At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies Pond by Ava Wong Davies

At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies Pond Reviews

• 
  Beth Bonini

  This book of essays is divided into four seasons, beginning with winter - much like the documentary of the Hampstead Ponds which was released in the summer of 2018 and I saw at the Hampstead Everyman cinema in the winter of 2019. You don’t absolutely need to have an experience of the Hampstead Ponds or ‘wild swimming’ to be interested by this book, but it helps, I think.
  
  Although the contributors vary in age, outlook, nationality and even gender - one of the writers now identifies as trans or non-binary - the same themes tend to come up again and again. The importance of nature, especially in the metropolis of London. The need for courage. The feeling of belonging to a special experience that is both historical and timeless. The feeling of being challenged, soothed but also ‘held’ by the water. The duality of becoming both more and less aware of your body - of its pains, its imperfections, its possibilities.
  
  It takes a bit of courage to swim in the Ponds, even in the summer when the water is relatively warm (or at least not freezing). Some people are afraid of the cold water, others of the murky depths. When I first met the challenging of swimming there, I was thrilled; but there is still the sense, touched on in several of the essays, that one needs to be a year-round swimmer to fully experience both the magic and the challenge and the healing nature of the Ponds. Three of the essayists are famous writers (Margaret Drabble, Deborah Moggach and Esther Freud), but only Freud has actually broken the mental/physical barrier of swimming in the winter. Her essay is the first in the book:
  
  

  ”It’s well-known that swimming in cold water has physical benefits but there are others that are harder to define. ... Here, my sense of myself was altered, the cold too shocking to focus on sorrow and confusion when the useful thing was courage, and when my heart had steadied, and I realised I was not actually going to die, the exhilaration hit me and I felt dizzyingly grateful to be alive.

  
  
  One theme, which I identified with very much, was that swimming in the Ladies Pond becomes a way of ‘belonging’ - to the city of London, to the storied history of the Heath, to a community of women. So many people come to London looking for something, or hoping to find something, but the impersonal qualities of the city are both liberating and overwhelming. Sharlene Teo, a writer originally from Singapore, titles her essay “Echolocation”, and it is one of my favourites in the collection. She touches on so many of the themes that the Ladies Pond seems to inspire, but there was something particularly pithy about this observation: ”Keep moving to stay warm. This directive sounds like life advice.”
  
  
  
  
• 
  Tania

  Well this was absolutely glorious; it even made me want to go to the pond in the winter, the winter essays were my favourites, and I would highly recommend downloading the kindle sample and reading the first essay.
• 
  Kirsty

  I visited Hampstead Heath for the first time on a blustery wet day in September. Here, I spent a few peaceful moments watching two women with glorious jewel-toned swimming hats gliding along in the Ladies' Pond. It was cheering that they were undeterred by the weather, particularly as I battled to keep my umbrella up...
  
  At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond collects together fourteen essays, each of which was written especially for this book. I already love the work of some of the contributors - Esther Freud, Margaret Drabble, Jessica J. Lee - but there were a handful whose writing I had not read before. I love thematic collections such as this; they bring together so many different views on one particular topic or location - in this case, a designated pond for women to swim in, in a patch of quiet in the heart of London.
  
  In At the Pond, we are given the perspectives of fourteen different writers, all of whom have swum there. Some of these women are regulars; others have been just once or twice. The book combines 'personal reminiscence with reflections on the history of the place over the years and through the changing seasons.'
  
  The Pond was established in the late-seventeenth century as a freshwater reservoir, fed by the subterranean River Fleet. It was opened to the public for bathing in 1925, and joins around thirty freshwater ponds dotted across Hampstead Heath, only three of which can be swum in. One of these is solely for men, but there is also a 'mixed Pond' which women are able to visit.
  
  'On a hot day,' says the book's blurb, 'thousands of swimmers from eight to eighty-plus can be found waiting to take a dip before sunbathing in the adjoining meadow. As summer turns to autumn and then winter, the Pond is still visited by a large number of hardy regulars in high-vis hats, many of whom have been swimming here for decades.'
  
  Each of the authors mentions the nature of the place, and the connection which swimming in the pond brings with its surroundings. The pond teems with 'abundant wildlife - from dragonflies, moorhens and kingfishers above the water's surface, to swan mussels, roach and carp beneath'. Some of the contributors also touch upon its history, and its rich literary heritage. Rich descriptions pepper each of these essays.
  
