I'll admit that I've been a little lax, of late, just nothing to blog about. Newland's has reverted to form, being virtually bird less and, after the clocks changed, not too many opportunities of a mid-week session with the rods, due to the fact that Bev needs the car for her work and doesn't finish until 15.30 hrs - it's already semi- dark!
I'd harboured some hope of getting out, this evening, but it's pissing down and my desire to catch another eel isn't so important, under the circumstances. Eels have, however, "slimed" their way into my thinking and I've an idea of a project/challenge which might well prove to be an adventure? How many anglers have caught eels in every month of the winter? I have a window of opportunity, on Sunday, to get my November fish - I will let you know how I get on. I'm classing winter as the period from October to March and I've already caught eels in the two parameter defining months, so it's November, December, January and February that need to see my "string pulled" by these bloody pests!
With nothing better to do - I went up into the loft to get my old projector and 35mm slide collection - so many crazy memories stored within those images. There must be 4 or 5,000 slides in the boxes - photos were very cheap when employed by Kodak Ltd! I had access to the best "professional advice" available during the period. Kodachrome 64 was the ultimate medium for image capture and true colour match. Funnily enough, the vast majority of my images, during this period, were recorded using this format - Ektachrome was the alternative (E-6 processing, as I remember) - good, but not process paid! No point buying a dog - then barking yourself? I've done little more than scratch the surface - but there's more than enough material to keep me going for today?
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Cuddles and Sarah-Jayne
I'd guess at around 1986? The R. Thames at Mapledurham. |
During my lunatic past both, Sarah-Jayne and Benno, have been subjected to the wisdom of the most extreme obsessives of that era? I didn't see this as bad parenting, quite the opposite in most situations, but I don't think that it would hold up in a court of law?
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Boy! Have I got some memories of this place?
The Mill House at Mapledurham - what a time and place. |
The River Thames, at Mapledurham, Berkshire, is one of the most defining venues of my journey. I caught huge numbers of pike from the Mill Pool, saw Bernard Cribbins record the BBC TV "Jackanory - Tales of the River-bank" (1983?) whilst stood in the doorway of the old Mill House. We were to meet again when I landed a 23lbs 5oz pike from Lynch Hill. He was in an adjacent boat, with Peter Stone, and was on hand to take some photos.
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| Wilstone - Tench 8 lbs 14 oz |
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| One of "The Royalty" barbel - I don't know which one - but it's a good'n |
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| 18 lbs 12 oz - Lynch Hill - 1988 |
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| Benno - summer 1991 at Claydon Middle Lake |
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| Claydon "Middle Lake" - 18lbs + of Wels Catfish |
My nostalgia trip took me to Tring, The Hampshire Avon and "The Middle Lake" at Claydon. I have everything in place to start cataloguing these memories - if I don't get distracted? The accompanying images aren't the best I have got, but serve the purpose.
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