In reply to Post #43
Up to now i have not spotted any swallows or sand martins they seem a bit late this year no cuckoo either they usually arrive around April and i have heard him in the past in march a recent decline in meadow pipits and dunnocks have been put down to agricultural changes which has also effected the cuckoo as they favoured the pipits and dunnock nests to lay there solitary egg when i was a young lad they were very common and you would hear them nearly every day there was nothing nicer then casting a spinner or fly on a summers day at the same time listening to the cuckoo you certainly knew summer had arrived i don't know if my memory is playing tricks but thinking back our summers were hot and the winters cold with snow we got the true seasons we would swim in the river i cant remember very bad summers and we would go sledging every winter but perhaps i am remembering the good times i know in the summer when off school my parents would not see me from, early morning until dark they knew no harm would come to you, us young lads would walk for miles taking with us a few sandwiches and a bottle of pop and at times a packet of turf cigarettes first time i had a puff or to i was violently sick but lads will be lads and it was an accepted thing to smoke in those far off days, i don't now packed it up a couple of years ago wish i had done it before but we would walk the woods and paths the and hedgerows birds nesting or take the catapult and shoot a rabbit or two they were idyllic days we would set up camp like all boys did then boil our eggs in a tin on the fire summer to us youngsters was a time of play and was always looked forward to.
MY beautiful woods
I would go and see old Sam it was perhaps a couple of miles from my house up through the fields then through the woods to his house, the woods were be full of life in those days the big rookeries i would clime the trees to look at the eggs green and spotted with brown and black Sam would shoot these birds as they were agriculture pests although they would eat most things invertebrates and such there is a big population in the British isles about one million breeding pairs what ever Sam shot he would take home for his misses as i have told you before she would make rook pie for Sam he offered me some said i did not know what i was missing not for me i am afraid the very thought made me retch why i don't know but it was something i did not fancy but old Sam would eat a plate full with potatoes and swede carrots peas and big chunks of home made bread he lived off the land he was in the right job the occasional pheasant or duck and rabbits by the sack full which he sold on to the market the money went back into the estate when myxomatosis came around for a few years it decimated the rabbits and some of the estates really missed the extra income that was made from there sale.
The old cock pheasent in the blue bells
Any vermin shot or trapped in those days were skinned out and nailed onto a board and they were treated when dry they would be sent to Horace friend i think that was the name of the company, they would send any monies due to old Sam it was the perks of the job he taught me how to catch moles i also made friends with the mole catcher he would trap hundreds of the little creatures and did not mind me going along how on earth he made a living out of the skins i don't know but arriving at his house one day i saw that he was curing rabbit skins as well and also saw a couple of fox skins so maybe he scraped some sort of living from his work they were hard times and he would only get pennies for his skins. I would spend most of my time in the school holidays either in the woods or fishing down the river onny or on one of the numerous estate lakes they were mostly private but i was young nothing troubled me in those days as you know i poached them, and really had some good sport but the woods were my life i loved them and the animals within. well a bit more latter
Up to now i have not spotted any swallows or sand martins they seem a bit late this year no cuckoo either they usually arrive around April and i have heard him in the past in march a recent decline in meadow pipits and dunnocks have been put down to agricultural changes which has also effected the cuckoo as they favoured the pipits and dunnock nests to lay there solitary egg when i was a young lad they were very common and you would hear them nearly every day there was nothing nicer then casting a spinner or fly on a summers day at the same time listening to the cuckoo you certainly knew summer had arrived i don't know if my memory is playing tricks but thinking back our summers were hot and the winters cold with snow we got the true seasons we would swim in the river i cant remember very bad summers and we would go sledging every winter but perhaps i am remembering the good times i know in the summer when off school my parents would not see me from, early morning until dark they knew no harm would come to you, us young lads would walk for miles taking with us a few sandwiches and a bottle of pop and at times a packet of turf cigarettes first time i had a puff or to i was violently sick but lads will be lads and it was an accepted thing to smoke in those far off days, i don't now packed it up a couple of years ago wish i had done it before but we would walk the woods and paths the and hedgerows birds nesting or take the catapult and shoot a rabbit or two they were idyllic days we would set up camp like all boys did then boil our eggs in a tin on the fire summer to us youngsters was a time of play and was always looked forward to.
