You'll never make a difference being the same as everyone else
As you may be able to guess from my lack of blog content recently, I have been struggling. Not only struggling to catch anything blog-worthy, but struggling in this weather, I am not cut out for hot weather, I think that’s why I love pike fishing so much, because it’s always done in the winter when you can add clothing to obtain the correct body temperature. Thankfully my big sister has been…
I’d like to begin this post by saying thank you so much to everyone who read my last bit of writing about The Nature of Grief . I’m so pleased that it struck a chord with so many of you, thank you for all of your kind comments. Often I forget that I’m allowed to grieve for the loss of my dad, and I try to push through it all so that I can get things done, but nature always reminds me of him and it…
I’ve been writing these blog posts, so far, from as neutral and factual a standpoint as I possibly can. I have immersed myself and my children in nature, looking at the world in awe, always remembering the infamous words of my dad about, “no miserable shit!” Those words have brought me a surprising amount of comfort, but as painful as it is to admit, I am still a daughter who is grieving the very…
Yesterday marked a momentous day for myself and my family, as it was my youngest son’s last day at Primary School. As you can imagine, it was emotional, but there is also now a sense of relief that we have made it to the end of one of the busiest terms of the year! We are definitely all ready for a break. To keep myself and my other children occupied as we awaited the end of term school service,…
Elephant Hawk Moth As Summer is now in full swing, and Benno has been doing some excellent writing about his fishing adventures, I thought that it was only fair that I upheld my end of the bargain too and did some writing, so I'm going to tell you about what has happened this week with the moth trap. When dad died, he wanted his moth books, moth trap and all that goes with it to go to Evelyn, my…
Just thought I'd write a quick update on the fishing in this corner of East Kent recently. I decide to give the syndicate a rest for a while, partly to allow the huge amount of weed floating around to settle somewhere, but mostly just to have a break. The football has had me up late most weekends, so a 3:30 alarm on a Sunday morning doesn't appeal particularly. I have however been to a different…
Normally on Fathers Day, dad and I would have met up on the riverbank somewhere before sun rise and then spent the morning fishing and chatting together. Catching a fish was never important, just being there together. Obviously this year that wasn't to be, he definitely wouldn't have wanted me to sit around moping though, he would have wanted me to go and get after those tench again, so that's…
I am well aware that the title of this post has no relevance to the tench fishing project in which I am currently involved, it is however faintly connected. As promised, a visit to the syndicate on Sunday morning was called for, armed with my two newly refurbished glass fibre MKiv's, it took me a good couple of hours to locate a some spots on which to present a bait properly, although the whole…
Since my last blog offering, life has very much got in the way of my fishing career. Being self employed, it's important that I make hay whilst the sun shines and the sun has been shining brightly in my little plumbing world. I have managed a couple of trips down to the syndicate, unfortunately, the tench spawned early this year due to the sudden increase in water temperature caused by the…
You know when you have a really good idea, and then you have to do it? Yes… well I seem to do that a lot! My most recent idea involved me running/ walking a mile a day in May in memory of my dad and Bev, in the hopes of raising some money for Cancer Research UK and the Bowel Babe fund. I can do that, no problem, I thought to myself as I typed my name into the “sign up here” box! I don’t know why I…
First of all, I'd like to say a genuine and heartfelt thank you to everyone for the kind words about our Dad, both on the blog and in real life, it means everything to us that he meant so much to so many people. The fish are just a bonus when the world looks like this. It's a good job Dad taught me to stop and appreciate nature whilst fishing, if it was solely about catching fish, I'd be a…
Early morning sunrise It’s been almost two months since I lost my dad, and life has been a whirlwind of admin, funeral arrangements, house clearing, mine and Benno’s birthdays, and my usual life of parenting three children, mixed with a generous helping of grief and a lot of tears. There have been many days when I have wanted to hide away from it all, to stay in bed under the duvet and pretend…
