Who am I?

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An individual, of no great importance, who is unable to see the natural world as a place for competition. I catch fish, watch birds, derive immense pleasure from simply looking at butterflies, moths, bumble-bees, etc - without the need for rules! I am Dylan and this is my blog - if my opinions offend? Don't bother logging on again - simple!

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Sunday 17 March 2024

A surreal weekend

 With Bev's operation being imminent, I decided that we needed to get away for the weekend in order to avoid the situation of dwelling upon the impending medical procedures. A couple of phone calls, on Friday, ensured that we were able to do just that. First I spoke with my youngest brother, Sye, who along with his wife, Yve, were more than happy for us to visit them for the weekend. The second call was little more of a gamble. I rang Simon Walker, Dick's son, to see if we could meet up and take a look at the tribute display for his dad in the North Herts Museum, Hitchin. Unbelievably, this also resulted in arrangements being made which ensured it became a very special experience for us all. So Bev and I headed off, via the M2/M25, to Aston Clinton where Sye & Yve reside. This was our base for the weekend, although we didn't spent much time within the walls of their lovely home. We arrived just after 11.00 hrs, on Saturday, and between the usual banter, I managed to spend some time out in their garden grabbing a few shots of the local Red Kites. In Aston Clinton these majestic raptors are the equivalent to Rose-ringed Parakeets on Thanet; they're bloody everywhere! Light levels and generally gloomy conditions did nothing to assist my cause, yet I'm happy enough with what I managed to achieve. 




We get Parakeets - Sye & Yve have to poke up with Red Kites

The plan for the afternoon was for Bev & Yve to drive across to the garden centre in Tring for a coffee, cake and general perusing, whilst Sye & I headed to Hitchin where we were to rendezvous with Simon for a museum visit.  It was a good plan. The girls had a great time and were able to chat about stuff which I find quite difficult. Sye and me were to experience one of the most memorable afternoons of our lives? We drove to Simon's house, in Hitchin, where we were able to get parked without any issues, before being chauffeured to (and from) the museum by his lovely wife, Janet. I have to admit, here and now, that I've just had to get in contact with them again because I couldn't actually remember her name - much to my shame! Anyhow, we spent a very pleasant time in the museum, first viewing the tribute to Dick Walker which is absolutely bang on. A Hitchin lad and a local hero, although his influence obviously goes far beyond this parochial perspective. Sye and I were impressed by the display put on by the museum, and yet got just as much pleasure when, after looking at the posters and artifacts, we were able to sit down with Simon and just chat about what his father meant to him and us, over a coffee in the museum cafe area. 





The Heron Bite Alarm which set this whole series of events in motion - crazy!

Then, this morning, despite the drizzle Sye and I had a quick drive across to Wilstone Res. for a wander and a reminisce. It was all rather weird, not too much has changed, from a physical point. A bit of "health & safety" adjustments to the steps meant that they now have railings, but that was about it. We chatted about odd moments, as we passed various points along the concrete banks, yet both agreed that it could never be the same place, for us, to fish again because the characters of yesteryear are no longer part of the scene. Great memories of a stunning venue, yet the magic has faded with the passing of time.

The Wilstone Pier 17th March 2024 - it can never be the same without Alan Wilson's bivvy 
pitched on the end?

Wednesday 13 March 2024

My wish granted

 I was out on the flatlands, this morning, and had my two rods fishing just after 06.00 hrs. It was less than an hour later when the right hand alarm announced that a Pike had taken my bait. Not a particularly noteworthy scrap, but resulted in the "double" I had hoped for gracing the bank for a short while. At 16 lbs 15 oz it was a recapture of a fish which I'd caught in November, but that didn't reduce the pleasure of landing it today. 

A really nice looking Pike and yet another demonstration of the
benefits to be had from adding a polarizing filter to my camera kit.

Although I hung it out until after 10.30 hrs, that proved to be the only action of the morning. I'm not too sure where I'm headed tomorrow, for the final session of the Pike season, but know that even if I blank there can be no complaints about my 2023/24 catch returns.

