Regular readers (both of them) will know that I’ve been swimming at Charlton Lido most weekends since it re-opened after refurbishment. Over the winter I’ve managed to squeeze in a mid-week, evening swim; a particularly amazing experience when the moon and stars are visible. So I’ve been feeling a bit fitter as a consequence, and while the ambient temperature still isn’t warm, it’s warmer than it was in January.

This morning the whole pool was in direct sunlight at 9.15, and the sky was a mid-blue: not the deep blue of summer, nor the pale washed out winter skies of the last few months. Spring has arrived.

Whether it was the sunshine, or the fact that I hadn’t been out late playing rock’n’roll guitar on Saturday night unlike the previous couple of weeks, I felt inspired to push on from my usual 1km and swim a mile. And in the end it really wasn’t too bad – a reminder that much of the perceived tiredness in my swimming is actually just the process of getting warmed up. I’m not sure I’ll do it every week, but I’m very glad to know I can do it.