  In her essay entitled 'Cold Shocks and Mud Beards', Esther Freud writes: 'No men, children, radios, dogs - the sign on the gate warned, and as I walked down the path beside the sloping meadow, and stood on the wooden deck above the mud brown pond, I had the unusual sense that I was exquisitely lucky to be female.' She goes on to comment: 'There is so much space here. So much peace. And above the birdsong the only sound is the hum of chat and laughter and the occasional scream of someone new braving the cold.'
  
  Lou Stoppard writes that 'the water is silky. It's thicker than other water. It sticks to the skin, laps your body and holds you, suspended. You cut through it, as if stirring cream.' Jessica J. Lee - whose memoir on swimming, Turning, is a book which I very much enjoyed - comments: 'Wet already, I slipped into the black and swam a small lap, my breath catching on the sharp edges of the cold.' Lee worked on a doctoral dissertation about the Heath, 'exploring ideas of beauty and history with the Pond's winter swimmers.' I can only hope that this is published, and soon!
  
  Nina Mingya Powles' essay is made up of a series of vignettes, beginning with the swimming she looked forward to as a child, whilst in Malaysia. She notes: 'I am many bodies of water, strange and shifting'. Margaret Drabble writes about the heritage of the Ladies' Pond: 'The lifeguards tell me that the ponds are more valued now than ever, as London entertainments grow ever more expensive, and our need for some contact with the natural world more imperative. They are well protected by those who love them. It is a small miracle that they have survived so well for so long.'
  
  One of my favourite elements of this collection was the way in which it spans every season; indeed, it is split into four sections, which denote each season. Swimming is something which I always love reading about - and doing, although I must admit that I am more of a fair weather woman - and to be able to view the same place in so many different weathers was wonderful. I shivered slightly when a couple of the authors wrote about the lifeguards having to break the surface ice during the winter, and the way in which around 150 hardy women still decide to swim regularly during the season.
  
  At the Pond is a real delight. Almost every one of these essays is overwhelming positive, and each offers recollections of joy and warmth. The authors are united in the sense of community fostered at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond, and in the deep sense of peace and wellbeing which they have found within its waters.
  
  The essay collection is beautiful and evocative, and has such a charm about it. At the Pond is rather a moving tribute to a haven which can be found in one of the busiest cities in the world. The collection is lovely to dip in and out of - much like the Pond itself, I imagine.
• 
  Claire Fuller

  A really enjoyable collection of reminiscences of swimming in the ladies pond on Hampstead Heath. Because each piece is written by a different woman, inevitably I liked some more than others, and while a couple felt almost too slight, the one I absolutely loved and would give five-stars to was by Eli Goldstone who wrote the novel, Strange Heart Beating, which I really enjoyed.
• 
  Kitty

  kuidas ja miks ja kas üldse kirjeldada eesti keeles raamatut kohast, mida enamus eesti lugejaid ühest küljest pole iialgi kogenud ja teisest küljest, kui kogeksid, kehitaksid ilmselt õlgu, et mis siin erilist?
  
  Ladies' Pond on... mingis mõttes kõige tavalisem metsajärveke. minu jaoks lihtsalt üks jadas Vasula järv-Nikerjärv-Vahejärv-Palojärv - kohad läbi mu elu, kus olen enim armastanud ujumas käia. (Tartust pärit ja Aegviidus suvitanud lapsena pole ma meres- ega jõesujumist kunagi nii kõrgelt hindama õppinud kui üht korralikku järve, aga samas, mis iganes parajasti käepärast on, eks ole. pole mulle võõras ükski Tallinna mererand ega Pirita jõe erinevad sopid. basseinis ujutakse kui üldse, siis talvel.)
  
  nii et päris peadpööritav paradigmamuutus oli kolida Londonisse ja avastada, et looduslikes veekogudes ujumine on brittide jaoks nii eksootiline kontseptsioon, et selle jaoks kasutatakse isegi eraldi väljendit: wild swimming. ja kui nüüd vaatama hakata, siis kust neid veekogusid võttagi. nojah, tehniliselt võttes elame saarel ja meri ei ole kunagi kaugemal kui 70 miili. praktiliselt võttes, kui mitu korda olen spetsiaalselt sõitnud mereranda ja avastanud, et ei mingit ujumist, sest mõõn. (ja üldse, mis ujumine see meres ujumine ka on.) mingid suplemiseks sobivad jõekäärud (vesi: puusani, kui mitte ainult põlvini) olen aastatega ka avastanud, järved on pigem kõik eraomanduses ja ligipääsmatud (või asuvad Lake Districtis, 300 miili kaugusel), veehoidlates ujumine rangelt keelatud.
  