Tuesday 12 March 2024

I should moan more often!

I'll start with the news that this morning's, pre-op, consultation meeting went very well and we came away reassured about the next stage in Bev's treatment. As we are not back for any more medical procedures before Monday 18th March, I will be able to get two more Pike sessions in before the season closes. With that out of the way, last night's PAC gathering was a very enjoyable event, with all the usual banter between the gang. I managed to exchange a few opinions about my own angling experiences and also give my view on the record status of that stupendous, 47 lbs 5 oz,  Pike which came out of Chew Valley in February. As my opinions have no impact upon those empowered to make such decisions, I won't bother mounting the soap box on this occassion. For me Tommy Morgan's fish, from Loch Lomond, still remains the one to beat.

So there I was, yesterday, moaning about how difficult my garden listing efforts had proven to be and what would you know? As I parked up on the drive, after returning from the PAC meeting, I was greeted by the sound of calling White-fronted Geese somewhere overhead in the darkness. A right result; not only a garden tick but also the first record for my Newlands Farm patch. Then, after getting back from our very expensive, post hospital, coffee morning (I wrote off a tyre on the way home which added another £58 to the bill) there was a male Blackcap on the fat-ball feeder. It made fairly regular visits, despite the constant rainfall, and I eventually managed to grab a few shots which are blog worthy.

Knowing that Pike fishing the RMC is a non-starter my options are rather restricted for these final two sessions. Black Dyke could see a further effort yet, I hanker after one more "double", the drain where my season got started seems to be edging the thought process at present. 

Monday 11 March 2024

Struggling on

 Is there no end to this cycle of abysmal weather? Friday/Saturday we were battered by gale force easterlies which provided some reasonable photo opportunities, down in Broadstairs, whilst I awaited the garage folk to change the front brake pads on my van. On the Saturday morning I endured a completely uneventful session out on the flatlands for the first time this season. Then, to add insult to injury, we had some more rain on Sunday, just to ensure the R. Stour and the RMC remain a filthy dirty, unfishable, mess. Happy days!

My garden bird list is proving to be a testing exercise, at present, Redwing, Song Thrush and, most annoyingly, Ring Ouzel have escaped 100% positive id. In those far off days, of youthful exuberance, I'd have probably ticked them off without a second thought. Certainly much older, although unsure if wisdom has been part of the process, I realise that such unimportant trivia doesn't have a place in my enjoyment of the wildlife encounters which come my way. I didn't get a positive id, so just move on.

With Bev's cancer treatment now imminent, I will be over at our PAC meeting, tonight, for the final time this Pike season. Some exchange of opinion about a couple of subjects would be very much appreciated, from my perspective, as I have several nagging doubts about my bait presentation choices since embarking upon the Black Dyke project. Second opinions are always welcome, especially from this bunch of extremely talented Pike anglers. The way things are panning out, it would seem that I will be out with the Pike rods on both Wednesday and Thursday, mornings, to see an end to the 2023/24 season. If I blank, there can be no complaints about how my campaign has gone. Nineteen "doubles" and two "twenties" providing yet more evidence that my decision to retire wasn't so bad after all? 


Wednesday 6 March 2024

The first Buzzards

Today's been a right "pick & mix" of events. I started off down on Black Dyke where, armed with a couple of split canes, I was on the hunt for a Tench. Crazy as it might seem, the recent sessions have provided me with ample evidence that there are some very sizable fish in this venue. This morning's effort wasn't able to confirm my suspicions, yet I didn't a blank as I managed to catch a very small "wild" Carp of a couple of pounds, or so. Packed up and on my way home, just after 10.00 hrs, Bev and I had a meeting with the cancer nurse booked for 14.00 hrs over at QEQM Hospital, Margate. With the sun beaming down from a lightly clouded sky, the local gulls were very agitated as the first signs of Common Buzzard movement began. I counted seven in little more than ninety minutes, four singles and a group of three, 

Quite high but, straight over the bungalow,
I clicked away merrily

I even managed to add a Raven to my 2024 garden list when one came through, heading south, before deciding it would be a good idea to irritate a Buzzard. Only when the two species are together can you appreciate just how big a Raven really is?

