At the Grange Junior school we had swimming lessons. At the time the only swimming pool in Daventry was the outdoor pool on the Headlands estate. I remember the very cold, stone change rooms. White stone cubicles. Always cold, even when the sun shone outside. The strong smell of chlorine. I used to dread the cold.
This leads me to a memory of swimming with Dad. It is the only memory I have of going swimming with my Dad. I recall him beckoning me to jump into the deep end of the big pool (there were 3 pools there) where he would catch me. On the occasion I remember, he did not catch me but deliberately moved aside. I plunged. I remember bubbles, panic, the sound of water rushing past my head. I didn't like it.