  ja siis on keset Londoni linna, Hampstead Heathi pargis selline peidetud aare - tiik, puude vahel, mudase põhjaga (räägitakse. ei ole mul õnnestunud seda põhja katsuda), kalade, veelindude, kiilide ja muu juurdekuuluvaga. päris metsajärv see muidugi ei ole, seal on aed ümber ja väravas tuleb pilet osta ja vetelpääste kontrollib, mitu inimest korraga ujuda saab. dušš jm infrastruktuur on ka, aga üsna tagasihoidlik. ja see kõik on reserveeritud naistele (keelatud on mehed, lapsed, koerad ja transistorraadiod). meeste tiik ja segatiik on samas pargis ka olemas, aga need ei ole üldse samasugused.
  
  daamide tiik on hästihoitud avalik saladus - kes teab, see teab ja käib, üllatavalt paljud ei tea ja üllatavalt paljud ei hooliks, kui ka teaks, sest wild swimming on ikkagi justkui tavalisest ujumisest mingi täiesti erinev hobi. suvisel sooja ilmaga nädalavahetusel on ümbritsevad päevitamisniidud tihkelt naisi täis ja vettepääsemiseks tuleb seista elavas järjekorras (üks välja, üks sisse). aga on ka terve kogukond pigem vanemaid daame, kes ujub aasta läbi - lihtsalt ei lõpeta sügisel ära ja nii ta läheb.
  
  see raamat on esseekogumik inimestelt, kellel daamide tiigis ujumise kogemus olemas. paljud on tõelised veteranid - mäletavad, kuidas see kõik 60ndatel oli ja/või elavad naabermajas ja/või töötavad vabatahtliku vetelpäästjana. nende lood olidki mu jaoks kõige nauditavamad. nooremate kirjutajate esseed rääkisid ehk minu maitse jaoks veidi liiga palju neist endist ja vähe ujumisest. samas, seal räägiti ära need lood, mis ju ka asjasse puutusid ja rääkimist tahtsid... näiteks abordist ja transseksuaalsusest.
  
  kõigist neist lugudest jäi mu jaoks enim kõlama... naise suhe ta enda kehaga läbi elu ja aastate. ja veega. kõik need kirjeldused, mis tunne täpselt on sellesse vette astuda või hüpata, mismoodi tundub esimene ja mismoodi järgmised tõmbed, kuidas kirvendab välja tulles nahk ja kuidas täpselt kleepuvavõitu vesi sellelt maha voolab (see vee kleepumise teema on läbiv! ei ole ta nii kleepuv midagi mu meelest, tavaline järvevesi. aga eks see ongi tavalisest basseiniveest erinev). kuidas talvel tuleb ujumiseks vahel jäässe rada sisse murda ja suvel tuleb peale tohutu talveigatsus. ja peaaegu mitte keegi ei jäta mainimata mõnd kohtumist udusulis pardipoegadega või etteheitva pilguga haigrut, kes sind mingi puunoti pealt jälgib.
  
  see läbi kogu talve ujumine tundub mulle järjest parema ideena. mul tegelikult oli sügisel isegi plaanis (täies teadmatuses sellest, milline trend saab talisuplus olema 2020/2021 talvel), aga alguses mingi reoveejama ja siis pandeemia tõttu on tiik poolest septembrist suletud olnud ja avatakse uuesti märtsi lõpus. kas aprillis on hilja taliujumisega alustada?
• 
  Sarah

  A breath of fresh air during the midst of lockdown 2.0.
  
