Diary of a Spanish Holiday Home Owner

On our development we have six different pools to choose from.  Some are large, some are smaller and one is specifically designed for the toddlers.  Some people swim in the pool all year round but we tend to restrict ourselves to the months between May and September when the air is constantly warm and the water is refreshingly cool.  There is nothing like being sat by the pool relaxing with a good book or your iPod and knowing that you can have a cool down at any time.  Shall I have a beer or shall I go for a swim? probably be the biggest decision of the day.

 

 

The best pool is directly behind us, but I would say that wouldn’t I.  Out of the main door, thirty five steps and you are there.  It is great for our seven year old son who would honestly spend every part of every day in the pool if he could.  It is great fun for him and therapy for us parents who take it in turns to totally relax when it is not our turn to keep an eye on him.

Harry actually learnt to swim this summer.  He started by trying to lift his legs and splash as much as he could.  That didn’t work so he gave up and we tried something else and we bought him a snorkel and mask whilst on a day trip to Tarifa.  We love Tarifa but that’s another story.  He started off by standing in the shallow end and dipping his head under the water.  Once he got used to that he started throwing himself forward until, without realising it, he was snorkelling and swimming for real.  Up and down and across the pool for hours just searching for everything and nothing.  We had to explain to him what he was doing and that he was actually swimming, but it took another couple of weeks before he was confident enough to swim without the snorkel.  There is no stopping him now.

I love the fact that you can go for a swim at anytime and tend to go out first thing every morning before breakfast to see how many lengths I can do.  I’m more of a runner than a swimmer so I started off at three lengths, progressed to ten and then twenty and maybe even thirty on a good day.  I have never been able to do it again but one day I actually managed fifty.  I just got carried away with the peace and quiet of it all.  When it got difficult I just thought how lucky I was and took a look around me at how lovely everything was and just carried on.