Well how can I top last night!!?

I feel like my work here is done. I got the Aurora…. I am so proud of myself for puting on the big girl pants and heading out in the dark.

I really must do some work in kinesiology to try to get to the root of where this fear of the dark comes from?! It’s completely irrational…. Well, I say that…. It’s not irrational, the pitch black on your own is really scary, but I want to overcome that.

Anyway, I had the best day yesterday so trying to top that would be hard…. Thankfully I was going kayaking on Castle Semple Loch, in Lochwinnoch, first thing, with Lindsay. She picked me up at 8.30am!

It was 4°C today. It was -4°C yesterday so that’s a shift of 8°…. It wasn’t freezing but it was still cold. Sadly it was really clouded over and misty all day so none of yesterday’s crisp frost and clear blue skies.

I did not take many photos today as I’ve never kayaked properly before, so wanted to concentrate on what Lindsay was teaching me rather than stopping to take photos every 2 seconds.

I borrowed all of Lindsay’s kit and wore her dry suit while she wore Euan’s.

She had to help me get into all the kit!! I wore my fleecy leggings and a cosy top underneath it all. I was warm the whole time except for my toes towards the end.

She took me through all the basic training and helped me get into the kayak which is almost as hard as getting into the drysuit! 😂😂 slowly off we went. That’s me in the blue kayak!

We paddled all the way from the car park which is under the word “Regional” all the way up the loch and onto the Black Cart Water up to that red dropped pin!!📍

I only started taking photos on the Black Carr Water.

I’m trying to strangle myself with the phone lanyard round my neck!!

Lindsay had brought a flask of peppermint tea and a mince pie so I could practice getting out and back in… to be fair she helps me stay level so I didn’t fall in!

We had our tea on the bridge!

We were out on the water for a good couple of hours I think, maybe more, you lose track. Actually if we were in the water by 9.30 latest then it was about 2.5 hours.

It’s so calm and relaxing and I LOVED it. I find the whole planning for it and getting ready is a lot of work but Lindsay says that gets faster with time as I’m sure it does. Also the fun that you have when you’re out on the water means that you put up with the prep part. I should say here that Lindsay did all of the prep and will do all of the clean up afterwards. Who am I to complain?! I just know with sea swimming it’s the getting there and getting dry afterwards is the less fun bit.

We got chatting to a lady in the car park as we had some soup that I took in a flask. She said she had a dry suit that she quote… “couldn’t give away!!!”. 😳

Needless to say, I’ve been up to Knightswood in Glasgow this afternoon and am now the proud owner of a free drysuit that even in the sale today would have cost me £350!!!!

How lovely is that?!? She wanted it out the house and it was nearly new.

Not gonna lie…. It is MASSIVE!!!

As modelled by my handsome husband.

So it will do the job for me but it’s enormous, Craig will be able to use it too so that’s a bonus. She was the same size as me too!

I still can’t get over how lovely she was just to give us such an expensive piece of kit that she was no longer using.

I’ve also done housework this afternoon and am waiting on chicken in a mustard sauce to finish in time for dinner!

It’s been an amazing weekend.

I’m so grateful to Lindsay for being so patient with me today. For teaching me so much and taking me out and loaning me all of her kit.. I’m so grateful to that lovely lady, Catherine, for giving away her drysuit and the Aurora…. Well, what can I say…. I cannot believe I was lucky enough to see such a beautiful natural phenomenon. Wow.

Truly blessed.

I have a big smile on my face.

I hope you all had a great weekend and have the best week ahead.

For so many years, I sat in Gran’s chair, in the sunroom and could barely manage to walk the dogs. I’ve thought a lot about that these last few days and it’s lovely to appreciate how far I’ve come.

Right now life is pretty damn good.

Stay safe everyone 🛶🛶🛶