming than the national association: Swimming.org ? I'll let you know what I find tomorrow, but just for starters, Dan's advice is: 'Have a dream, keep working hard and it will happen'.
Let's hope so for the sake of FRED's learners!
Talking of whom, if you'd like to help some of them achieve their dream of improving their reading ability, you might like to send a cheque to Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL, made out to Forest Read Easy Deal.
With many thanks
Catherine
Some good aches this morning. I'm not sure what the muscles down the sides of my upper back just under my arms and down to the bottom of my rib cage are called (anyone?) but I definitely stretched those yesterday. Which leads me to the cautionary tales which I read (see there's a link already) in the 'i' newspaper. Firstly, Andrew Marr, whose work I tend to like a lot, is recovering from a stroke. His words: 'beware being too enthusiastic on rowing machines.'
In another report, 'Man, 23, dies during marathon'. I'm long past 23, in the prime of my middle years, in fact. Still...... But then, quite coincidentally, I came home to find the report from the doctor about my five year health screening. Apparently my risk score for developing heart disease, kidney disease, stroke &/or diabetes in 10 years is only 1.3%. I think I can keep going.
And when I looked at the sports reports for swimming and found that British open water swimmer Daniel Fogg had just won a gold medal at the swimming World Cup in Mexico, for the 4th leg of the 10km Marathon, not only did I think - Wow! Well done, Dan! I also thought - aha!
Because what better place to go for advice about swimming than the national association: Swimming.org ? I'll let you know what I find tomorrow, but just for starters, Dan's advice is: 'Have a dream, keep working hard and it will happen'.
Let's hope so for the sake of FRED's learners!
Talking of whom, if you'd like to help some of them achieve their dream of improving their reading ability, you might like to send a cheque to Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL, made out to Forest Read Easy Deal.
With many thanks
Catherine
Monday 15 April 2013
Back in the pool....Well, that was a bit tougher!
No nice blissfully empty pool now. Being term time, during the early-bird session, half the pool is hired by a swimming coach and the other half is split into two lanes. One for the slow swimmers and one for the medium.
What! Decisions at this time in the morning?
To complicate matters further one lane goes anti-clockwise, the other clockwise. The signage is at one end of the pool only, and as mentioned previously, without my glasses it's all a bit of a guess.
Starting in the slow lane I quickly find myself queueing, so dip under the barrier and label myself medium. The first length is fine but I can't swim without a gnawing sense of someone creeping up behind me. Think Jaws: duh duh, duh duh music. Still, it pushes me to try to improve my efficiency and I vaguely remember that if I position my feet at right angles to my legs and push harder I do create more momentum.
I don't know if there is anyone out there reading this but I really do need your advice if you are. Too much breast stroke and my lower back aches. Suggestions? Also, I know I'm supposed not to mind putting my face under the water, but what angle should my neck be at? Does it matter?
Four lengths on I gaspingly retreat back to the slow lane and recover by sculling a couple of lengths on my back before returning to breast stroke. Going the wrong way....
Many thanks
Catherine
What! Decisions at this time in the morning?
To complicate matters further one lane goes anti-clockwise, the other clockwise. The signage is at one end of the pool only, and as mentioned previously, without my glasses it's all a bit of a guess.
Starting in the slow lane I quickly find myself queueing, so dip under the barrier and label myself medium. The first length is fine but I can't swim without a gnawing sense of someone creeping up behind me. Think Jaws: duh duh, duh duh music. Still, it pushes me to try to improve my efficiency and I vaguely remember that if I position my feet at right angles to my legs and push harder I do create more momentum.
I don't know if there is anyone out there reading this but I really do need your advice if you are. Too much breast stroke and my lower back aches. Suggestions? Also, I know I'm supposed not to mind putting my face under the water, but what angle should my neck be at? Does it matter?
Four lengths on I gaspingly retreat back to the slow lane and recover by sculling a couple of lengths on my back before returning to breast stroke. Going the wrong way....
If you're enjoying this blog please consider donating to FRED by sending a cheque for Forest Read Easy Deal to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TLMany thanks
Catherine
Saturday 13 April 2013
So who is this FRED, anyway - where did you meet him?