MY beautiful woodsI would go and see old Sam it was perhaps a couple of miles from my house up through the fields then through the woods to his house, the woods were be full of life in those days the big rookeries i would clime the trees to look at the eggs green and spotted with brown and black Sam would shoot these birds as they were agriculture pests although they would eat most things invertebrates and such there is a big population in the British isles about one million breeding pairs what ever Sam shot he would take home for his misses as i have told you before she would make rook pie for Sam he offered me some said i did not know what i was missing not for me i am afraid the very thought made me retch why i don't know but it was something i did not fancy but old Sam would eat a plate full with potatoes and swede carrots peas and big chunks of home made bread he lived off the land he was in the right job the occasional pheasant or duck and rabbits by the sack full which he sold on to the market the money went back into the estate when myxomatosis came around for a few years it decimated the rabbits and some of the estates really missed the extra income that was made from there sale.
The old cock pheasent in the blue bellsAny vermin shot or trapped in those days were skinned out and nailed onto a board and they were treated when dry they would be sent to Horace friend i think that was the name of the company, they would send any monies due to old Sam it was the perks of the job he taught me how to catch moles i also made friends with the mole catcher he would trap hundreds of the little creatures and did not mind me going along how on earth he made a living out of the skins i don't know but arriving at his house one day i saw that he was curing rabbit skins as well and also saw a couple of fox skins so maybe he scraped some sort of living from his work they were hard times and he would only get pennies for his skins. I would spend most of my time in the school holidays either in the woods or fishing down the river onny or on one of the numerous estate lakes they were mostly private but i was young nothing troubled me in those days as you know i poached them, and really had some good sport but the woods were my life i loved them and the animals within. well a bit more latter
In reply to Post #44
Graham and myself went out to look at waters this morning graham is now 75 years old and i am nearly 69 years old the days have now well gone pushing a barrow loaded to the gunnel's with my health and suffering with stenosis of the spinal column, plus an aneurysm of the aorta i personally can not push a barrow to far and it is dangerous even to consider doing it, so we are now looking at waters we wont have to walk to far i am certainly not going to let it get to me and i have every intention to carry on fishing for as long as i can, there is nothing they can do for my back well that's what i have been told by the specialist although i am now waiting to see a spinal surgeon we will see until then i will grit my teeth and get on with life.
There are one or two waters around that will allow you to park your car behind the swim some i have not fished for years and i am quite looking forward to renew my acquaintance with these waters the one such water has some reasonable fish with a good head of carp up into mid twenties and a sprinkling of thirties i have fished this water a few times years ago and it also has some very big roach, this water could be a possibility in the future but it is a very popular water and its banks get full at a weekend but it wont worry the both of us as we prefer going in the week when the water is a lot quieter as far as night fishing goes we don't do much of that any more mostly our fishing is done in the day and i really can not see it has altered our catch rate that much, and we do not have the hassle of putting bives up and such , well i put it down to our age but we both still enjoy our fishing and being out and about.
Feeding the ducks in hill country
We are going to visit another such water latter this week a lovely lake up in hill country it holds some very nice fish mirrors and commons i have had fish up to twenty three pounds and i know bigger fish are in the place but a few years ago it had a very big otter kill it was a massacre they the otters just dragged the fish out and left them for dead i felt really sorry for the owner he did not know what to do but he was very lucky the otters moved on and i am told by some freinds the lake has made a very good recovery i was a bit suprised the otters moved as there was plenty of food for them to eat but there is a small stream connecting the lake and an out let so maybe they travelled down the stream to pastures new who knows but they have certainly not been seen since the lake also holds some very big gold fish the farmer said he did not know where they came from, but they have been caught at a resonable weight they have been in the lake for years even when the ownerer father farmed the land.
Andy with a lovely coloured fish from the lake in hill country
One thing i shall not be doing is taking to much tackle we are going to reduce the amount we take with us some of the taclke we carry with us is never used, most fishing weights i will leave in the car in a box that will reduce a fair bit of weight and we will leave any spare rods and such in the car, when barbel fishing it will be two rods only no spares a few feeders and hooks already tyed up and of course our seat landing net weight bag and mat thats about it exept for bait well i hope things work out for us we will see. thats it for now a bit more latter
Graham and myself went out to look at waters this morning graham is now 75 years old and i am nearly 69 years old the days have now well gone pushing a barrow loaded to the gunnel's with my health and suffering with stenosis of the spinal column, plus an aneurysm of the aorta i personally can not push a barrow to far and it is dangerous even to consider doing it, so we are now looking at waters we wont have to walk to far i am certainly not going to let it get to me and i have every intention to carry on fishing for as long as i can, there is nothing they can do for my back well that's what i have been told by the specialist although i am now waiting to see a spinal surgeon we will see until then i will grit my teeth and get on with life.
