Black Holes Swimming in the Sea

Temperatures in our garden peaked at 34 degrees Celsius this afternoon, so today was the day for me to pack my rucksack, grab my sunbrolly, and walk down to Blackpool Sands - more or less straight into the sea: absolutely deliciously refreshing. It was my first Devon sea swim for 2018. As my last sea swim this year was in the Mediterranean, I thought it might take me a while to get in the cooler English Channel, but not at all. The tide was at the top of one of the steep shelves along Start Bay, so I was almost immediately out of my depth: perfect for swimming!

No migraine! No leg cramps! And no stings! Only spotted these jellyfish as I emerged - haven't seen such small ones before (only about 3 inches diameter), nor with these markings. When I grabbed my camera to take some photos, a girl aged about 9 told me:

... she'd seen hundreds of jellyfish and she'd only been there for 2 hours,
..... she'd saved a jellyfish's life when it became stranded on the sands, by scooping it on her spade and tossing it back in the sea,
....... she'd once been stung by a jellyfish!

The beach was packed. So was the bay - full of sailing boats - while a distant motor boat was the only thing making waves. The water was otherwise like a millpond.

Came home on the one Sunday bus, where (with the coast road, Slapton Line, still closed) the driver offered to drop me off at the top of the hill (not an official stop, but on the bus's temporary route) - so almost door to door. What a lovely day!

Hope you've found ways to keep cool while enjoying the heatwave. Thanks for all the lovely comments on my yesterblip.