Our hospital appointment was a very good experience as we were given more details about the sequence of events which will take place over the coming months. Everything we heard was positive about a successful conclusion to the treatment, yet honest enough to include the possible side effects that some of the drugs/treatment might cause. I might only get one more Pike session in before the season closes but, under the current circumstances, it really doesn't matter a jot!

Tuesday 5 March 2024

Sad little seal

Thanks to the guys at our independant garage, in Broadstairs, both the van and our Mazda CX3 received their annual MOT certification today. My van requires a new set of front brake pads, as an advisory note from the process. It's booked in for Friday morning to have this sorted out. So another year's motoring is secured with our current vehicle choices. The sequence of events was to provide a window for me to take a slow stroll along the coastal path between Broadstairs and Dumpton Gap.My search for a "Scandinavian" Rock Pipit seems to be an exercise in pointless time wasting, yet not without reward? My walk back along the coastal footpath, between Broadstairs and Dumpton Gap provided the opportunity to grab a sequence of images of a "ringed" Rock Pipit, which I'd first seen in early December, and secure the BTO code.

I've sent the ring code to the BTO, via Euring?
I will update any info when I am able.
It seems that AI can deliver almost instantly? This bird was ringed in Broadstairs,
 on 30th October 2020, thus is a resident.

It was just as I arrived at the Dumpton Gap pathway that a guy informed me that there was a "baby" seal on the beach, if I wanted to get some images? The positive being that a Marine Animal Rescue guy was already present, I had a quick chat which was pretty informative. It was a Grey Seal pup. and would need to be tested for weight and body temperature before any decisions could be made?

A very poorly little seal.

Back out with the rods tomorrow, let's hope for a tight line! 

Sunday 3 March 2024

Coffee & Cake

 If ever Bev and I are at a loose end, then a drive around East Kent is a very nice way to waste away a few hours. Coffee and cake being the prefered option at the majority of destinations we head for. It doesn't matter if it's Copper's at the Preston Garden Centre, Poppies at Petham, the wonderful Fifth Trust Cafe at the Elham Valley Garden Centre, we enjoy them all. However, there is one place that is very dear to our hearts, where the view from the cafe is absolutely outstanding, and that is the "Battle of Britain Memorial Site" at Capel le Ferne, just outside Folkestone. This place is a superb tribute to those folk who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the UK remained free during those horrific times. There are many exhibits, both inside and out, where it is possible to spend a quiet minute just thinking about the horrors that these individuals must have witnessed and experienced during this savage period of our history. The Winston Churchill quote "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" is inscribed upon the wall as you drive into the site and resonates within as I wander around the site. It is a very special place and highly recommended if ever you're in the area.

You might have already worked out that we were there today, hence my reference, but that was just part of why I wanted to get down to this part of the county. Coffee and cake consumed, I had a wander around the area in order to grab a few images, whilst Bev remained in the cafe for coffee number two! It was an hour, or so, later that we were back in the van headed off towards the RMC. I wanted to see if there was any chance of casting a baited rig before the end of Pike season. The flooded fields, out across Romney Marsh, as viewed from the road leading down into West Hythe, told me all I needed to know. The reality being confirmed when we pulled up at Gigger's Green to survey the filthy water flowing under the bridge. I won't be back until next winter, I guess. 

With just ten more days of the current Pike season remaining, it would seem that Black Dyke is going to be where I am to conclude the efforts. One more "double" would be nice, something bigger would see this Pike season elevated to "very special status". I'm back out tomorrow, with a couple of ideas up my sleeve. Only time will tell if my thought processes are on the right track? The van and Bev's car are booked in for their MOT's on Tuesday, we have a hospital visit on Wednesday, time is rapidly passing and I will just have to fit in my Pike fishing whenever possible.