Had a dabble.

In the valley

I decided at the last minute to have a dabble down in the valley. On arrival I picked on the first lake  and fished from around 5pm to7:30.

As a result of my late decision, my bait consisted of sweet corn and dendrobaena. Every thing else that may have been of use, ie maggots, hempseed and bread were still in the freezer.
As it's harvest time I made a decision to take the "no heavy lorry" track down to the fishery, sods law I bumped into farmer George in his big tractor and trailer on his way to load up from the combine harvester.
I got in his way a bit on the narrow lane, he didn't look too happy, so an appreciative thumbs up was all he got!!
I fished with a three piece, all different lengths, cane rod I had picked up recently, it's not perfect but I thought I'd give it a test.
My reel, one of the two Young's Purist ll's I have.
Sweetcorn was the feed and I fished over it with the worm and occasionally corn
During the first hour or so, I was constantly alerted to kingfisher calls and managed just one distant shot.

Fishing was slow, but I didn't mind. 
I actually enjoyed my couple of hours or so, being serenaded by the birds, and from time to time, being kept company by a little owl just behind me in the wood.

The catch was a number of small rudd,roach and just the one perch. I also landed a small tench of about a pound, well known to me and probably the only one in the lake!
The carp were quiet,I hit two but was only on light line and both snapped me when I was trying to get a view of how the rod handled 8 lb fish.
It looked ok and certainly held them without any creaking.

As I headed back, guess who I bumped into again ? 
Yep, it was George, well it was his wife, headlights blazing down another little wooded track on the different way out.
 I couldn't see what she was trying to do,or that it was her, so I reversed back and as she passed with a smile I could see she was towing a truck. 

It was George's old, now clapped out by the looks of it, Toyota something or other...he didn't look amused....again!





After that an uneventful mile or so home,well apart from a sighting of both a stoat and a weasel.
I got home checked on my shares and decided to have a cup of hot choccy out of our new Tassimo coffee maker and type this off the top of my head. 
Excellent bits of kit these Tassimo by the way, serving consistent coffee and chocolate, to us confirmed tea drinkers.

Not a lot

Even less

If your looking for fishing, I'm sorry to say I haven't been. I'm still not inclined to visit a river, although the chub are calling me. It's just been too busy a time and the mood's not right.
Today is the day that our old friend Jim died last year, we've just sold his house, completion this Thursday, so a bit of a drink tonight to remember him, and to be relieved that just part of the job, probably the less certain part of looking after his wishes, is nearly done.

Shares

I've not commented for a while as investing in AiM  companies is not short term, unless you have money to loose. 
My cancer research company's are still getting nearer to the cure, but drugs and treatments have to go through the hoops before approval is given to treat the likes of  you and me.

News today on one, is that they have found something very effective for a form of lung cancer.

" Studies demonstrated a mean response with at least a 50 per cent reduction in the rate of tumour growth in an accepted standard cancer model.    

Furthermore, no adverse effects were seen during the course of the experiment, which comprised six weeks of continuous treatment at three differing dose levels. The Company believes that these positive and exciting results confirm the promise shown by the earlier reported cellular assay results."

This may not mean a lot to the layman,but it certainly reads alright and positive to me!

Another of my investments is in an oil company, working on an old oilfield in Trinidad that was abandoned in the 60's. Current technology has enabled this small company to work from a different angle, so to speak. It doesn't include fracking!

My holding is currently (today)showing a paper increase in value of 235.5%, but the real news on it's latest 4 wells is due to be drip fed during the next few weeks. It looks like I may have a substantial increase in the short term, to perhaps 500% or thereabouts. 

Long term even more promising.

I will use any gains to invest in the pharmaceutical/cancer sector something very close to my heart.

Which reminds me, are you guys as pissed off as I am with all this self glorification they call the ice water challenge? 
Me ? 
I do my charity stuff without coercion, nomination or guilt tripping, and will continue in that way.
So, don't even think about it!

The garden

We are inundated with fruit, far to much for just the two of us.

The Victoria plums have all been picked, most have been passed on to neighbours. Some are in jars steeping in the cheap vodka and making something special for around Christmas. The rest are in crumbles for immediate consumption and in pies for the freezer.

Our James Grieves are almost ready to pick, the cookers Howgate Wonder aren't far off,.

We've never had such a good crop of Conference pear. From experience, we know they wont  ripen on the tree, so we'll let them stay until the frosts are threatened to get some extra growth and flavour on them, before decisions are made on their distribution, or use.

This years failures have been soft fruits, with raspberry,gooseberry and blueberry showing little or no fruit.

More holidays!

Apart from our Turkey trip in a couple of weeks, we've booked a long weekend at a pub with rooms in Rye for our 41st wedding anniversary, a few days in Boston around Thanksgiving time, and we've also booked a 17 day trip across Canada in September 2015.

I think I need to keep a diary!

Fishing

As already stated I've not been out wetting a line, but I think a trip to the Witham is due and down to the valley to see what the perch are doing. 

So, you may hear from me again this week as I think tomorrow is the day that I have spare.

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.

Memories

Fishing
I had a two hour road trip on Sunday across to Podington (Santa Pod) to fish Wold Farm Fisheries and met up with twenty, mostly old friends, for a charity "match" organised by Paul Scripps in memory of John Tipple one of the old boys I used to fish and play darts with during the twenty years we lived in Castlethorpe Bucks.
This trip was, as I was constantly told by Paul, he had tried to get me on for nine years, apparently the last time I attended was that long ago.
I have to say I didn't think it was that long, but John probably died ten years ago from a brain tumour.
Time does fly by.
My peg 25, closest to the car park was already drawn!
I caught 38lb plus of carp roach chub and bream, which topped Paul's catch by 2lb!
Cockles proved to be my most effective bait, some good roach on them. They will be a major part of my ammunition in the future.
I fished over hemp and casters, but I ran out of both cockles and feed.
The carp weren't too interested in anything else, other than sweetcorn. Prawns failed totally.
The match went very well with all weighing in, top weight being 101 lbs plus, with a couple in the 90's.
There were no prizes, all funds less pond hire, went to the charity..
All fish caught on this barbless hook fishery were in excellent order, not one ripped lip.
I suppose I should add, the lake also has barbel, despite the website not stating that.
I didn't land one, otherwise I would have shown a photo of it as my first stillwater barbel, and sat back and watched the usual feedback!
So the only downside of the day fishing, was that the website is out of date, a "new" cafe introduced wasn't there anymore! No drinks available, and on a baking hot day, having forgotten my refreshments, I was thankful even for can of coke from Paul.Funny how it tastes better when needed!

The Oaks

Another beautiful mature water of approximately 2 acres with one island. 25 Pegs

Heavily stocked with Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Ghost Carp, Bream, Roach, Rudd & Tench

This is an extremely productive water where catches regulalry exceed 150lb's

 shoveler family

                                                                                       My two hour  home journey wasn't though, having got the satnav to find me a petrol station, I hit the home button...which as it turns out wasn't home, but probably the last trip back to our lodgings in Scotland!

Slaughter
Pheasants!
The daftest bird ever?
Today in just a short journey up to the farm  for our supply of free range eggs, the road was littered with the squashed dead of no doubt, this years hatch.
There certainly are still a lot about, many of them doing the "chicken run" are just developing their adult plumage. Three family's doing exactly the same thing on one, 100 yard stretch of a quiet lane
Still as they used to say about hedgehogs, if you see a lot squashed, it's good news for the hedgehog population. I haven't seen a hedgehog, squashed or otherwise up here for some years now!