Viking Learns How to Swim Fast

how to swim

Viking and her Father approach the water…

“Father?”

“Yes, Viking”

“Do you think I will ever be fast enough to swim in the boy’s relay?”

“I think that is very possible, Viking.  You just need to work on your swim stroke more.”

How to Swim Fast with a Better Swim Stroke…

“Will you show me what I can do better with my swimming stroke, Father?”

“Certainly.  Now swim out to those rocks and back, and I’ll see how you are swimming.  Remember to cup your hands, and gently place them through the water, even though you are trying to do it very fast.

Try not to fight or slap the water, and be as smooth as you can.  Then, keep your flutter kick very strong, and breathe less often.”

“Yes, Father.  This time I will swim so fast.”

“Off to the starting rocks then.”

“You mean over there with the shallow, rocky bottom?”

“Yes, Viking.”

“But Father, I will scrape myself on the rocks.”

“Only if you dive the wrong way.  Not if you dive the right way before swimming.  In order to swim fast, and race with the boys, your dive has to be better than theirs, and it will make your swimming faster.”

“How do I not scrape myself?”

“You have to make your dive before swimming much longer and stretched out to get past the danger below, and when you hit the water, you will stay as close to the water surface as you can.  If you think about being as long and flat and shallow as possible over the water, you will clear the danger.”

“Okay, I think I can do it!”

how to swim

 

Swimmimg Faster Starts with The Right Dive Over the Water…

Viking steps to the rocks above the sharp shallows.  She is nervous, but confident she can follow her father’s instructions to better her swimming stroke. When she faces a challenge, she feels stronger.

“Swimmer take your mark!”

Viking bends down to touch the ground at her feet, waiting for her starting command, and thinking about each stroke…

“Go!”

She pushes off, and makes her body shoot like an arrow over the water.

how to swim

She sees the sharp edges through the clear water, as she flies over them.

How to Swim…

The danger disappears, and there is only blue water below.  She enters the water just at the surface with her fingertips and forehead, and extends forward even more.  She clears, and breaks into her swimming stroke and kick, except the one small scrape she can feel on her big toe.

Now She is Swimming…

She flutter kicks hard and strong, and swims her hands, cupped and pulling through with each stroke.  She holds her breath longer, and keeps swimming while thinking about each carefully placed stroke with her arms, hands and fingers.

A Swimming Finish… 

She reaches and touches the last rock wall with her last stroke under her father’s feet, and grabs her long-waited breath.

“How was that swim, Father?”

“That swim was pretty impressive…fast indeed.  Did you scrape yourself?”

“Just my toe.”

“Let’s see.”

“Oh, it’s just a scratch. Let’s go home and show it to your Mother.  She’ll take care of it.  We can tell her about your fast swim and best dive today.

You did well today, Viking.”

He picks up her special helmet he had made for her, and places it on her head.  He pats the top, and looks her in the eyes and smiles.

“Well done my daughter.”

Viking picks up a flower, and puts it in her hair, and smiles back.

how to swim

How to Swim Fast…You can too, and read about more swimming in Book 3: Shaku Riding

Courtney & Betina

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A Modern Hermit: Hermipedia

 

modern hermit

Hermit is a Modern Hermit.

Once Viking arrived on his Island world, Hermit knew he must provide some modern amenities and life for this new female presence.

After all, Hermit’s Man Cave Clam Cave is quite nice and modern for himself, but it caters to a man’s tastes, and even though Viking appears to be strong, athletic and adaptive, he knows that she will want some of the finer, modern surroundings most females prefer in life.

Hermit looks around at all of his tools and weapons in his clam shell, hanging so neatly organized, and placed just so, and chuckles at all of his work he can do so easily.

He decides he will craft a new modern life for her new world!

modern hermit

A Modern Hair Comb Carved of Tortoise-Shell for a Modern Life…

Hermit returns to his center table in his clam cave, and carefully shaves and shapes this beautiful, modern hair comb with his sharp knife. While carving, he thinks back to the first day they met on his Island world, and how she startled him from his sleep.

Here’s part of that story…

 

How Viking and Hermit Met…

 

Hermit awakes from a deep sleep to the sound of his shell bells.  Those bells only sound if someone or some thing nears.

Hermit feels a tingle in his belly.  Who or what can it be?  His memories of others is faint, and he can’t remember any faces…not even his own.

When he swam ashore all those years ago, he made it to the beach and collapsed with exhaustion.  He could feel the sunburn on his cheeks, and the sand between his fingers, but he couldn’t remember how he got there.

Every time he caught a fish, planted a seed or started a fire, he didn’t know how he knew such things.  And there were so many things he knew.  He could build anything, craft any tool, harvest any crop, and calculate the hours.

