Low Tide	04:36 (0.60m)
High Tide	10:56 (2.50m)
Low Tide	17:10 (0.50m)
High Tide	23:25 (2.50m)

Sea temperature: 14.8
Sea conditions: long, slow, high rollers reaching over us
Weather: changeable, sun, clouds, very windy
Joined by: The Usual Suspects plus Mertz and Abs
Topics of conversation:
Stonehenge - which is where Abs's boy is and has been for the solstice for the last 9 years. She feels her heart in her mouth even now, worrying that he will keep safe but as he had a baptism by fire when he was 2 years old and there were 20,000 people there, the worry get's less as he get's older. On that occasion he was found, safe and well and sharing a nice lady's sandwiches. He's not a teenager yet and we all speculated about when, and if, he might become a scary thing as they all do. Sara and The Poet reckoned on 2 more years of him being lovely to his mum. We are all looking forward to welcoming them to the village as residents at the end of August when they move into the camp site for a couple of weeks.
Mertz's scar - finally he's able to show off the substantial scar after his skin surgery. It's impressive and could be passed off as a war wound: had he been bitten by a shark, branded, shot? The shape of the resultant scar was also interpreted by various swimmers as a 'Y' a 'Z', the name of a past lover or question mark, (which I suggested was easier than him trying to remember the names of all the women... cue grumbling protestation from Mertz and comments of "harsh, but fair"). He went in, got knocked sideways by a wave and came straight out, which was probably sensible as he's playing golf this morning with DK's son and doesn't want to to aggravate the wound. 

The very glamorous LE

The Light Entertainment is briefly back, having been to Ascot and visiting friends. She's off again on journalistic duties tomorrow and then moving house on Tuesday so it's a whistle-stop tour and she was desperate to get a swim in. I'd had a message from her from Thames Ditton Island last week when she was sitting by the river watching the sun coming up, surrounded by parakeets, coots and kingfishers, saying she was still hankering after the North Sea. I think it is now official that she too is hooked. As she'd been to Ascot and 'wiped her face' we discussed the wonderful pictures of the Queen being delighted by her horse winning, which had been in the press. She was clearly over the moon, as was the LE, who had money on it to win. The Guardian quotes her bloodstock adviser:

"In the build-up we were trying not to get too excited," Warren, who was sitting next to the Queen in the Royal Box during the race, said afterwards. "No monarch had ever won the race and it seemed too good to be true to think that it could happen, particularly being a filly against colts.

"So we were all trying our hardest to keep the excitement under control but I'm afraid with one [furlong] to run the excitement was too much. I can't remember seeing the Queen so happy and excited and thrilled, so it was just a truly magical moment.

"For a lady that has given so much to this country to win what is probably, after the Derby, the most historical race in the calendar, it gives me so much pleasure to know that she has got such enjoyment and happiness from it. It was an amazing event."

Despite the weather our friends had cycled over the river for a BBQ yesterday and I'd set up both the wind breaks to try to give us some shelter by the huts. The kite surfers had been out for most of the evening as the waves were deep and rolling and the wind really was strong.  We'd teased the cyclists, who had come over in high vis. jackets, but actually it was helpful that we could see them in the dark, even though we'd had intermittent moonlight  The moon had been breathtaking and we are all hoping for a clear night tonight for the 'Super Moon', the term now commonly used to describe the Pedigree Full Moon, when the moon is full and closest to the earth this year. (see Huffington Green article) The tides are lovely and deep as a result, and we were conscious of the tide rising very rapidly as we swam this morning. If the weather improves a super moon swim could be in order, but the wind will have to drop a bit before then for me to feel safe swimming on my own in the dark. Next year it falls in August so that's a definite party date.

As it's been cold I'd brought some of my Father's old clothes down to the hut and Andy is a large chap, as my Pa was. Even though the high vis. jacket was fetching, it wasn't very warm, so he'd worn a toasty Gortex coat and I'd had a knitted sweater/jacket/duffle coat type thing that I always remember him wearing here when I was a kid, I've even got a photo of him in it sitting in Auntie Val's beach hut but I can't find it anywhere. Andy and I posed to show my Mother that his spirit lives on. She tells me that the sweater has never been washed and it's older than me but the smell of gun oil and cigarettes that I associate with my father has gone.

Just been for an afternoon swim in a break between heavy rain showers and there was a huge fat rainbow over the sea, I've never swum with a rainbow before. It was mesmerising.