identities, journeys, fictions away from the roots
Snow over King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, December 2022. Photo by Jessica Zarins It snowed. It stayed. It melted and refroze and snowed some more. Nature reminded us she’s still here. Have faith, have hope. Live with her, and fight for her. Swimmers and kayaker in the river Cam by Sheeps Green, December 2022. Photo... Continue Reading →
Cold is expected this week, so I decide to go for a swim while there's still dew rather than frost in the grass. It's a couple or three degrees plus when I cycle to the river, and I wonder if the water will be warmer than the air. When I slip in to the silky... Continue Reading →
The swimming spot in the river Cam, Cambridge, May 2022. Photo by Jessica Zarins Went for a long swim this morning. So long I struggled to warm up on the cycle home. It felt incredible, to not be in a rush and to just follow the river. The rest of the day I spent in... Continue Reading →
On the day we learn that the most powerful nation on the planet – that was once hailed as the leader of the free world – are planning to withdraw 50 year old women's rights, I head to the water. My wild swimming has been irregular since the autumn, but this changes with today. I've... Continue Reading →
Moomintroll normally hibernates through the winter. Being full, warm, surrounded by loved ones and asleep is perhaps the ideal way to spend winter. But it was when he woke up and faced the winter that there was a story. Pre-sunrise winter morning on Coldham's Common, Cambridge. January 2022, photo by Jessica Zarins Moon in the... Continue Reading →
The mornings are lighter, the evenings are longer. The load might be the same, but I'm getting stronger. I've returned to the river. It's the earliest I've ever started my regular swims in the year. It's cold of course, but refreshing in a way that will start to dispel as spring brings warmth and summer.... Continue Reading →
Branches 