Ups and Downs

Two days coming, two days there and two days going, that's how colds used to be described. What was it my Gran would say? Treat a cold and it'll last a week, leave it untreated and it'll last seven days. So when did all that stop?

I've been under the weather - did you guess? I was talking to Neil about the above and was saying that nobody has 'colds' any more, we all have viruses and they seem to be getting worse. He said it sounded like the ramblings of a mad man but when I went to the doctor (as I was actually wheezing, something I've never done), he said "Nothing I can do, just get over it...... It'll take three to four weeks" How long? Give me an old fashion cold any day.

All this waffling goes some way to explain my late return to the lake after my recent success, in short I've been like a caged bear with a sore head that's just stubbed his toe.

Not really up to a day wandering around the Redditch Tackle Fair I decided I may as well lay about and moan next to the lake as at home. Setting up was exhausting and I had a very early night with just an abortive bream pull before dark. Come dawn and I was woken by the bird's fanfare to the day but again, I soon drifted off again. Then, at 6:20 a single bleep had me sat looking out of the open door as I scrambled to put my shoes on. I watched the indicator gently rise and keep going, the line trickled out at a very leisurely pace and as I put my hand over the spool and tightened to what I felt must surely be a bream but no, the rod relayed messages of weight and the battle was on.

Once more the fight was a dour affair until it saw the net but I never felt the issue was in any doubt and soon another lump settled in the mesh. I did a quick weigh and realised that the fish was rather familiar to me, it was one that I caught on my last visit. This in itself is not totally unknown but Neil had fished this swim a couple of days before (which is why I was so eager to get in it) and had taken a couple of twenty pounders, one of which he had taken on his previous visit. So we can probably deduce that there's a shoal of fish moving around together that Neil encourages to feed, catches a fine but smaller fish or two then hands over to his dad to take a lump. Am I complaining? Am I buggery.

I only took a quick snap on the mat for two reasons, first it woke up and put up far more of a scrap on the bank than it ever did in the water and second, I'd taken a picture of it two weeks ago. It was only after it went back did I realise that when I'd pictured it last time it was also just a snap on the mat. Hey ho, I'll just have to catch it again.

I was set for a day of rest but a slight emergency at home had me packing up and returning. Emergency duly sorted I went to take Harvey for a walk but he did not want to go in fact he hadn't even acknowledged my return. Poor old Harv he's been really under the weather for a couple of months and has recently been off his food and his gums have become ever more pale showing all the signs of cancer. Just like Buddy we had all the blood tests done and they all came back okay and just like Buddy, a couple of weeks later and he'd had enough. This evening we had Harvey put to sleep as the vet agreed it was the only option.

We only had Harvey for two years yet it feels like so much longer, he was such a character, loved by many in the village he literally did, on a few occasions, stop the traffic as people pulled over just to come and say hello. He will be deeply missed.