FRED's not a 'him', it's an 'it'. Though actually it all started with a 'her'. For those of you who compile lists, I keep a mental one of inspiring woman. And Julie Carthy Julie Carthy is on it.
When we first met she'd only lived in the Forest of Dean six months. Having got settled, it was time, she thought, to start some voluntary work. Adult literacy work was what she knew, and discovering there was a local need for support, she got off her bottom and started a charity. And that's the bit that inspired me. She just decided to do something that counted. I'd never knowingly met anyone who'd done that before.
How's all that related to swimming? Well, when I said in the last post that I got the hang of breast-stroke, what I really mean is that my arms pull me through the water. My legs make feeble flapping attempts to copy but don't achieve very much.
Can I prove that you can change your life (or in this case your swimming technique) purely through applying what you read in words? Which, oddly, means I can't get help from the book I've just borrowed from the library, because it's got diagrams and that won't count for this experiment. So now I challenge you: send me a tip (no YouTube videos or photographs, please - it's all got to be written down in words, maybe in a comment box below?) and if it works for me, I promise to give a shameless on-line mention / link to any cause or business you wish (excepting partisan political groups, or those promoting violence, hatred or discrimination).
If you, like Julie & I, have discovered the value of 'getting off your bottom', then plese consider sending a cheque to: Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL, made out to Forest Read Easy Deal. Thank you.
Next post: I get back in the pool
When we first met she'd only lived in the Forest of Dean six months. Having got settled, it was time, she thought, to start some voluntary work. Adult literacy work was what she knew, and discovering there was a local need for support, she got off her bottom and started a charity. And that's the bit that inspired me. She just decided to do something that counted. I'd never knowingly met anyone who'd done that before.
How's all that related to swimming? Well, when I said in the last post that I got the hang of breast-stroke, what I really mean is that my arms pull me through the water. My legs make feeble flapping attempts to copy but don't achieve very much.
Can I prove that you can change your life (or in this case your swimming technique) purely through applying what you read in words? Which, oddly, means I can't get help from the book I've just borrowed from the library, because it's got diagrams and that won't count for this experiment. So now I challenge you: send me a tip (no YouTube videos or photographs, please - it's all got to be written down in words, maybe in a comment box below?) and if it works for me, I promise to give a shameless on-line mention / link to any cause or business you wish (excepting partisan political groups, or those promoting violence, hatred or discrimination).
If you, like Julie & I, have discovered the value of 'getting off your bottom', then plese consider sending a cheque to: Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL, made out to Forest Read Easy Deal. Thank you.
Next post: I get back in the pool
Thursday 11 April 2013
Thought I'd better do a baseline assessment of my ability & fitness!
So I made myself sit up when the alarm went at 6.45 on the first day of the Easter holiday. Grabbed my costume and dragged myself into it, jeans and hoodie over the top, got in the car and drove to Brockworth. Not too chilly in the changing rooms, thankfully. Evidence of only one other person.
I showered and went through and hit the usual problem. Having taken off my glasses I couldn't read the clock. The attendant informed it was already 7.30 and that the early bird session finished at 8. Better get going then. The water temperature was fine & I was the only one in the pool at first - bliss.
One of my earliest swimming related memories (& my first personal goal setting memory - though I didn't call it that at the age of five!) is of wanting to master breast stroke. For some reason, having been taught to swim front crawl and back stroke, breast stroke seemed exotic but I couldn't get the hang of it. I made myself do it over and over again, every time we went, until it was second nature. These days it's so ingrained that front crawl is the one I struggle with and have to make myself do. So today, gentle breast stroke for two lengths to warm up.
I had some neck problems a few years ago and was advised to do some daily exercises; I've added new ones since on a vaguely home-made Pilates-inspired basis. That is, inspired by what I've heard about Joseph Pilates - that he was interned during the war and developed exercises that he could do in the small spaces available to him, in the time available to him and that by first clenching the stomach muscles before every movement, the effectiveness of the exercise was increased and the body became stronger. It certainly works for me, not being one for gyms. Cardiovascular-wise, I do nothing on a regular basis. My younger sister, a doctor, is always dropping gentle hints - her latest, received today, shows how well she knows how to motivate me:
"I'll send a cheque - which week is it you are doing it? Might even send another if you keep it up and swim once a week til the end of the year....?"