I am sharing Dylan's eulogy for those who were unable to attend the funeral service and for those of you who want to know more about Dylan's passion for the natural world and how it shaped his entire life. The eulogy was written by myself and Benno, with help from Dylan's brother's, Tim and Simon. Normal service will resume shortly, we have now found the moth trap in the shed! Let me tell you…
Hello everyone, we just wanted to let you know that Dylan’s funeral will be on Monday 30th March at 1pm, at Thanet Crematorium. Afterwards we will be at the San Clu Hotel, in Ramsgate. Donations can be made to dad’s chosen charity, Cancer Research UK, at the service. All are welcome. If you are planning to join us, please could you let me know, just so I have an idea of numbers? I think there will…
In the early hours of Saturday 7th March, Dylan, our dad, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family and so much love. To continue the story from his last post, he was eventually sadly diagnosed with bowel and liver cancer on 15th January and was immediately admitted to hospital. As you can imagine, he was not happy about this at all, and he managed a few days before he eventually discharged…
As the clock announced the arrival of, Thursday, 4th December I had successfully made it to my seventieth birthday. Not something I would mention under normal circumstances, yet, because this number represented the figure that my junior school teachers had said would be the best we could hope for (Remember this was in the 1960's) it is worthy of note I feel? My family felt it was justification for…
I'd be a complete fool if I said anything other than the fact that my physical (& mental) wellbeing was still a cause for concern - on a personal level. Energy levels and lack of appetite might be a hangover from the bout of Covid I suffered prior to the Kefalonia holiday? My anxiety issues are far more complex and certainly have their origins firmly linked to Bev's passing. However, the clock…
It was a little before 04.30 hrs, this morning, that Bruno and I headed off down to the RMC for our first session in over two weeks. Thankfully, a Pike had read the same script as I had which resulted in my first "double" of the campaign. No monster but, at eleven pounds fourteen ounces, most welcome all the same. I'd been hoping that the local college would hold a firework display, yet this was…
Apologies for the recent lack of up-dates, I've not been in a very good place; mentally, of late. Thanks to the input and efforts of so many friends, neighbours and family, things now appear to be on the mend. Bruno and I had a wander around The Little Stour Valley, this morning, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable outing. Blue skies had replaced the early morning wind and rain ensuring that…
Bruno and I were out on the flatlands, quite early this morning, in order for me to assess the Pike fishing potential of a couple of small drains. Basically, I was looking for alternative venues should the RMC remain out of sorts? I'm actually toying with the idea of a spot of Perch fishing, but haven't made any plans as yet. So, as we were out in the general area, I decided to take a wander…
Well I attended this season's first Canterbury/Thanet PAC Regional meeting not having registered a single bite from a Pike, thus far, this season. I was not alone in this predicament, as the majority of the other guys were also struggling. As always, the banter was non stop and a pleasant time was enjoyed by all. We also welcomed Mack, a new face into the gang, which is always a positive step for…
Sometimes it doesn't matter how thorough the preparation, if the Pike haven't read the script, the effort involved counts for nothing. This is exactly how my 2025/26 RMC campaign has started. Two sessions, in a prime spot, yet not a murmur from the alarms. There was a third session planned, yet grand-parenting duties had to take priority and the chance was missed. So, if I am to have anything to…
This holiday was always going to be a difficult trip, being the first one since Bev's passing. All I can say is that I am indebted, and forever grateful, to my dear friends Leon and Pauline for making the event as wonderful as it turned out to be. An emotional roller-coaster wouldn't be too far from the mark, as I recall the fortnight now sat here at my laptop. We'd all gone out there, this year,…
Fellow blogger, Brian ( Pike Blog ), has summed it up quite simply with his latest offering entitled Pike Time. October is here and the 1st saw the start of yet another traditional season. I must admit to having very mixed feelings about the early season pursuit of our apex predator, yet this year (winter) is probably going to see my last serious campaign on the banks of the Royal Military Canal?…
I arrived back in Dumpton just before 20.00 hrs, last night, having driven from Bristol Airport. After collecting Bruno from my neighbours Glynis & Terry, I did little more than get the suitcase from the van and have a quick snack before the duvet was calling. Absolutely knackered, I didn't need much persuading, even though it was only half past nine! This morning we had a, rain shortened, stroll…