Christmas by the water
My family and I spent all our Christmases by the sea: on long
sandy beaches we had all to ourselves, under a blazing Australian
sun.
When I was 25, I packed my bags and moved to London. My
Christmas traditions changed from bright blue, open water to
crowding around an open fire.
You don't realise how much you miss the water until the only
place you see it is in puddles on the street.
But that all changed while I was on a walk to London Fields, I
smelt it first, then saw the red brick walls, and realised that
just minutes from my house in Dalston was a lido; a 50m outdoor
pool, that's heated and open all year round.
So I've created a new Christmas tradition. On Christmas Eve I
get into my swimsuit and go swimming.
I swim through the steam that rises from the water and into the
freezing cold air. I swim and look up at the sky, see birds flying
overhead, feel the warm water on my skin.
I swim and it feels like coming home.