Once upon a time, at around Christmas, our dear friend Jane, who loves swimming, announced she wanted to swim Windermere. 

Those of us who were there at the time all nodded gamely and carried on drinking, thinking she was slightly crazy due to one or two too many mulled wines. 

Jane continued to talk about this swim at various social occasions, including when she or we weren't drunk. One by one our group of friends gave in to her demands and slowly but surely we all dutifully signed up to the challenge. 

Although you all know that my body is a temple, the thought of wearing a wetsuit in public is sending me into apoplexy let alone having to swim a mile in open water when I won't be able to touch the bottom.  I am hoping to catch a lift from one of the safety vessels.

Training has been tricky; it has mostly involved some meals out (ostensibly discussing tactics) and I have just about managed a few lengths of a 10m pool. (On a pamper weekend fitting swims in around dinner and jacuzzi time)

So all in all, it will be interesting to see if I can swim a mile in Windermere.... at the time of writing I am debating the merits of an iced bun versus a 30 length swim. 

Thank you for sponsoring me - most of you will know that the West Yorkshire MS Therapy Centre does some amazing work and doesn't get any funding so every penny you give will help enable people like my Partner, Camilla, to continue to get the best out of their lives.