There are one or two waters around that will allow you to park your car behind the swim some i have not fished for years and i am quite looking forward to renew my acquaintance with these waters the one such water has some reasonable fish with a good head of carp up into mid twenties and a sprinkling of thirties i have fished this water a few times years ago and it also has some very big roach, this water could be a possibility in the future but it is a very popular water and its banks get full at a weekend but it wont worry the both of us as we prefer going in the week when the water is a lot quieter as far as night fishing goes we don't do much of that any more mostly our fishing is done in the day and i really can not see it has altered our catch rate that much, and we do not have the hassle of putting bives up and such , well i put it down to our age but we both still enjoy our fishing and being out and about.
Feeding the ducks in hill countryWe are going to visit another such water latter this week a lovely lake up in hill country it holds some very nice fish mirrors and commons i have had fish up to twenty three pounds and i know bigger fish are in the place but a few years ago it had a very big otter kill it was a massacre they the otters just dragged the fish out and left them for dead i felt really sorry for the owner he did not know what to do but he was very lucky the otters moved on and i am told by some freinds the lake has made a very good recovery i was a bit suprised the otters moved as there was plenty of food for them to eat but there is a small stream connecting the lake and an out let so maybe they travelled down the stream to pastures new who knows but they have certainly not been seen since the lake also holds some very big gold fish the farmer said he did not know where they came from, but they have been caught at a resonable weight they have been in the lake for years even when the ownerer father farmed the land.
Andy with a lovely coloured fish from the lake in hill countryOne thing i shall not be doing is taking to much tackle we are going to reduce the amount we take with us some of the taclke we carry with us is never used, most fishing weights i will leave in the car in a box that will reduce a fair bit of weight and we will leave any spare rods and such in the car, when barbel fishing it will be two rods only no spares a few feeders and hooks already tyed up and of course our seat landing net weight bag and mat thats about it exept for bait well i hope things work out for us we will see. thats it for now a bit more latter
In reply to Post #45
As we cut across the fields we were weighed down with nets as we crossed the road all was quite the way we liked it we slipped into the field under the cover of darkness and the wind roared drowning our approach, there were three of us and we had hidden the car in long copy far from prying eyes, we were after the rabbits on the big estate and would lay the net up the side of dead mans wood on arrival we stood and listened we had plenty of time in fact all night, but we must get the job done then on to our next destination it was now nearing ten pm time to run out the net, we would drive a stake, in every yard attaching it to the top line then on and on until you come to the end and drive a a peg firmly into the ground we had run out 100 yrd net, at times we used two nets over lapping the both ends but tonight one was enought we listened once again no sound do we hear only the roar of the big wind we let the lower line falls to the ground now all is ready i stay with the net Graham and Dick traverse around the fields then start to walk back towards the wood dick has his faithful dog with him who will work the field far and wide hearing the slight tapping from the stick hitting dicks wellington boot, the rabbits run for home i can hear the rabbits coming and feel them as they hit the net, up and down the net i go finding rabbits tied in a ball as the net entwines there body holding them fast i kill them in the net and leave them until we finish the rest of the drive, then all that matters is to extract the rabbits and put them into an old sack counting as we go fifty two rabbits i whisper to dick and graham not a bad graham had quietly picked the net up neatly folding it over his arm, we hid the rabbits in the hedgerow to collect a bit latter. We made our way towards the next wood it was called keepers wood as his house backed onto this large expanse of woodland we ran the net as before the wind still roared drowning out our presence i feel the rabbit hit the mesh but then hear the noise of the net tearing i reach the place and see the net bulging put my hand down and feel the feet of the intruder its a fox it is biting the mesh and kicking i pull my hand away the net gives and the fox is away the setting was not a success maybe the net can be repaired but not tonight we make do with the six we caught and head for our car across the fields picking up the other rabbits on our way we load the car and the damaged net, and head towards the road not switching on our lights until we reach the road then we accelerate and away home dropping dick and his dog on the way the net was repaired the following day not a bad night 56 rabbits we got fifteen shillings each from the game dealer it gave us a few quid in our pocket for a pint or two it would not be long before were out again it was away of life one i have loved and would do all again given half a chance. more a bit latter
