Swimming Pools are not grounds for Frogger

When sitting by a computer as a child - and this can be either now or a good decade or two ago - from time to time it may inevitably cross your mind to try your hand at the midly-addictive Frogger. A game that involves you (a frog) jumping across roads, grassy fields, logs and more to reach the other side without getting squished, hit, eaten, or (somehow, being a frog and all) drown.

I know in some places it can be quite fun to make a real-life adaption of a computer game, especially if you're in the Far East and fancy making yourself a YouTube craze. However, public swimming pools are NOT the place to do it.

In most swimming pools, there's a divide around the 2/3 mark of the pool that splits an open area for those that fancy bouncing around aimlessly with an area for serious swimmers who fancy notching up a few obstacle-less laps.

After doing a decent workout before hand, and with every intention to notch up 40-odd lengths before getting out for a steak dinner, the last thing you want is a distraction - especially not in the form of several children swimming into your path.

Lane ropes were put down solely to stop this kind of thing, as well as keeping us lot swimming in straight lines. So when you've got one kid constantly throwing a beach ball in your lane, another sitting on the rope even after you 'accidentally' hit him on every passing stroke so he falls off, and another two using the rope as a mark to try and reach underwater (before actually beating it, and surfacing in your lane before cheering, not moving, and consequently get hit with your arm/foot during a stroke) is extremely annoying.

Usually when I swim I'm happy. I love the activity, the freedom, the way the water feels both refreshing but challenging as I'm doing an exercise I love whilst also actually getting a tiny bit better too. A chat with other swimmings never goes amiss either.

However, today was different. After numerous kicks, pushes and any kind of subtle (yet gentle) reminder that these people are drifting into the fast lane, I actually found myself stopping to shout at them. One I even had to speak to their parents about; I felt like a traitor as well as someone way before my time with these actions but it annoys me so much!

Hopefully with a holiday on the cards come tomorrow the pool there will be different. Though most holidaymakers there will be Spanish, this one of the hotel's four pools is private, and only about 50 of the 700 tourists booked in can use it. I've been promised a 25m square pool, which was empty easter-time. With any luck, I'll find a clear path to clock up a hopeful 50 lengths a day. Failing this, at least a few thoughtful people moving just a few inches one way of my path would also be fantastic...

(This wasn't actually meant to be a rant - more an observation...)