13. Song Sung Blue

“Me and you are subject to the blues now and then
But when you take the blues and make a song
You sing them out again”  (Neil Diamond, 1972)

Blue January

There has been a lot in the media and social media recently about the so called ‘January Blues’ and how to overcome them. Researchers from Exeter University have acknowledged that January can feel – to some – like the gloomiest month of the year. But it is not just January. Last week I received my copy of Outdoor Swimmer Magazine and discovered a feature on How to Beat the February Blues! I wonder if, in the Southern Hemisphere, they have something called the June or July Blues! Because, actually, it is the winter months that contribute to this feeling of gloom.

While the idea that there is such a phenomenon as the so called ‘Blue Monday’ (generally reported as falling on the third Monday in January) has been rubbished – most eloquently by Dean Burnett, from Cardiff University who describes it as ‘pseudoscientific … gibberish, bilge, rubbish, crap, stupid, and any other polite way of saying “utter bollocks” that you can think of‘ (Burnett, 2014) – there does seem to be support for the idea that some people struggle to remain feeling positive in January (and February). According to the NHS around 2 million people in the UK and more than 12 million people across northern Europe are thought to be affected by ‘the winter blues‘.

“I guess thats why they call it the blues” (Elton John, 1983)

And its not really a surprise given the rain and cold weather, and the short, dark days. There has also been a flu epidemic this winter and many people I know have struggled with persistent winter viruses that sap your energy and motivation to get outside and keep active.

I’ll be honest – I have had my share of ‘down’ days too, when I have found it difficult to motivate myself. There is good evidence that being more physically and mentally active, connecting with other people, getting absorbed in interesting activities can help us feel better – but sometimes, even when we know this, it is hard to find the motivation to do these things.

“Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining”  (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1842)

The advice from the NHS is to ‘be active, get outside, see the light‘. A bit like the advice to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, many of us know what we should be doing, but we find that it is the motivating ourselves and building it into our lives bit that is so difficult. So I am not going to fall into the trap of offering my ‘tips’. Each of us is different and we all have different needs and responsibilities. I believe it is more about finding what works for you.

I have discovered that what works for me (apart from swimming outside) is blue sky. And I can tell you that, despite the way it might feel, there have been some gloriously beautiful blue sky days this year so far. And I have seized them – and swum in them.

 

This is my first winter as a ‘retired person’, no longer tied to days of leaving and returning home in darkness, longing for the weekend and the chance to (hopefully) see some daylight. I have been observing many of my new swimming friends ‘fitting in’ outdoor swims before or after work – often in the murky January light – or at weekends when it has been wet, windy and grey. I have not been tempted to join them.

Instead, each week, I study the weather forecast and the tide tables and I plan my swims accordingly. Doing this has changed my perception of winter. I have been able to see,  feel and smell Spring in the air. Also, I have found that, whenever I go,  I have never needed to swim alone. There have always been at least one or two other swimmers and this has led to me making many new acquaintances and engaging in conversations about interesting new topics (as well as the inevitable one about the water temperature). This has helped to bring energy and motivation into, what otherwise might have been, a gloomy month.

“Blue skies smiling at me, Nothing but blue skies, Do I see” (Ella Fitzgerald, 1958)

During January I managed to swim in the sea or the lake at Clevedon on 10 occasions – which is roughly twice a week – and I clocked up just over 4000 open water metres. Most of those swims have been in bright sunshine with blue skies that have even managed to make the sea at Clevedon look blue.

Each swim left me feeling energised, smiling and motivated to do more. What works for me, in dealing with the ‘January Blues’, is to just keep swimming in blue skies – and to not let a week pass without fitting in at least two open water swims.

On the days when I haven’t been able to factor in a ‘blue sky open water swim’, I pound out the miles in the outdoor (heated) pool at my gym. I have sometimes been lucky enough to catch some sunshine there as well, but mostly these swims seem to have been in rain or hail – or misty gloom. I console myself with the thought that, at least I am breathing fresh air!

Blue dolphin

One of the new gadgets I received as a Christmas gift was a thermometer. I have written previously (see I feel it in my fingers; I feel it in my toes) about the water-side discussions with regard to the water temperature. There is inevitably someone (often more than one) with a thermometer and inevitably, also, a discussion about whether the thermometer can be believed.

I now have my own little dolphin who contributes to this debate!

This January the temperature of the water has ranged from 3.5 degrees celsius to 6 degrees celsius and this has, on occasion, given rise to yet another ‘blue’ phenomenon (in the language department)!

Interestingly, when you swim in cold water at these temperature you don’t come out looking blue. You actually come out looking a sort of orangey-red colour – and this is known as the ‘cold water tan’.

Another gadget I received as a Christmas gift tracks me while I am swimming and enables me to produce a nice little pictorial map of my swim. Now that I have got the hang of how to use this you can expect to see more of these over the coming months:

 

Blue moon

“Blue moon! Now I’m no longer alone” (The Marcels, 1961)

photo courtesy of Andrew Rew Ford

This January 31st our regular Full Moon social swim at Clevedon Beach was accompanied by a Blue Moon. A ‘blue moon’ occurs when there is a second full moon in a month. This year there was a full moon on January 2nd and again on January 31st. The last time this happened was in July 2015. Owing to the rarity of a blue moon, the term “once in a blue moon” is often used to refer to a rare event.

The year, the full moon on January 31st was also a ‘super blue blood moon’ – the first time this has occured in 152 years. A ‘super blue blood moon’ is the result of a blue moon  occurring at the same time as a super moon and a blood moon – the moment (according to The Guardian) during a lunar eclipse when the moon, in the Earth’s shadow, takes on a reddish tint.

This blood moon aspect of this rare occurence was not visible to us in the Northern Hemisphere but, in Clevedon, we were blessed with a perfect clear night and a super full moon that lit up the sky – and sea – with silvery brightness. Owing to the super blue blood full moon the tide has been extra high and so our ‘swim’ was more of a bounce about in the waves. There were also a fair amount of tree trunks and large branches being washed ashore amongst us, so no one swam very far out. Rather than detracting from the enjoyment this just added to the ‘party’ atmosphere as we all bobbed about along side each other, shrieking and laughing.

Around 40 people turned up to swim in the light of the moon and January was brought to a wonderful, celebratory close with a lot of fun, laughter, cake and companionship.

courtesy of Kurt Schroeder

Out of the darkness, fretted sometimes in its sleeping,
Jets of sparks in fountains of blue come leaping
To sight, revealing a secret, numberless secrets keeping.

All these pure things come foam and spray of the sea
Of Darkness abundant, which shaken mysteriously,
Breaks into dazzle of living, as dolphins that leap from the sea

(D.H. Lawrence, 1916)

Photo Credits:  Andrew Rew Ford, Hilary Jenkins-Spangler and Kurt Schroeder

References

Burnett, D. (2013) Blue Monday: a depressing day of nonsense science (again), in The Guardian, 21st January 2013.

Diamond, N. (1972) Song Sung Blue,  from album Moods, UNI Records

Fitzgerald, E. (1958) Blue Skies, from the album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book, Verve.

John, E. (1983) I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues, from the album Too Low For Zero, Rocket Lable.

Lawrence, D.H. (1916 ) The Mystic Blue, in Amores: Poems, Duckworth & Company, London.

Longfellow, H. W, (1842) The Rainy Day, in Ballads and Other Poems,  John Owen Publishers.

Marcels, The (1961) Blue Moon, from the album Blue Moon, Colpix Label