Rewilding. Wildswimming

Water plant

Drawn to green, aquatic plant.Feeling calmer and afloatafter currents went strong,for long, murky waters,loud silence,broken by greetingsof unexpected visitorswho looked at me from the mirror.

Joy

Today's weather is unbelievable! A sudden Southern wind arrived and rose the temperatures until 20 degrees!!! The house was colder than the exteriors. Despite the weirdest situation I must admit that it was welcome, I enjoyed feeling my bones dry after so many days of rain and cold (which I also...

Movement

Transmutation. Emergence. Resilience.

I started this Patreon account with a post about this place i call Home, about rewinding the space between the garden and the river... Months of work, passion, joy, excitement... Seeing this place grow, blossom, fruit ... Creating a magical place with my partner. Yesterday and today put a dramatic e...

Imagining snow

Today the feeling at some points was that of snow falling... Something in the air, that stillness, crispness... I'm seeing lots of pictures of snow, ice, frost and I'm really savouring that vicariously! Water is icy cold here, but nowhere near needing to break ice to get in!

Rainbow Friday!

Heavy rain today... And skies cleared up for my swim! Dramatic tones, rainbow... Delightful cold dip, with more birds than usual. Strong current. Catching a few sun rays before more rain arrived. Air temp of 6 degrees. Necessary dip as this week is being full on and more to come tomorrow - I'm d...

Leaf romance

Stronger current today brought kissing leaf.Kissed by two leaves mirroring each other.So much love 💚

New home, the burrow

Finally last night we slept in our new home! Far from ready and still no hot water, fridge, washing machine... but it feels very cosy and grounding. And I can just imagine the river from the living room and kitchen 🙏🏽 after many back and forth bringing stuff this dip felt amazing, and even sun...

Starting the week energised

Admiring full moon last night, being reveiled and covered by clouds, followed by cosy sleep, followed by movement and river times... Nice, gentle flow to start the week 🙏🏽 Pink flesh is becoming more noticeable in the water, freshness to the touch... Two mallards were in the river this morning...

Buenos días!

Another day of gentle yoga and cold water to start the day. For me, getting into my body and senses as I wake up is the perfect transition from the dreamworld... Today, a lovely blend of worlds... I dreamt of being outdoors with a group of people, mainly children, doing funny and tricky postures, su...

On faery island

Literally on faery island!!! I went to my former swim spot earlier and faery island is deeply underwater... I hope the plants growing there will make it once the level lowers again...

Juicy leaves!!!

What a joyous dip this morning... Not much movement at all as, after the downpour during the night, the current was strong and the level rose at least 40cm! So I dipped by the shore and really enjoyed feeling the textures underwater... leaves crossing paths with me, flowing downstream, and a bed of ...

Rainy Monday!

I nearly posponed my swim this morning as it looked cold, grey, humid, wet from the window. As soon as I stepped out I felt the call of the river and I had a lovely swim under the drizzle. Leaving the comfort zone, in safety, is a lifelong journey 💙

Sea escape

Last night I made the spontaneous decision to drive to the sea and spend the night by the beach on my van. I needed to be embraced by stars and wave sounds and night, swim at sunrise and be in solitude for a few hours.Many reflections on solitude, companionship, aloneness crossed my mind... Grief fo...

Rhythm II

Some more pics of today's delicious time in the river. I love my river-home 💙

Rhythm

I lost track of time today in the river (within self care of course, as air temperature was 7-8 degrees Celsius). I sang, danced, was still, in flow, in reverence... really atuned to the river's rhythm. Pure bliss.I dedicated my dip to a member of this Patreon community who shared with me a sca...

Same day

Today I had two swims, one early in the morning in the mist, the other at lunchtime in the sun. In both occasions I felt drawn to these postures, heron-like images of stillness and balance; maybe expressing inner qualities of the moment...

Beautiful sunrise

Dawn light today was glorious, and so was the dip. I enjoyed a lot being in the cold water and I didn't feel it as icy as other days; maybe because I've just started my menstruation and my temperature rises during the days. It definitely feels like I have a mini radiator on.As soon as I wen...

The call of the woods

Yesterday we spontaneously decided to explore some well known beech woods we hadn't visited before as the weather was sunny and warm and the colour of the trees is so inviting. A lot of people thought the same and we couldn't park where we thought. Made our own route off track and it was so ...

Yummy

This morning swim was deeply yummy. The sycamore on the other side is turning into gold, the rays of sun were touching my swimming area... I went in and out a few times and the last time I managed to stay inside swimming against the current for quite a while... Even my hands acclimatised better to t...

Releasing

The river today bringing my playful side after feeling a bit crossed with spontaneous events to handle today. Grateful for this moments who help me put things into perspective and release the structuralist part of myself who wants to get things done in a specific order and by a self imposed deadlin...

Water mint, water nymph

Today in my dip I was really drawn to the area with water mint and other plants that inhabit that liminal space between being submerged or not, depending on the currents... It looked like the truly magical otherworld!

Kingfisher and calmness

Today I really sensed a change in the amount of light that gets into the river, definitely many leaves have fallen in the last few days, having an impact on the quality of the air, almost like a winter halo...As soon as I got out, friend kingfisher rushed down 🙏🏽 love themAfter the excitement ...

Back to my now icy river! 🥶

Back to my river after a few days away without the possibility of dips... Wow, what a change in water temperature. Now it is winter wildswimming 100%, icy feel. Today I went in for a couple of minutes, then briefly out, and in again for a couple of minutes, and repeat... A challenge to be still in t...

Can you spot the bird?

Writing from the airport on my way to the UK for my ecotherapy training... Braving the storms there I go!!! For those of you in the UK I'll be greeting you in spirit on my arrival! These pictures are from two days ago, such a lovely dip! Freezing cold, with sun at least! And unidentified bird on...

Moody weekend

This extended weekend was not an easy one... it involved a lot of driving, reflections, communication, sadness, self-sorrowness, numbness, uneas, tiredness... thank goodness encounters with the sea were there to soothe, to wash headaches away, to wake me up, to hold me... the trip felt like a rite o...

Currents

Such a lovely dip feeling the current! May you have a great weekend!Now I'm off to explore some coastline!!! Yay!!!

Level rising

Yesterday's consistent rain had a quick effect on the river... I had two swims, one in the morning the other in the afternoon, and the river was very changed... the level rose around 20 cm (you might be able to see the difference, as I took a picture standing in the same two rocks from yesterday...

Evening swim

These are some pictures of my evening swim... mysterious atmosphere, getting dark quickly, very warm wind during the whole day which made easier to stay in the water after the initial contact. A very peaceful way to end the day - or to start, as in Celtic tradition darkness marks the beginning of th...

Tree

Today's series is a standing one... as strong winds are passing by I am more in touch with the dead trees. I explore the qualities of sturdy, fragility, flexibility in the water... I'm still avoiding my usual entry point to the river, by the faery islands, for safety reasons, so these pictur...