Thursday 2 October 2014

Fishing Sunday - No fish supper on Saturday night!

Last time I planned a fishing trip with my brother, I went out for a meal the night before and ending up having to cancel the day. See HERE. Hopefully all will go to plan this time. I still need to go and buy a few bits and pieces as we will both be fishing on this trip.

Fishing is about a million miles away from my normal day-to-day life. As I type this I am sitting here awaiting work from distant lands to be delivered. I have already received some 3D 'printed' parts from LA, delivered by that very tall bloke from UPS, and I am following the tracking of of further parcel, again from LA - The tracking locations look like the words lovingly inscribed on the side of Derrick Trotter's famous yellow three wheeler, except my list does not end in Peckham but Catford! On this side of the world I am waiting for a delivery from France and I have just sent some bits and pieces to Sweden. All this is made possible by the wonders of the newfangled digital technology and the World Wide Web.

The way I work has changed beyond all recognition. All I have to do is sit here, move a mouse about and bash a few keys or sit at the bench building or designing something. When it is done, I press a few more keys and that big bloke arrives to collect it and it is spirited away to the other side of the word.  It is all so far detached from reality it feels surreal. My life today would have been a Dali image a few decades ago.

I guess it is the same for everyone, but for me it seems even worse as I never seem to get out of the house. Hopefully fishing will change all that, at least it will make a start. I am really looking forward to our trip on Sunday. Tim and I don't get to see each other much outside the odd family get together.

Me and Tim, excitable chap, I have just told him we are going fishing
...and yes, we always dress like that!
Fishing, or at least the low-tech style of fishing I have in mind, is so totally and utterly different to our daily routine, it fills me with excitement and a touch of trepidation all at the same time. I am way out of my comfort zone as far as knowledge is concerned and the experience side of things is practically non existent. The same applies to Tim, although he is out and about during the day, sitting on a bank whiling away a few hours is about as alien to him as it is to me.

Having said all that, it feels great to find something new that I can get passionate about. Not obsessed, not all encompassing but something that has absolutely nothing to do with my other interests and daily work, that have somehow become rather interconnected lately.

For years I have ignored anything to do with fishing, other than watching the odd TV programme, I had never looked at a fishing magazine or paper until a month ago. Now Sue is asking me if I would like her to pick up the latest copy of the Angling Times while she is out, and I'm hearing myself saying "Yes please!" I also discovered something called Carp Crew on the TV in the mornings starting at 07:35 on Quest. Although this is all a bit out of my league at the moment, It is full of interesting hints and tips on tackle and bait. I am not sure I am ready to set up the Bivvy and camp out all night waiting for the bite alarm to go off, all looks a bit mechanical to me - but, hey, what do I know...

For now it will be off to Kent, in Sue's recycled fridge, to collect Tim early Sunday morning (that'll be a shock for his system) and a short hop down the road to Bax Farm for a spot of fishing...

...If Tim ends up walking home, you'll know it didn't work out well!

Ralph.