Monday, 28 September 2020

A touch of hypothermia

I went swimming again on Sunday afternoon in the estuary. Becky also went for a swim and after she left I decided to stay in for a while. The water seemed colder than yesterday but I soon got used to it. I saw a big fish flip up and back into the water; I think it was a salmon. And I noticed that I was being observed from the bushes by a pretty wee cat who reminded me of Floof. The ferry went past and the ducks were paddling about near the pond. I did notice that although I no longer felt cold at all, my hands were very numb which made it difficult to swim. Then Becky appeared at the river bank. She had noticed that I hadn’t passed her house on my way home and had come to check on me. I looked at my watch and realised that I had been in the water for more than forty-five minutes! As soon as I came out I felt very shivery and could hardly put on my poncho with my numb hands. My legs and arms had developed strange hues of red and blue. Becky very kindly walked me home and told me to have a hot drink to heat myself from the inside. On the way up the path we spotted two little roe deer watching us from among the trees. After I had warmed up a bit I had a hot bath which felt great. I sent a message of thanks to Becky; I will be more careful about how long I spend in the water in future. 

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