Hermit gathered seashells from his island beach, and punctured a small hole into each shell.  He strung a small rock through each, and hung them on the bushes of his pathway.

Something now approaches…

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Back to Hermit’s modern tortoise-shell carving…

In these new, modern times on Hermit Island with this new female leading the way on modern life…making Hermit feel young, and keeping an old Hermit company, Hermit wants Viking to feel as comfortable as possible, and prepared her clam shell with necessary modern updates.

Modern Updates for A New Life

First, he cleared out all of his extra tools and weapons hanging on the walls, except the long spear that she would possibly need during the night to defend herself from the roaming gitchoos, in case they somehow entered her clam shell.

For modern use, she needed some kind of table to keep her personal items, and since she lost everything but her sword and shield that the sea storm washed away, she needed a new, modern bag to carry things for her new life in this world with Hermit, and at least a comb to part and braid her hair in the mornings.

Making that modern bag from finely braided and vegetable dyed jute was a great lesson and task, and she was amazed and enthralled by Hermit’s skills to create such fine, modern work. She practiced the braiding method with him, and can’t wait for more projects like that for her new life.

It also matches her shield.

modern hermit

More Modern Updates

Hermit rubs and polishes Viking’s hair comb for the finished touch, and looks to the special compact sea shell he made for her to keep a few red berries, blended with aloe cream lip balm. She can keep it in her new modern bag, and it will be a surprise gift, he thinks.

Hermit smiles, thinking of how much she’ll like that, because he wants her to feel welcome and comfortable in her new world, just as he over the many years.

Viking Loves Her New Modern Gifts…

modern hermit

Life on the world of Hermit Island isn’t so bad.

Courtney & Betina

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Recipes Hermipedia: Hot Spiced Fig-The Viking and the hermit

recipes

It’s a lovely day for Recipes Hermipedia, isn’t it?

Hermit can be quite the chef, and today he and Viking will gather all of the food necessary to make a favorite to drink at sunset…Hot Spiced Fig Recipe.

Recipes, recipes are fun to make

Let’s take a break for food that’s great

I’m chef, you’re chef too

It’s food for you

It’s fun to do!

Recipes Hermipedia: Hot Spiced Fig…

recipes

Recipes for you to share: The Viking and the hermit

~Courtney & Betina

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Becoming a Hermit-Hermipedia

becoming a hermit

Becoming a Hermit-Hermipedia

How did Hermit become a hermit?

What are the reasons for becoming a hermit, and how does the time, life and home evolve for people who are hermits happen?

Becoming a hermit can be completely by accident, and with Hermit’s life and home on Hermit Island, we know in our story that his time there has been vast, and the reasons for exactly why he found himself alone to be a hermit are unknown to him from lack of memory.

Hermit’s reasons for becoming a hermit are not voluntary like others, but due to his state of predicament and keen survivalist instincts. The self-sufficiency he needs in his life and time on Hermit Island, where he found himself washed up to the beach as what seems now a life time ago, are his reality.

His home life displays the years of life and time accumulated and necessary to construct, build and grow the essentials for survival on his new home Island.

Hermit finds that although his time spent on his new home gave him new things to learn, they came quite naturally to him, and he concludes that he must have known how to do many things in his previous life that he can’t remember, before waking up on the beach, and becoming a hermit there over the years.

Hermit’s reasons for being a hermit might some day come back to him.

Each morning, he wakes from his dreams, and tries to hold that dream in his head before it melts, and he forgets.  Sometimes in his dreams, he fights with a sword and shield, and sometimes he just sits with other soldier men around the flames of a campfire.

Only glimpses stay with him like fire flies that shoot from a flame, dance in the air and disappear.

What he does know from his dreams and faint memories of people from a time ago, is that they looked to him for guidance, and he was confident and strong, just like he feels now with his handcrafted spear and braided jute rope.

becoming a hermit

What Are Some Common Reasons for Becoming a Hermit?

Some will call it a recluse, but one of the reasons could be someone who rejects consumer or commercial society, and removes himself.

Another of reasons might be religious or mystical, or similar to Hermit just practicing self-sufficiency and survival.

Some criminals become hermits, because they have to hide out, and away from the police or authorities, and others might have a psychological disorder from traumatic stress or personality traits.

Most of the famous hermits in history were born of religious reasons.

Our Hermit of The Viking and the hermit:

One day, Hermit will remember how and why he became a hermit, and made his permanent home to survive on Hermit Island.  Hermit will remember his life from before, and you shall too some day.

Becoming a Hermit-Hermipedia

Courtney & Betina

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