As we cut across the fields we were weighed down with nets as we crossed the road all was quite the way we liked it we slipped into the field under the cover of darkness and the wind roared drowning our approach, there were three of us and we had hidden the car in long copy far from prying eyes, we were after the rabbits on the big estate and would lay the net up the side of dead mans wood on arrival we stood and listened we had plenty of time in fact all night, but we must get the job done then on to our next destination it was now nearing ten pm time to run out the net, we would drive a stake, in every yard attaching it to the top line then on and on until you come to the end and drive a a peg firmly into the ground we had run out 100 yrd net, at times we used two nets over lapping the both ends but tonight one was enought we listened once again no sound do we hear only the roar of the big wind we let the lower line falls to the ground now all is ready i stay with the net Graham and Dick traverse around the fields then start to walk back towards the wood dick has his faithful dog with him who will work the field far and wide hearing the slight tapping from the stick hitting dicks wellington boot, the rabbits run for home i can hear the rabbits coming and feel them as they hit the net, up and down the net i go finding rabbits tied in a ball as the net entwines there body holding them fast i kill them in the net and leave them until we finish the rest of the drive, then all that matters is to extract the rabbits and put them into an old sack counting as we go fifty two rabbits i whisper to dick and graham not a bad graham had quietly picked the net up neatly folding it over his arm, we hid the rabbits in the hedgerow to collect a bit latter. We made our way towards the next wood it was called keepers wood as his house backed onto this large expanse of woodland we ran the net as before the wind still roared drowning out our presence i feel the rabbit hit the mesh but then hear the noise of the net tearing i reach the place and see the net bulging put my hand down and feel the feet of the intruder its a fox it is biting the mesh and kicking i pull my hand away the net gives and the fox is away the setting was not a success maybe the net can be repaired but not tonight we make do with the six we caught and head for our car across the fields picking up the other rabbits on our way we load the car and the damaged net, and head towards the road not switching on our lights until we reach the road then we accelerate and away home dropping dick and his dog on the way the net was repaired the following day not a bad night 56 rabbits we got fifteen shillings each from the game dealer it gave us a few quid in our pocket for a pint or two it would not be long before were out again it was away of life one i have loved and would do all again given half a chance. more a bit latter
In reply to Post #46
Well ill start again i have just written one part and lost it don't know where its gone. well once again English nature has started work on bomere they are now in the process of cutting down the undergrowth and trees the one side of the big lake if my grand father was alive he would have a fit or old bell or Gerry the keeper i could see there faces now i just hope English nature does not cut the old tree down that has the tawny owls nest in, or the big fir the buzzard has her nest as they have nested there for generations, talking to the people concerned they say it will encourage better growth of wild flowers and the spread of lilies on this old lake i do hope so as looking at the other side they did last year it looks if a bomb has dropped what a mess but you can now see new vegetation starting to grow last year they took an average of four and half acres of rhododendrons out since then things have definitely started to flourish and new life is showing all over the place i just hope the primroses grow like when i was a youngster it was a sea of yellow we also have a number of different orchids so it may help there future growth the rhododendrons where put in by the keepers years before i was born, more or less for cover for the pheasants it would have been kept in trim in those days but it has been allowed to run amok making it an impossible tangle of branches and flowers which was slowly taking over the wood and stopping other plants growing by blocking out the light.
Lyth hill in its beauty at the top end of our village
Part of the big lake is now going to be used for an adventure play ground the old blind school has now been took over by another school teaching deprived youngsters from all over Britain how to canoe rock climbing and general skills survival and such there is at least twenty new canoes on trailers awaiting use at bomere i am sure these youngsters will benefit from the experience the school has to offer i am not sure if fishing is involved or not but i suspect it may be the youngsters will learn such a lot not just about fishing but the wild life to so i do hope the venue proves to be a good one and i wish them all the success for the future any one helping youngsters has got my vote, how thing have changed at bomere over the years when i was young it was strictly private now so many are getting the privilege of being on there and learning about its wild life it can only be a good thing and long may it continue.
