Thursday 12 October 2006

Summer's coming!

The main pool and the babies' pool

I love suburban public swimming pools. To me this is a "real pool" - the Olympic size pool, the sort I learned to swim in, the sort I spent my summers in as a kid. Nowadays, like this one, they are often heated, and open year round. The outdoor Olympic pool is really iconic Australian. Nearly every country town, many suburbs and city areas have such pools.

Despite living in a beach-culture city, I've always preferred pools for swimming in (and the surf for playing in). Maybe it comes from growing up and learning to swim in Melbourne? Anyway, on such a beautiful spring day, my son and I headed off to our local "real pool".

After swimming all winter in an indoor, 25 m pool at the gym, I revelled in swimming 50 m without a turn. Psychologically, it does amazing things, seeming to swim "half" the distance (counted as number of laps!)

You can get here at 5.30am and stay til 8.30pm, all for the bank-busting price of $4.50 ($3.50 concessions and kids). And tomorrow, we're off to another suburban pool.

Lots of pool pics here, including more of this one:
Swimming Pools Blog



18 comments:

  1. Most cities, where I grew up, had a community indoor pool but not an outdoor pool. The city were I now live has many small outdoor pools which in most cases are associated with a housing sub-division ... Your post and story, from yesterday, about Peter Norman was outstanding.

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  2. It looks very inviting. Enjoy your next swim session!!

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  3. nice post...you post about summer today, I post about autumn today...which makes me think of some of my friends who emigrated to Australia, their retired parents can have summer year round just by taking an 8 hour flight :-)

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  4. I'm really surprised:Australian people seem to be so early risers! In France, even most of the cafés are closed at 5.30am...

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  5. bunyamin: I love those colours too
    denton: thanks. Yes, housing estates have pools here too
    dawn: we will!
    lisi: lucky them. Yes, I loved your autumn leaf
    alice:I suppose so - people who have to start work at 8 -8.30 often do their exercise before settign off for work. Bet there's not too many people there then though!

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  6. I forget your summer is on it's way...we have a chance of snow flurries...ugh

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  7. Ah, you are heading into your lovely warmer months. I love this post about the pool. I think a lot of us feel this way. I spent my whole childhood in the pool, and my whole college life in the pool or life guarding. This brings back happy memories.
    -Kim

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  8. Also we in Finland are waiting for snow, but we love it, mostly because it`s making the hole world lighter during dark months and we can ski and skate and so on.But over five months is enough with snow every year, I can say that:)
    Nice summertime to you Sally!

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  9. Sorry! w is missing! It should be whole not hole. Careless me!
    I wrote a comment to your Swimming Pool blog.

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  10. I love to see swimming pool although I can't swim :(
    I like your swimming pool blog too!

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  11. "Summer's Coming!" -- you make me so envious! I've been trying to make blogger work all morning, but finally have gotten through to you, because I have a Sydney link which is a hoot! The address needs to be on one line, and you'll probably have to copy it to make it work. Enjoy, and hugs to you!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

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  12. Sydney has no water restrictions?

    I think all the kids will be happy to jump into the pool anytime :-)

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  13. Love the green and blue effect. I visited the swimming pool blog too. Would you accept pictures of pools elsewhere or will you stick to pictures taken by yourself?
    I received some fascinating pictures of a giant pool in Japan. Interested?

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  14. shelly: snow flurries. Here we are heading for 36 degrees+ today (29 already at 9am)
    kim - yes, nostalgia, a sense of freedom meets exercise!
    santycoooooool
    mimmuI'm off to have a look!
    tantyyou're never too old to learn!
    kateI had a look - WONDERFUL!!!Thanks
    keropakYes we have domestic water restrictions, but pools aren't filled and re-filled. They are filtered etc. I guess top-ups. Domestic pool owners are soon goign to b required to have covers when not in use to restrict evaporation.
    luggilookign forward to seeing it!
    nathaliewould love your photo! On that blog I'll accept all contributions, and acknowledge of course!

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  15. Oh, and kate : I'm "glad" I wasn't the only one havign trouble getting in to blogger!

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  16. how lucky, i'm dreading the upcoming autumn and winter in the northern hemisphere, i should definitely move down under, my mind is just refusing to accept colder weather.

    great post.

    i'll be coming here every day to get some sunshine =)

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