  I loved the essays by
  Nell Frizzell,
  Ava Wong Davies,
  Sharlene Teo and
  Nina Mingya Powles, and am determined to try out wild swimming myself - and ultimately finally make it to the Ladies Pond - next summer if I can!
• 
  Chris Haak

  This makes me want to go cold water swimming even more!
• 
  Jess

  " Here, my sense of myself was altered, the cold too shocking to focus on sorrow and confusion when the useful thing was courage, and when my heart steadied, and I realised I was not going to die, the exhilaration hit me and I felt dizzyingly grateful to be alive. " - Esther Freud
  
  I adored this book. I read it in three sittings and that was only because I tried to pace myself. I normally struggle with books that are comprised of short stories or essays. I tend to lose interest or forget it on the nightstand, however, this one was utterly fascinating to me. Officially open to the public in 1925 (though unofficially in use long before that), the Hampstead Ladies' Pond is open year round to swimmers. This book is a collection of essays on the experiences of different ladies who use the pond during the year.
  
  "As night falls, we slip into the water and swim across the mirror. As the water turns black in the dimming light, we open our eyes beneath the surface and suddenly we're not swimmers anymore, but astronauts; star sailors. We are floating through a silky, thick black, as bottomless as the night sky." -Nell Frizzle
  
  Each of the essayists brings a unique experience and culture to the Pond. I learned about the Mandarin alphabet, obtaining visas, disillusionment with the female body, the yearning for Quietening which means leaving your phone and the outside world for a spell, a lifeguard's perspective on maintaining order in the Pond, how the Pond healed a homesick New Zealander, the physical stamina and mental fortitude to be a year round swimmer, but ultimately I loved the solace I found in comforting words from these women. The recognition that we all have universally similar struggles along with unique ones that inspired my empathy. This was such a beautiful book. It will be one that I reread- which is a rarity for me!
• 
  Kiki Bolwijn

  Dit was alles wat ik nodig had deze zomer deze essays zullen voor altijd favoriet blijven.
  (Ga ik nu naar London om daar in een vijver te zwemmen? Ja. Ja dat ga ik.)
• 
  Uzma Ali

  Divided by the four seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn), we have a collection of essays from numerous female writers who have all visited the Hampstead Ladies’ Pond in Heath. They write about their experiences there. For many, it is an escape from anxiety, modern technology, or family struggles.
  
  I loved reading all of the different women’s writing styles on this. It was cute, but I don’t think it offered much for me. Although I resonated with many phrases and stories, I didn’t feel as though they had anything new to offer me. The introspective-ness of the essays was nice and all, but eh. Good short read, but not a favorite.
• 
  Hannah

  Literally the perfect read-in-a-day
• 
  Belinda Carvalho

  An otherworldly, dreamy collection (particularly as this is technically non-fiction) which perfectly reflects the experience of bathing in the women's pond on Hampstead Heath which I was in a lucky position to be able to do this summer.
  The real magic in this book was how it delves into the women's psyche using the common experience of the pond as a kind of portal. I enjoyed most essays, the contributions by poets especially so and feel delighted to have discovered some new voices.
  A real London book.
• 
  Jasmine

  With a fear of open water, I read this to try and tackle some of the negative associations I have with it and hopefully start a journey into confidently swimming outdoors. The collection of short essays is so personal and shows how much the pond means or has meant to these women. The descriptions of the water are so similar across the different essays that there is a sense of shared consciousness that comes from swimming in this pond. I think I'll be sitting on some of the writing for a while and will one day attempt that open water swim.
• 
  Evelin

  Nice book to read in tiny bits between other stuff. A bit repetitive and uneven, but leaves pleasant calmness and makes you want to go swimming.
• 
  ikram

  This was such a comforting and dreamy read.
  
  Fourteen women, from various ages and ethnicities, reminisced their time swimming at Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond. Their memories are divided into four seasons, starting from winter to autumn. Each woman has their own experience with the Pond, but they all can agree that the Pond is their second home. If a sense of belonging is a book, then
  At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond fits the description. Every essay describes how each woman feels welcomed; as if they're part of something--that they belong, no matter what time of the year or where you came from. Here, in the Pond, they can forget a bit about their mundane life and just existing. And that's powerful enough to me (note that I'm quite jealous since there's no pond or river to go wild swimming near me).
  
  It was refreshing to read this book in my spare time. I have never been an outdoor person but At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies’ Pond just made me yearn for a brief escape to somewhere faraway from the city.
  