The lyth again looking at the plains of shropshire
Yesterday we went to a place called lyth hill which lies at the top of our village it is a most beautiful tranquil place we really went to look at the old fox earth to see if it was being used once again and i was quite surprised there was no fox in residence there has been cubs here for years ,but not this years the first time they have been missing for at least ten years maybe she has not survived the winter through lack of food or she may have been shot by the local farmers or she may of just moved on to another earth but i cannot see that as there were plenty of young rabbits showing i would hazard a guess and say she did not survive the hard winter a shame but it took its toll of good many birds and animals most starving to death through lack of food.
The hedges of black thorn i did this in black and white
Graham and i have been looking around one or two lakes again and we have got a few ideas where we may fish this year the lakes we have seen i can get the car behind the swim so there should be no walking as such so that will be a great help for me and graham because of his age, life goes to quick when we were young we never gave it a second thought but it creeps up on you far to quick before you know it your claiming your buss pass and such i think graham gets his free television licence this year cor how time flies but we will keep on fishing and keep smiling life is very good and we will fish and shoot until we get to a stage in live when we cant and i really hope that does not come to soon . A bit more latter
Well ill start again i have just written one part and lost it don't know where its gone. well once again English nature has started work on bomere they are now in the process of cutting down the undergrowth and trees the one side of the big lake if my grand father was alive he would have a fit or old bell or Gerry the keeper i could see there faces now i just hope English nature does not cut the old tree down that has the tawny owls nest in, or the big fir the buzzard has her nest as they have nested there for generations, talking to the people concerned they say it will encourage better growth of wild flowers and the spread of lilies on this old lake i do hope so as looking at the other side they did last year it looks if a bomb has dropped what a mess but you can now see new vegetation starting to grow last year they took an average of four and half acres of rhododendrons out since then things have definitely started to flourish and new life is showing all over the place i just hope the primroses grow like when i was a youngster it was a sea of yellow we also have a number of different orchids so it may help there future growth the rhododendrons where put in by the keepers years before i was born, more or less for cover for the pheasants it would have been kept in trim in those days but it has been allowed to run amok making it an impossible tangle of branches and flowers which was slowly taking over the wood and stopping other plants growing by blocking out the light.
Lyth hill in its beauty at the top end of our villagePart of the big lake is now going to be used for an adventure play ground the old blind school has now been took over by another school teaching deprived youngsters from all over Britain how to canoe rock climbing and general skills survival and such there is at least twenty new canoes on trailers awaiting use at bomere i am sure these youngsters will benefit from the experience the school has to offer i am not sure if fishing is involved or not but i suspect it may be the youngsters will learn such a lot not just about fishing but the wild life to so i do hope the venue proves to be a good one and i wish them all the success for the future any one helping youngsters has got my vote, how thing have changed at bomere over the years when i was young it was strictly private now so many are getting the privilege of being on there and learning about its wild life it can only be a good thing and long may it continue.
The lyth again looking at the plains of shropshireYesterday we went to a place called lyth hill which lies at the top of our village it is a most beautiful tranquil place we really went to look at the old fox earth to see if it was being used once again and i was quite surprised there was no fox in residence there has been cubs here for years ,but not this years the first time they have been missing for at least ten years maybe she has not survived the winter through lack of food or she may have been shot by the local farmers or she may of just moved on to another earth but i cannot see that as there were plenty of young rabbits showing i would hazard a guess and say she did not survive the hard winter a shame but it took its toll of good many birds and animals most starving to death through lack of food.
The hedges of black thorn i did this in black and whiteGraham and i have been looking around one or two lakes again and we have got a few ideas where we may fish this year the lakes we have seen i can get the car behind the swim so there should be no walking as such so that will be a great help for me and graham because of his age, life goes to quick when we were young we never gave it a second thought but it creeps up on you far to quick before you know it your claiming your buss pass and such i think graham gets his free television licence this year cor how time flies but we will keep on fishing and keep smiling life is very good and we will fish and shoot until we get to a stage in live when we cant and i really hope that does not come to soon . A bit more latter
In reply to Post #47
I love to be out and about even if i cant walk that far there is always so much to see i would like to get down the brook and trot a float down for the gray ling. The Rea now has some tremendous gray ling fishing and most of the fishing is controlled by a very small club i was watching a young man fly fishing the Rea the other day i never saw him catch but the brook looked in real good nick i used to use nymphs and such but may was always looked forward to as you would have the big hatches of may flies it was a glorious way to fish with a big artificial may fly i used to tie my own but i have not done any tying for a number of years it was a pleasant way to spend a winters day and would pass the time away i am afraid i have not done any fly fishing for a number of years mainly due to my arthritis but i would be away tomorrow if i could nothing better sitting beside a babbling brook eating your sandwiches and puffing your pipe i smoked a pipe for forty odd years although i have now packed it up i feel no different exept being better off in pocket and maybe not burning holes in my pockets.
