We're back

Winter break
All in all the experience of a month away in a warm climate has been good for us.
Our next step will be for two months, probably February /March next year.
Apart from Cyprus Airline problems(they went broke)our direct flights to and from Cyprus didn't happen,so we had to go via Athens, adding substantially to our travelling time.
On the way back the gales seriously affected flights in and out of Schiphol.
The experience has taught us some good lessons about organising our future trips and accommodation for our ongoing quest to change our life plan,in the not too distant future.

Away day
Another trip, this last Thursday,out with the old boys of The International Drinking Society. 
This time a delayed celebration of my birthday, and so it was my turn to find the location.
I chose the The Lamb, a Young's pub in London WC1.

On arrival I thought I had cocked it up, the pub was shrouded in scaffolding a blue plastic. 
I thought,oh bugger,another 20 years of being reminded that I had once picked a pub in Bishopsgate which turned out to to a hole in the ground, awaiting a skyscraper office block to be built!
Fortunately it was open,although somewhat dark inside.
I ordered myself a pint of Special to see if the Young's moved to Bedford had changed the brew. I have to say it seemed as good as it was when brewed at Wandsworth, but there's been a lot of water under the bridge since I last had a pint of Special in a Young's pub.
The other old boys drank the Ordinary,so after swiftly downing my first pint, I also decided the better part of valour was to stick with the less alcoholic brew.
So we drank, and chatted and tested the menu for about 6 hours. My 8 pints went down very well, and had no affect on my equilibrium, which is not surprising I suppose,taking in the time into account.
Back in the early days we had to fit in a least that many pints in less than 4 hours, and I seem to remember you could tell you'd had a drink then.
So after a stop in Starbucks with a cup of coffee and a chunk of carrot cake, I was back on the way to Woodford Green for an overnighter and a BIG breakfast in the local cafe before my 3 hour drive home.

Fishing
A couple of late afternoon trips down in the valley since returning from Cyprus.
This year I'm going to concentrate on the bigger of the farm's ponds. 

The first pond, the most natural has probably shown me it's inhabitants now.
I have caught carp to 10lb 6ozs, perch up to 3lb, crucians and roach to around a 1lb, rudd to 8ozs a couple of small chub and eels to around 2lb 8ozs.

10:6

The eels intrigue me, so perhaps I'll have a session or two, just fishing for them.
The bigger pond, I think can show me bigger roach, it should have some tench too, I know it has bream, all in all a bit of a mystery still. 
I'll need to overcome the carp problem though.




Identification confirmation needed

The following photo's are of what on catching I thought was a roach. Looking at the pictures now of the "roach", the eye and the tail don't look quite right!

Any views please?

What is it coming to?

 I'm not going to name names, but there is an individual who owns a "specialist" bait company, is a barbel catcher and claims to use these contraptions for fishing the Trent.
He got more than a "3 foot twitch" on facebook!

 Tit's
We have the great tit pair once again testing out the nestbox, but it's a late start this year, so we shall see if the bees beat them to it!
We had a number of visits over the spring from long tailed tits, they are a cracking little bird ,but I think unlikely to nest in our plot.