Yes, its been a bit nippy this week, most certainly frozen and no matter how much you sing the song it’s not going to change for a while yet. Karen and I mind it less (I say that with more than an element of irony) at least when the sun is shining and the skies are blue. Even in mid January you can feel a little heat from the sun on your upturned freezing face.

“Is it cold?” ask the people walking by as we wrap ourselves in scratching towels and fumble into dry robes. “No, actually quite balmy” we respond as our skin glows with a redness that could be mistaken for sunburn (the famed Solent tan). But yes, of course it is cold, its January in the UK! Even the sand on the beach this week was frozen one morning – a crispy crunch to the texture beneath our feet to start the day.

Whilst we may be muttering and swearing into the water over frozen sands we have to acknowledge that things are really not as bad as they could be. Take a look at what happened on the shore of Lake Michigan at a town called St Joseph where the freezing temperature and whipping winds sculpted the beach – reported in the Metro here. To be fair, a bit of light breeze and rocky low tides are nothing in comparison, and I’m guessing no-one has been daft enough to be swimming in the great lake? We may not have warm weather all year round but we also don’t get super cold (trying to convince Karen on this!).

Having moaned a little about the awkwardness of the cold I have to say that it’s been a rather beautiful week of early swims with a late setting full moon, very quiet water and glowing red sunrises over the hill behind us. It might be frozen but we’re not letting go just yet!