Waterfowl and swimming and best. things. evar.

[triskellian]

This weekend's contenders for best. thing. evar. are as follows:

• swimming in the river under a clear starry sky, with occasional meteors
• making Eton mess in a billy can
• the ice cream boat!

Comments

[bateleur]

Something about this struck us as hilarious at the time

Is it in fact objectively hilarious, so your intuition was correct.

I can report that it is not possible to eat an ice cream cone in water you can't stand up in

I now consider this a challenge! (Although whether I'm prepared to risk the loss of an icecream many icecreams to accomplish this feat is another matter!)

[triskellian]

It is in fact objectively hilarious, so your intuition was correct.
It's the billy can, right? They're just inherently funny.

(Although whether I'm prepared to risk the loss of an icecream many icecreams to accomplish this feat is another matter!)
This is indeed an error in the design of the experiment by which I tested my theory - I wasn't prepared to risk loss of ice cream.

[bateleur]

It's the billy can, right?

That and something about the contrast between anything to do with Eton (which for me symbolises the epitome of English snobbery) and billy cans.

[bopeepsheep]

I'm now wondering if one could swim one-handed holding the cone aloft to a spot where one could then float on one's back with cone in mouth? *hmmm*

I was converted to lake swimming while in France, so much nicer than chlorinated pools! Don't know if I'd try our rivers yet, though.

[triskellian]

I'm now wondering if one could swim one-handed holding the cone aloft to a spot where one could then float on one's back with cone in mouth?
Yeah, that was the best approach we could think of, but the risk of loss is quite high. Also the risk of having your face completely covered with partially melted ice cream ;-)

Don't know if I'd try our rivers yet, though.
I've done quite a bit of it and I aten't dead ;-) The Thames is actually really clean IME*, so I shall try and lure you along the next time I go, which might be this week if the weather keeps up.

*This remark probably becomes less true quite quickly when it hits London.

[pepper_field]

Did it have ice cream van music, too? Either way, it's still awesome.

[triskellian]

No ice cream van music, possibly because the picnic grounds that made up the shore banned music. I'd have liked it a lot less with music ;-)

[huggyrei]

Ooh, sounds nice!

I'd like to go swimming outdoors, but I'm somewhat wary of doing so. I often swim in the sea though, and did manage to swim across a lake in Berlin. Is there a good resource for potential swimming places?

H and I are going biking through the pennines in a week's time, and wil be carrying camping gear with us.

[triskellian]

There were a couple of books that came out last year (I think): Wild Swimming and Wild Swim. The former has an accompanying website, and there's also the Outdoor Swimming Society - both sites have maps.

It's loads of fun, I really do recommend it!

[motodraconis]

Oooh! Bookmarked!

I really love this idea of night swimming, I've scuba'd by night (and loved it) but never properly swum, possibly because England puts me off for being chilly.

[lathany]

I love the idea of an ice cream boat.