  
  
• 
  Jamie

  I cannot resist a book about swimming, and this did not let down. A book of essays about experiences swimming at the Ladies Pond, reading this was lovely. I enjoyed the wide range of perspectives, and hope to visit this spot one day.
• 
  Kate

  Silky + refreshing. Best experienced read aloud by one of your best friends as you dry by the side of the pond.
• 
  Phee

  I really enjoyed this. I knew nothing about the pond before reading this and now I am oddly fascinated with it. When the world has been put to rights I will have to visit it.
• 
  Jaylen

  I found out about this book through my interest in its authors and through my fascination with Hampstead Heath. I still can hardly believe the mysticism that surrounds the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond, which made this book a must read for me.
  
  We are given insights and musings on the pond from a variety of writers. I especially enjoyed Sharlene Teo’s perspective on the pond, London, and England more generally being a place dreamt up in her ‘postcolonial imagination’ and I feel the same. As an outsider, Kenwood Ladies Pond feels like something that can only exist in the sophisticated and relaxed ideals of NW London. We, as readers are included in the wonder that is Kenwood pond and get to see its inner workings and how the pond has become so integral to the lives of its swimmers. So Mayer’s writing on the pond was also very interesting as she draws upon the nature of the landscape and water’s ability to transport, discussing gender in relation to Gerald Manley Hopkins, the Narcissus and Echo myth, and identity.
  
  Throughout these stories (essays may be more apt?) there is a lot of mention of how silky and smooth the water is, and this way really interesting to me. The concept of ‘wild’ swimming is something I find kind of baffling though, the explanations of carp and god knows what else swimming in the pond clears that up. This pond seems to have taken a hold on these writers and the subject matter lends itself to reflection as water calls for similarity and movement. This collection perfectly encapsulates that.
  
  A great read for me. I only wish I could experience the famed pond for myself now.
  
  4 Stars.
  
• 
  Rebekah

  3.5
  
  I really enjoyed this slim and joyous read about the magical tranquillity and bucolic permissiveness of the Hampstead Heath Ladies pond. I read this in one gulp in my lunch break, which is always taken on the Heath, and it made me appreciate with greater clarity how lucky I am to be centred around a such a special place; a place that holds important poetic and literary value, but is also a place of safety, acceptance and soothing for the women that frequent the ponds. I particularly enjoyed the essays by Amy Key, Eli Goldstone, Nina Mingya Powles and Margaret Drabble. A cosy and heart-warming read about pleasure and female solidarity. I loved the way that the stories moved through the seasons, allowing you to vicariously experience the ponds at the height of summer (surrounded by the noise of funfairs, bikini top off, cold beer and picnic to your right) and in the icy winter (skin flayed red by the cold, the pond near empty, a thermos of hot tea waiting by the showers).
• 
  Jessie

  Quaint, luscious and lovely. Although I didn’t like every short in this book, I was very enchanted by the other ones. It’s so nice to read about the waters of the Hampstead ladies pond and how - to these women - it’s thick waters washed away their problems or tears or gave them the strength to be the best versions of themselves. Such a lovely idea for a book and so well-executed. Would definitely recommend if you’re a fan of nature writing.
• 
  Catherine

  i actually finished this ages ago lol! but i read it twice because i wanted to add some notes …. i loved this so much, it lived up to my expectations 1000% and was a beautiful read ❤️
• 
  Marlene Ito

  'At the Pond' is a beautiful collection of essays written by a handful of predominantly women (and one non-binary individual) about their experiences, thoughts and memories attached to the Hampstead Ladies' Pond. Inevitably as the essays consisted of different writers, styles and angles- some were enjoyed more than others. London has been the place of my childhood and upbringing; the women's ponds being an intrinsic part of my childhood. Mention of Hampstead or the ponds in literature & film (e.g. One day) always fills me with nostalgia and a sense of home and belonging. In some essays in this collection I found a collective overlap in connections between others experiences and my own of the ponds. Some essays I found carried such a familiarity that the description became ineluctably palpable- this book I guess reiterated the dizzying amount of strangers that have probably experienced the exact same or similar feelings towards a place you consider so personal to you, that essentially I'm such a small part of such a big thing.
  
  Some quotes I liked:
  
  "A search for stillness, escape, a desire to overcome something, a need to prove one can."
  
