Carpy Diem
Friday! Into work and full of cheer. Bolted through meetings/tricky conversations etc to escape early in the afternoon. For the French Bloke and me were off to go fishing. Went to the FB's new house on the edge of Chertsey Meads, which is 170 acres of riverside land and a habitat for a wide variety of birds and wild life including deer. The FB was also selling a car to a windbag tirekicker, which dragged on somewhat. This gave me the opportunity to talk to Max, her pal Judith, Francesca (the FB's grown up daughter #2), Max's mum, and also hold the babies. Both very sweet - the new baby called Zemirah, and their adorable toddler called Tahlia, who made me wear a broad-brimmed lady's hat and spent fifteen minutes rubbing my cheeks and eyes with a wet wipe.
Then off in the FB's big new land cruiser to Hatton Cross tube station to collect Matty. The three of us then saw to the necessaries of buying rod licences, bottles of cider, a writhing pint of mixed maggots and so on. Thirsty work, so we paused for a cider in a pub too.
Eventually we found ourselves by the river. There was a slight competitive undercurrent to the fishing from the FB. This not improved as I set about pulling a steady succession of Behemoths from the deep. When I occasionally remarked on my good fortune, the others looked quite galled, and the FB venting with some feeling.
Idyllic late afternoon. Sun setting across the river bank, cheery chatting with a local who was fishing from his wheelchair, and some cider drinking. Then we returned across the meads to the FB's house.
From thence we drove off to get a take away curry and had rather a restrained but cheery evening indoors before Matty and I retired outside to sleep in the Winnebago.
Below my haul included this magnificent roach pictured in the FB's hands after he had disgorged one of the tiny hooks these riverfishermen use. And me with baby Zemirah, and little Tahlia.
Friday! Into work and full of cheer. Bolted through meetings/tricky conversations etc to escape early in the afternoon. For the French Bloke and me were off to go fishing. Went to the FB's new house on the edge of Chertsey Meads, which is 170 acres of riverside land and a habitat for a wide variety of birds and wild life including deer. The FB was also selling a car to a windbag tirekicker, which dragged on somewhat. This gave me the opportunity to talk to Max, her pal Judith, Francesca (the FB's grown up daughter #2), Max's mum, and also hold the babies. Both very sweet - the new baby called Zemirah, and their adorable toddler called Tahlia, who made me wear a broad-brimmed lady's hat and spent fifteen minutes rubbing my cheeks and eyes with a wet wipe.
Then off in the FB's big new land cruiser to Hatton Cross tube station to collect Matty. The three of us then saw to the necessaries of buying rod licences, bottles of cider, a writhing pint of mixed maggots and so on. Thirsty work, so we paused for a cider in a pub too.
Eventually we found ourselves by the river. There was a slight competitive undercurrent to the fishing from the FB. This not improved as I set about pulling a steady succession of Behemoths from the deep. When I occasionally remarked on my good fortune, the others looked quite galled, and the FB venting with some feeling.
Idyllic late afternoon. Sun setting across the river bank, cheery chatting with a local who was fishing from his wheelchair, and some cider drinking. Then we returned across the meads to the FB's house.
From thence we drove off to get a take away curry and had rather a restrained but cheery evening indoors before Matty and I retired outside to sleep in the Winnebago.
Below my haul included this magnificent roach pictured in the FB's hands after he had disgorged one of the tiny hooks these riverfishermen use. And me with baby Zemirah, and little Tahlia.
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