Berlingoing again, polite hackers and life on Mars

The mechanics worked their magic on the Berlingo. We were back in business. And business, as usual, is the 7 miler From Gullane to Aberlady and back. I took out the G3 again which has been enjoying a bit of a revival of late. And it captures those days when there isn't a huge amount of light about.

Just over the bridge and Fen called our names. She was walking back to Edinburgh but we had a couple of minutes catch up during which she pledged allegiance to PRC and promised she was defo coming back soon, after getting past months / years of foot problems. 

Mary draws a line in the sand, literally.

Just one longer h i i t today (can it be interval training if you only do one rep and therefore no interval?) - M said there are 2 prizes; one for who comes first (running at tempo from the line to the other end of the beach), and the second for who guesses the distance more accurately. She guessed over a mile. Since we weren't even as far as the subs I knew I'd be winning both prizes, which turned out to be a strap-on rear light (no, a bike light) and another as yet undisclosed treat. Breath held.

she who must be obeyed

Ah look, police horses on the beach. Only take a closer look and despite the checkered hat band in fact they are not police officers. The word you might think was Police is actually POLITE. So quite a canny way to encourage respect from fellow road users. Isn't it an offence to impersonate a Polite Officer?

cunning use of ponytail

A quick google and this has all been covered. This article from 2013 would suggest it is not new news. And as you can imagine there are plenty of forums featuring worried hackers (of the horse riding variety) and ragey drivers. The words please and polite may have been recommended to be removed by some police dude but given the amount of them on sale all over the internet (more here claiming copyright and international trade marked!) I think this advice has fallen on deaf ears. The biggest worry now for the hackers is that angry car drivers might go out of their way to upset what they imagine are Mounted Police.

It reminded me of butterflies and moths with what could be mistaken for birds eye type markings on their wings. A quick glance and your instinct is to respond in a certain way. 

Meanwhile we have changed into wetsuits and are making our way to the beach. The water felt pretty cold and we were both fairly sure the thermometer is no longer working well as it was reading 16 or 17 degrees. It did not feel that warm though it probably was well into double figures.

I was trying out a couple of tweaks to my outfit. A buff worn round the neck to dissuade my wetsuit from rubbing a hole in my neck at the velcro fastening. Results promising but not a good look. And I wore the scuba mask and snorkel so I could keep lookout for anything of interest. Of which there was nada because Mary insists we swim in the most lifeless bit of Gullane Bay if not the entire North Sea, right in the centre where there is no seaweed or rocks. I think there is more life on Mars than on that barren sandy seabed. (Only one disorientated crab, missing a claw (but still up for a fight!))

While I enjoyed the swim and stayed in a bit longer than Mary my thoughts turned to Fidra and crossing the deep dark vertiginous gorge of out there, to get there. It seemed further away than ever. The distance (parallel to the shore) is a dawdle but the closer I get to that dark canyon of hell the less likely it seems possible. Maybe I need less good visibility (paints inside of goggles) rather than more. I think I need to just practise in deepish water over longer distances (doing stuff like Toby does: from one side of Gullane Bay to the other, a couple of hundred yards offshore) until it is all just second nature.

The return swim back into the wind was considerably less easy than with the wind. 

luckiest photo of the day

So I took a snap of the berries looking very autumnal and undergrowthy then when I get home I realised there was a Speckled Wood right there left of centre and I didn't realise. Maybe that was the second prize?