Warmer Waters

I took G swimming a lot when she was a little baby. But after taking her to lessons in a heated pool when we lived in Manchester, the transition to our particularly cold baths in Saddleworth proved a bit of a shock for both of us.

On Tuesday mornings for several months last year, I dutifully got us both into the water in time for the 9am start at our local pool for the weekly parent-and-baby session. G usually seemed to enjoy it, although she could never keep herself from shivering, and I always needed a good five minutes in the hot showers afterwards to feel normal again. So eventually I gave up going.

But after a tip-off from a mum at one of the groups I sometimes go to, we've taken G to the Copley pool in Stalybridge on the past couple of weekends. Not only is the water a more bearable temperature, there's also a small pool for toddlers which is very pleasant indeed. No doubt that's not just because it's heated a little bit more than most pools. But when you've got a little one yourself, that's the sort of thing that doesn't really bother you as much as it used to.