So, arm twisted then!
Results of the baseline assessment: 13 lengths a day could be too easy. I managed 22 fairly leisurely, steady ones in the half hour. My new challenge then, is to swim 20 x 25m lengths, every day for five days over the May Half Term holiday. For those of you who don't work in schools nor have children attending, that's the week beginning Monday 27th May 2013.
If you'd like to twist my arm too, you can do so by sending a donation to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL,
made out to Forest Read Easy Deal.
Many thanks
Catherine
I showered and went through and hit the usual problem. Having taken off my glasses I couldn't read the clock. The attendant informed it was already 7.30 and that the early bird session finished at 8. Better get going then. The water temperature was fine & I was the only one in the pool at first - bliss.
One of my earliest swimming related memories (& my first personal goal setting memory - though I didn't call it that at the age of five!) is of wanting to master breast stroke. For some reason, having been taught to swim front crawl and back stroke, breast stroke seemed exotic but I couldn't get the hang of it. I made myself do it over and over again, every time we went, until it was second nature. These days it's so ingrained that front crawl is the one I struggle with and have to make myself do. So today, gentle breast stroke for two lengths to warm up.
I had some neck problems a few years ago and was advised to do some daily exercises; I've added new ones since on a vaguely home-made Pilates-inspired basis. That is, inspired by what I've heard about Joseph Pilates - that he was interned during the war and developed exercises that he could do in the small spaces available to him, in the time available to him and that by first clenching the stomach muscles before every movement, the effectiveness of the exercise was increased and the body became stronger. It certainly works for me, not being one for gyms. Cardiovascular-wise, I do nothing on a regular basis. My younger sister, a doctor, is always dropping gentle hints - her latest, received today, shows how well she knows how to motivate me:
"I'll send a cheque - which week is it you are doing it? Might even send another if you keep it up and swim once a week til the end of the year....?"
So, arm twisted then!
Results of the baseline assessment: 13 lengths a day could be too easy. I managed 22 fairly leisurely, steady ones in the half hour. My new challenge then, is to swim 20 x 25m lengths, every day for five days over the May Half Term holiday. For those of you who don't work in schools nor have children attending, that's the week beginning Monday 27th May 2013.
If you'd like to twist my arm too, you can do so by sending a donation to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL,
made out to Forest Read Easy Deal.
Many thanks
Catherine
Wednesday 10 April 2013
In the beginning....
It all started with my post on Facebook:
"Contemplating doing a sponsored swim in aid of the charitable organisation FRED which supports adults in the Forest of Dean who want to improve their reading & literacy generally and of which I am the soon to be outgoing Chair. Would a mile over the course of 5 days be good enough, do you think? That's 13 lengths a day and I haven't swum regularly for about two years? Would you support me? If so, it'll probably be in May half term and I'll set up a JustGiving page. Let me know."
I got an overwhelming 'yes'.
It turns out that to do a Just Giving or similar page, the charity you want to help has to be registered either with the Charity Commission or with HMRC. Since FRED is only a small charity we can't do the first and didn't know about the second. So while we investigate the second, I'm going to be doing this the old fashioned way, with paper, email, and (hopefully) cheque books!
For example, a cheque made out to Forest Read Easy Deal and sent to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
could go towards buying another copy of our main coaching resource, Yes we can read.
With our thanks
Catherine
"Contemplating doing a sponsored swim in aid of the charitable organisation FRED which supports adults in the Forest of Dean who want to improve their reading & literacy generally and of which I am the soon to be outgoing Chair. Would a mile over the course of 5 days be good enough, do you think? That's 13 lengths a day and I haven't swum regularly for about two years? Would you support me? If so, it'll probably be in May half term and I'll set up a JustGiving page. Let me know."
I got an overwhelming 'yes'.
It turns out that to do a Just Giving or similar page, the charity you want to help has to be registered either with the Charity Commission or with HMRC. Since FRED is only a small charity we can't do the first and didn't know about the second. So while we investigate the second, I'm going to be doing this the old fashioned way, with paper, email, and (hopefully) cheque books!
For example, a cheque made out to Forest Read Easy Deal and sent to:
Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL
could go towards buying another copy of our main coaching resource, Yes we can read.
With our thanks
Catherine
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