The small rivers and brooks held a magic for me you could see so much wild life from the moor hen the coot ducks and lots more beside i think the love of small brooks came from my younger days when i used to poach in those days the brooks were strictly private owned by the big estates they were full of brownies mostly stocked every year for the owners friends and acquaintances to fish i would hide in the bushes and watch them cast a line but i did better on worm and at night when dark could catch a bag full they were usually around a pound or so and were great to eat there was still food rationing and a few trout always helped us out adding to our diet, in those days it was a necessity and i always got a big kick out of doing it you would have to keep your eyes peeled and use your ears, as the keepers kept a watch on the fish and any poaching that might be going on as i have said i have been chased many times and have always got away but to me it was like a game the keepers versus myself, my parents never once gave me away and thinking back they must have been under great pressure when the local bobby or sgt called to see if i had been out the night before all i can say i was lucky and never once did they catch me in all the years i poached the streams.
GRAHAM WITH A FISH FROM ELLESMERE
Another from ellesmere
Just lately i have been thinking about giving ellesmere a go i have not been to the bird sanctuary for a few years and the lakes did hold some very good fish i have had commons to twenty four pounds and have caught some very big roach they could manage a fifteen mil bollie i have seen them come out to three pounds plus but the biggest i have caught was two pounds plus but still a good fish but on carp tackle you don't get much of a fight but there are some clonkers in the place i did try float fishing and managed a fish a cast but none of the real biggies so perhaps graham and i may try a day or two on there . a little more latter
ANOTHER FROM ELLESMERE
I love to be out and about even if i cant walk that far there is always so much to see i would like to get down the brook and trot a float down for the gray ling. The Rea now has some tremendous gray ling fishing and most of the fishing is controlled by a very small club i was watching a young man fly fishing the Rea the other day i never saw him catch but the brook looked in real good nick i used to use nymphs and such but may was always looked forward to as you would have the big hatches of may flies it was a glorious way to fish with a big artificial may fly i used to tie my own but i have not done any tying for a number of years it was a pleasant way to spend a winters day and would pass the time away i am afraid i have not done any fly fishing for a number of years mainly due to my arthritis but i would be away tomorrow if i could nothing better sitting beside a babbling brook eating your sandwiches and puffing your pipe i smoked a pipe for forty odd years although i have now packed it up i feel no different exept being better off in pocket and maybe not burning holes in my pockets.
The small rivers and brooks held a magic for me you could see so much wild life from the moor hen the coot ducks and lots more beside i think the love of small brooks came from my younger days when i used to poach in those days the brooks were strictly private owned by the big estates they were full of brownies mostly stocked every year for the owners friends and acquaintances to fish i would hide in the bushes and watch them cast a line but i did better on worm and at night when dark could catch a bag full they were usually around a pound or so and were great to eat there was still food rationing and a few trout always helped us out adding to our diet, in those days it was a necessity and i always got a big kick out of doing it you would have to keep your eyes peeled and use your ears, as the keepers kept a watch on the fish and any poaching that might be going on as i have said i have been chased many times and have always got away but to me it was like a game the keepers versus myself, my parents never once gave me away and thinking back they must have been under great pressure when the local bobby or sgt called to see if i had been out the night before all i can say i was lucky and never once did they catch me in all the years i poached the streams.