  "That pond holds a lot of tears"
  
  "It's well known that swimming in cold water has physical benefits but there are others that are harder to define. Swimming past waterlilies and nesting ducks, breathing in the watermelon scent of the mud, sailing in slow breaststroke past weeping willows. It is all so different from the pounding lengths of a traditional pool where it is possible to drag your worries with you from one end to the other. Here, my sense of myself was altered, the cold too shocking to focus on sorrow and confusion when the useful thing was courage, and when my heart had steadied, and I realised I was not actually going to die, the exhilaration hit me and I felt dizzyingly grateful to be alive."
  
  "You know summer is starting, with all the promise that brings. Until then, the cold is still there to be overcome. So, each week, I split into the deep. The ladder gets smaller and smaller as I close in on the line limit, and, as always, I eventually catch my breath."
  
  "But after dark, as the thousands of women that have passed through the gate finally make their way home, as the pink sky turns to inky grey, as the surface of the Pond falls still and silent; that is when we take back our pond. As night falls, we slip into the water and swim out across the mirror. As the water turns black in the dimming light, we open our eyes beneath the surface and suddenly we're not swimmers anymore, but astronauts; star sailors. We are floating through a silky, thick black, as bottomless as the night sky."
  
  "Drifting forward I can hear crickets, ducks, water, female voices low and indistinct, and something buzzing overhead. Behind my eyelids summertime unspools into its various sticky components."
  
  "There's a wholesomely escapist quality to being at the pond."
  
  "Why can't I reside happily in a happy ending? A woman swimming past gives me a smile. The atmosphere is so peaceful and lovely."
  
  "Walking down the hill from the bus stop to the entrance of the Heath, I can see pale light edging out of the greenery."
  
  "I want to come back here with my friends on hot, sunny days, but I also want to come back on my own and swim in the rain, be the only one in the water."
  
  "Autumn this year means a quietening. The frenzied anxiety of the summer gives way to space, finally, something more contemplative."
  
  "The Pond will be there for the next summer, whatever that brings, whatever my life looks like then."
• 
  Dylan Kakoulli

  "A search for stillness, escape, a desire to overcome something, a need to prove one can."
  
  Never have I felt the need to immediately drop everything that I’m doing and dive head first into the beloved, (yet most definitely freezing cold) waters of Hampstead Heath ladies pond more!
  
  At the Pond is a delightful collection of essays, written predominantly by women and one non-binary individual. Combining moments of personal reminiscence, alongside reflections on the ponds evolution throughout the years, the changing of seasons and of course, it’s ever temperamental temperatures!
  
  This is truly a beautiful and evocatively written collection of essays, and one I highly recommend you dip in and out of -much like many of the ladies approach to the Pond itself!
  
  4 stars
• 
  Kelly

  I can’t remember how I came upon this book- it was probably recommended by a BookTuber that I follow. The book is a series of essays by a range of authors about the Women’s Pond on Hampstead Heath in London. I’ve not been to London, let alone the pond, but it was interesting to read about the impact of this space on people’s lives and the community of women who frequent the pond, even into the depths of winter. 3.5 stars.
• 
  Iina

  This was such a lovely book!
  
  With the different writers’ pieces divided by season, the book takes its reader through the whole year of swimming at the Ladies’ Pond. I’ve only ever been in the summer (so far!), but now there is definitely an itch to try it during the colder seasons.
  
  This could’ve been a 5-star book but as some of the writing here was stellar and some was…less so, I’ve knocked off one star.
  
  I borrowed this from the library but enjoyed the reading experience so thoroughly I may purchase this to have on my own shelves eventually. Highly recommend to anyone curious about or enjoying the Pond.
• 
  Alice

  A quick but lovely read, like a winter dip.
  
  I'm one of the many people who got into open water swimming when freedoms were gradually restored in 2020 but my usual avenues for exercise remained closed. I've never been to Hampstead Heath Ponds, which are the wrong side of London for me, but this made me want to give it a go. (The most common adjective used to describe the water is 'silky', which I think means 'muddy but in a good way'.)
  
  Essays by a varied bunch of authors, including Margaret Drabble. I was also pleased to see one by the non-binary So Mayer, given the current kerfuffle about whether trans women should be allowed in the Ladies' Pond (where they have been swimming unnoticed, causing no trouble, for years).
• 
  Jen

  I've rarely read something which speaks so closely to my heart. The Hampstead Ladies Pond, my refuge, as known to each of the writers here - each spoke of something I knew well. Could I tell my history in bodies of water? What was London to me and how did being at the Pond change my experience of London? We think we are alone but we are really together in this shared experience.