France in Focus

I do! Just got in from a beautiful dip The advantages of evening swimming are many, including the blasted taons being asleep and watching the bats flitting around overhead

I could easily have captioned "does my bum look big in this ?"

Quiksilver wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2024 10:45 pm The advantages of evening swimming are many, including the blasted taons being asleep and watching the bats flitting around overhead

Yes, those horse flies are a real horror. I hate them. I've learned to recognize the sound of their buzz, much deeper than other insects. We also have those tiny little starlings that fly in groups and swoop down for a very quick sip of water in the pool, even when I'm in it. I love watching them.

Evening swimming is lovely. Quiet, no buzzing insects, lovely smell wafting from nearby flowers and no hot sun on your head. Our pool water is currently at 32 Deg (unheated). The evening air was less than that yesterday. It was like a spa bath.

Naylor's Ark wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 11:27 am Our pool water is currently at 32 Deg (unheated).

Ours has been 35 for the last 4 days !!!!

Lori wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 12:39 pm

Naylor's Ark wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 11:27 am Our pool water is currently at 32 Deg (unheated).

Ours has been 35 for the last 4 days !!!!

I thought it would cool a bit after the rain. But it hasn't. If it gets any warmer we'll be topping up with cold. ( No restrictions here yet!)
My ideal is 30. I can't tolerate cold water and although 32/3 is lovely in the cooler evening it's not refreshing for swimming in the day.

Naylor's Ark wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 1:19 pm I can't tolerate cold water and although 32/3 is lovely in the cooler evening it's not refreshing for swimming in the day.

I know what you mean. 35 is really weird. It is okay, but I too would prefer it a bit cooler. It is the cover that allows it to get to that temperature. We have now started to open it in the morning so it won't bake all day under the rolling cover.

In a past life I had to maintain a pool at a place that was doing holiday lets. One particularly fussy woman kept complaining that her little darling was finding it too cold. Receiving daily complaints I gradually increased the heating. As soon as it reached 32 degrees it was only a matter of a few hours before it suffered a flash of algae (?) and turned bright green. The only way to deal with it was to do the chemical treatment and during this process the pool could not be used at all. As expected, she moaned about that and suggested I just drain it and start with fresh water. I pointed out that to do that and wait for it to reheat would take longer than her remaining tenancy.

That's partly why we aim for 26/27C max. It's beautifully refreshing and requires minimal dosing to ensure that it stays crystal clear. I do brave 18C in April, but it's a bit chilly to say the least