GRAHAM WITH A FISH FROM ELLESMERE
Another from ellesmereJust lately i have been thinking about giving ellesmere a go i have not been to the bird sanctuary for a few years and the lakes did hold some very good fish i have had commons to twenty four pounds and have caught some very big roach they could manage a fifteen mil bollie i have seen them come out to three pounds plus but the biggest i have caught was two pounds plus but still a good fish but on carp tackle you don't get much of a fight but there are some clonkers in the place i did try float fishing and managed a fish a cast but none of the real biggies so perhaps graham and i may try a day or two on there . a little more latter
ANOTHER FROM ELLESMERE
In reply to Post #48
It never ceases to amaze me and i have seen so often when a carp, angler catches a big bream and throws it back without even weighing the said fish when asked the answer is i don't like catching the slimy things i am after carp fair enough but i must be different i am grateful whatever fish graces my net if i am honest i have had as much fun catching bream as much as carp a few years ago i suppose i cut my teeth catching the big bronze bream i think it was the mid sixties when we first started fishing for them and that was on a small lake in the shrewsbury area at place called Berrington it was known then as heart break pool you would see the fish but you could never catch them i remember talking to some of the anglers that fished the lake how hard it was and no one could catch it also held some good roach well over the magic two pounds but no one seemed to catch them in any quantity.
A Berrington bream from years ago
A photo from years ago at Berringon using the ping pong balls for indercators and only one alarm
It really wet my appetite and myself and graham started to think seriously, about the place and how to catch the fish it held i think at the time it all boiled down to bait ground bait i watched other anglers i never once did we see them, bait up, so graham and myself set about baiting the place up using anything that was available at the time layers mash as a favorite also sausage rusk bread crumbs and maggots in those days graham would call at the maggot breeders and buy a big bucket full it did not cost much like today we started to put a bit of bait in on a regular basis a little bit often we did not even cut the swim until the night we fished but the baiting up defiantly worked i think without looking in the diary the first night we fished we caught over twenty fish they were only four or five pounds with the odd one going seven but a good fish for the sixties, we were the only anglers at the time allowed to night fish the place i don't think many in those days really did much night fishing it was a learning curve for us no bed-chairs only the old sun lounger with a bit of canvas and a blanket to keep the cold at bay, a light to see the doe bobbins which, in those days we used the little night light small candle in a jam jar it gave us plenty of light to see our bobbins, i would be a liar if i said we did not fall asleep you would it was quite a strain on your eyes watching the bobbins for hours but we caught we caught roach to over two pounds beautiful deep bodied fish i think most of the anglers that fished the place were pike anglers so really did not know what stamp of fish were in the lake it was quite deep with depths of over eighteen ft fishing straight from the bank, but we still managed to catch even at that deapth. It was years latter when myself and graham took the lease on and formed a syndicate which we had for many years it was called burycroft syndicate, as i have told you all before its where we fished with jack hilton and bill quinlon but that was in the seventies we did eventualy catch some real biggies from the lake it took a lot of hard work over the years but was well worth the trouble. well a bit more latter
It never ceases to amaze me and i have seen so often when a carp, angler catches a big bream and throws it back without even weighing the said fish when asked the answer is i don't like catching the slimy things i am after carp fair enough but i must be different i am grateful whatever fish graces my net if i am honest i have had as much fun catching bream as much as carp a few years ago i suppose i cut my teeth catching the big bronze bream i think it was the mid sixties when we first started fishing for them and that was on a small lake in the shrewsbury area at place called Berrington it was known then as heart break pool you would see the fish but you could never catch them i remember talking to some of the anglers that fished the lake how hard it was and no one could catch it also held some good roach well over the magic two pounds but no one seemed to catch them in any quantity.
