But but but..... but!

BT Mumbai

Tuesday 12th August at around 11 am, noisy hoovering in the background sorting out our finances on the computer,all of a sudden I'm off- line, the middle blue light on the modem is out...no telephone line.
I think I heard an "oh bugger" from the living room, and sure enough I had, the unused main junction box for the 'phone was hanging loosely, two thin wires were still attached out of the six which appeared to be necessary for telephonic function. It had been thumped by the vacuum cleaner!
A few fiddles and wiggles but not success in making contact.

Now, mobile reception up here is at's best, poor so finding the best reception around the house I made that first fateful call to the press one, two, or three if you want this done! All the time worried the signal would fall away.
Good morning this is (oh I don't know) "so sorry", "apologies", "wait a short while while I check" "sorry for the delly" "yes there is a fault" "if it's your equipment's fault it's £130"
Ok ok, I know it's a fault, the box is inside the house and it's hanging by a thread!
"So sorry, we can get an engineer over on Friday, he will check the outside and find the fault"
It's in my house, can I speak direct to an engineer and describe the fault?
Anyway,I gave in!
Friday came, no engineer, no 'phone, no broadband.
Another call to Mumbai, where I explain it all again.
"yes it's registered, engineer reports fault cured" 
Biting tongue, NO IT ISN'T!
"On and on etc etc, apologies apologies, sorry to keep you, engineer will call Monday to check the lines"
Monday arrives no engineer shows, 'phone Mumbai go through it all again THE FAULT IS IN THE HOUSE I haven't seen an engineer.
"sorry apologies engineer reports dealt with" " will be back Friday to check outside" 
My tongue is getting quite sore, still quite calm.Counting the cost of mobile calls to Mumbai

By this time I'm getting quite worried about a forum fishing trip planned for Wednesday, all the details are on the forum, so a trip to find free WiFi needed.After driving around the car parks of Market Rasen for no pickup, we enter the hotel, although it doesn't have the free wifi signs, I buy a pint of Greene King IPA at the bar, and ask if they do.
Crap pint, but the deed is done, I now know where I'm going, the just in case contact number, and the gate code.


Away day at the "Old Estate Lake"

Rising at 4am on Wednesday for the 3 hour uneventful drive, my first stop was within the grounds of the Estate House. 
Being off line, I was relying somewhat on my fading memory, and anyway a comfort break was due and at 7am,the public loos were open.
Having found relief, I then had to tax my memory again and recall the statement that the lake entrance was 150 yards before the postcode. 

And there it was.
Having a brief walk around the shady side of the lake introducing myself to  fellow forum members, I settled into a peg .
The swim was about five feet deep and I decided to float fish and to use only one cane rod. It was a Traditional Fishing forum meet.
And there I sat, testing cockles, prawns, flake, sweetcorn and worm over defrosted hempseed, maggots and casters.Hoping for tench and maybe carp.
Not a sign of a bite, although the cockles did come back slightly stretched. 
So I tested out the last resort, worm, and immediately I was into the perch.I knew they were there in some numbers from previous reports!

The biggest of the bunch

That was it really, well apart from a 'phone call from The Boss telling me the engineer had just left, he'd had us booked for a few days for the Wednesday visit.

Shame nobody told the customer!!

Anyway I stayed on the worm for a while, hoping for a larger visitor to my bait, but picking up more smaller and smaller perch.
So I got to that stage where I thought, make your mind up Fred, stay until late for the dusk run, or get home beating the traffic.
A few more attempts with the baits that hadn't received a great deal of attention.My mind made up

(I'm not as keen as I used to be) I headed back east.
The 3 hour homeward journey was once again uneventful.

Another holiday

Turkey next month, and now she's gone and booked Boston for a few days around Thanksgiving Day.
Always fancied Boston, so this will be off my bucket list. Flying out of Schiphol as usual.

Canada or the bluesy South next.