Surbala Morgan, Cambridgeshire
Surbala Morgan lives just outside Cambridge with her two twin boys. “Having a swimming pond is the best thing I've ever done, after having children,” she says.
"My father was very into wild water swimming, and I had always wanted a swimming pond.
"I am not a millionaire by any means, and the question was, do I invest in the here and now and have the rest of my life enjoying the quality of life this brings, or do I wait?
"Really, this pond is completely symbolic of wanting to live for the moment."
"I was very, very pleased with how the construction process went. Usually when you have someone in the house for work, even minor things, there are problems. But with the swimming pond nothing went wrong from beginning to end, everything was done neatly, and they finished ahead of schedule.
"Ohad and Chris were respectful, friendly and professional at all times, and it was completely different to having workmen around, it was like having people who are almost friends. We actually missed them once they were gone, which says a lot."
"We all swim in the pond frequently, and on one day recently the children were in six times. I have a busy life, running my own business and I couldn't go off all the time with the kids to swimming places. But here at any time of the day, you just need quarter of an hour and you can be in and out.
"So it’s like having your own holiday in your back garden, your own beach holiday, that’s one aspect of the pond."
"There is another side to it, the best part of all, which is the silent, peaceful side, when you are on your own and you connect to the water and to nature.
"I'm someone who has meditated for the past 25 years anyway, and the pond connects to that part of myself that wants to tune into a different state of mind, beyond the busy-ness of life and the doing - to simply "being".
"It's almost spiritual - it takes you to a different plane of existence really."
"I love it at all times of the day and night and in all seasons, so it’s not just when it’s boiling hot sun and you go in and out all day and it’s warm. It’s also when it’s ice cold and frosty, and it just looks mystical.
"I come out quite late at night to take the dog into the garden, and that’s probably when it’s at its best, because then the children are in bed and I can experience it on my own. I watch the moon and stars reflected in the water and see bats flying over the surface.
"There's something about the fresh smell of the clean water that draws you to it and resonates with all your senses. That's when it seems to connect completely to your soul."
