A Bit Of A Trek

Our local leisure centre is undergoing a re-vamp. This news was sprung on us regular centre goers a week ago via an in-depth news letter which got very soggy in the bottom of my swimming bag, so that by the time I got around to reading it, it didn't make a huge amount of sense. Something about closing down this bit, changing that bit, digging up the other, replacing the doo-dah, and all the while ferrying swimmers, and gymmers and dancercisers hither and thither so we don't get in the way of the work men.

Well, I went swimming yesterday and my, it was a kerfuffle. Usually, it is through the turnstile at reception, around the cafe bit, through the corridor bit, into ladies' wet change, into the swimming pool, swim.
'Do you know where you are going to get changed?' said the receptionist as she swiped my membership card. Normally, this particular receptionist doesn't bother even looking at people, let alone engage them in conversation, but I guess they have been told to be nice to customers in order to keep us on-side during the 6 month revamp and stop us getting cheesed off and decamping to a different leisure centre.
'No,' I said, 'I thought I'd just follow the arrows.' And I pointed to the signs with arrows that were lining the walls in reception saying, 'Follow the arrows to temporary changing rooms.'
'That's right,' she said, and proffered a weak smile. I bet that hurt, I thought.
'And once you've changed,' she continued, 'you follow the arrows back again and enter the poolside via the little front gate in the cafe area.'
'Thank you,' I said, and left her to recover her breath after the sudden exertion of having to speak so many words in one hit.

I followed the arrows. Through reception, around the corner, then down the steps into Polar Adventure (don't ask). Actually, you can ask - Polar Adventure is the children's play area. It involves a multi-channel bumpy slide thing done up to look like a snowy mountainside, a ball pool, a net climbing cage, a carpeted play area etc etc and is covered in pictures of polar bears, penguins and moose all looking like they've had a tab or two of LSD. I've often passed by Polar Adventure and wanted to tell a member of staff that actually you wouldn't get polar bears and penguins in the same habitat, what with polar bears being North Pole creatures and penguins being South Pole creatures and that's why polar bears don't eat penguins and not because they can't get the wrappers off, but I don't like to appear pedantic and tell bad jokes.

On through Polar Adventure into the bowels of the centre, along this corridor, through that door, then along another corridor, all the while following the arrows. Eventually, having completed a pretty good pre-swim warm-up walk, I found the temporary ladies' wet-change area, which turned out to be considerable smaller than the main ladies' changing area. Got changed and then made my way back up through the labyrinth of corridors and Polar Adventure to the pool via the cafe. All without the aid of my specs and sense of direction. The place was swarming with workmen carrying bits of wood and buckets and tiles and other important building tackle, and it was very weird, like walking through a building site in my undies, so I did a wrap dress thing with my towel to preserve my modesty.

I had my swim, then trekked back through the cafe area, Polar Adventure etc etc, you know the route by now, only this time I was sopping wet, fuzzy eyed and lacking a sense of direction.

On the plus side, I covered about 1000 of my 10,000 steps per day in one swoop. The downstairs showers were much nicer than the upstairs showers, and I found a HUGE changing cubicle which meant I could change without the usual banging my elbows on the cubicle walls/door malarkey.

This state of affairs is due to continue until next March. But, having been brought up as the daughter of a builder, I know that this is an estimation in 'builder time' which bears no relation to real time. So add on another 3 months, then maybe a couple of extra weeks for glitches and we should be back to normal by next August. If we're lucky.