A Berrington bream from years ago
A photo from years ago at Berringon using the ping pong balls for indercators and only one alarmIt really wet my appetite and myself and graham started to think seriously, about the place and how to catch the fish it held i think at the time it all boiled down to bait ground bait i watched other anglers i never once did we see them, bait up, so graham and myself set about baiting the place up using anything that was available at the time layers mash as a favorite also sausage rusk bread crumbs and maggots in those days graham would call at the maggot breeders and buy a big bucket full it did not cost much like today we started to put a bit of bait in on a regular basis a little bit often we did not even cut the swim until the night we fished but the baiting up defiantly worked i think without looking in the diary the first night we fished we caught over twenty fish they were only four or five pounds with the odd one going seven but a good fish for the sixties, we were the only anglers at the time allowed to night fish the place i don't think many in those days really did much night fishing it was a learning curve for us no bed-chairs only the old sun lounger with a bit of canvas and a blanket to keep the cold at bay, a light to see the doe bobbins which, in those days we used the little night light small candle in a jam jar it gave us plenty of light to see our bobbins, i would be a liar if i said we did not fall asleep you would it was quite a strain on your eyes watching the bobbins for hours but we caught we caught roach to over two pounds beautiful deep bodied fish i think most of the anglers that fished the place were pike anglers so really did not know what stamp of fish were in the lake it was quite deep with depths of over eighteen ft fishing straight from the bank, but we still managed to catch even at that deapth. It was years latter when myself and graham took the lease on and formed a syndicate which we had for many years it was called burycroft syndicate, as i have told you all before its where we fished with jack hilton and bill quinlon but that was in the seventies we did eventualy catch some real biggies from the lake it took a lot of hard work over the years but was well worth the trouble. well a bit more latter
In reply to Post #49
sorry i have not put any stories on but having trouble with my computer i have some one coming to lookat it latter thanks pete
sorry i have not put any stories on but having trouble with my computer i have some one coming to lookat it latter thanks pete
In reply to Post #50
In reply to Post #51
Well here we go again this is on my laptop still having pr obs with the desk top hopefully will get it repaired by tomorrow night its really the time of year to get the rods out and have ago at the carp i have always managed a session or two by now but with all the fish we lost in Shropshire due to the bad weather its really awkward finding any where to go i have always had lordys to fall back on but not any more a most beautiful fishery dead and gone all the carp had been in the lake for years as far back as i can remember no one fishing there but myself and who i invited it was heaven piece and quite no over crowding like you get on some waters and the wild life was amazing i don't know if it will be restocked as lordy does have a pond used for restocking i shall be going up to see the man soon to find out where we go from here the problem being the lake has a average depth of around five ft and last year it was near impossible to fish it was absolutely choker with weed in all the years i have fished there i have never seen it so bad and while the farmers keep spraying and using nitrates i cant see it getting any better when i was a young chap they grew clover and plowed it back into the fields and that was the only nitrate it had i think it has been banned in some countries and it should be here as it causes weed growth in most lakes and water courses.
When i was younger and fished the lakes in and around Shropshire you never had the problems with weed as you do today, the lakes did have weed but you would pull an area out with the old rake then bait it up the tench would go mad and loved to grub about on a freshly cleared spot we would float fish with maggot or bread on a well baited spot and would catch good bags of tench , 100 pounds was nothing we regularly caught big bags but we had always done our home work most were fish around four to five pounds but they were good sport on light gear i never used a line over four pounds BS for all my tench fishing and i have caught specimens to ten pounds using it, i suppose it was used for all our bream fishing as well we never used line over five pound bs and i have caught a number of double figure bream in my life time and have never lost one because the line broke maybe i have been lucky. well i have had a bad day today arthrities has been playing up so that will have to do for today hopfully a bit more tomorrow
A COUPLE FROM YEARS AGO
Well here we go again this is on my laptop still having pr obs with the desk top hopefully will get it repaired by tomorrow night its really the time of year to get the rods out and have ago at the carp i have always managed a session or two by now but with all the fish we lost in Shropshire due to the bad weather its really awkward finding any where to go i have always had lordys to fall back on but not any more a most beautiful fishery dead and gone all the carp had been in the lake for years as far back as i can remember no one fishing there but myself and who i invited it was heaven piece and quite no over crowding like you get on some waters and the wild life was amazing i don't know if it will be restocked as lordy does have a pond used for restocking i shall be going up to see the man soon to find out where we go from here the problem being the lake has a average depth of around five ft and last year it was near impossible to fish it was absolutely choker with weed in all the years i have fished there i have never seen it so bad and while the farmers keep spraying and using nitrates i cant see it getting any better when i was a young chap they grew clover and plowed it back into the fields and that was the only nitrate it had i think it has been banned in some countries and it should be here as it causes weed growth in most lakes and water courses.
When i was younger and fished the lakes in and around Shropshire you never had the problems with weed as you do today, the lakes did have weed but you would pull an area out with the old rake then bait it up the tench would go mad and loved to grub about on a freshly cleared spot we would float fish with maggot or bread on a well baited spot and would catch good bags of tench , 100 pounds was nothing we regularly caught big bags but we had always done our home work most were fish around four to five pounds but they were good sport on light gear i never used a line over four pounds BS for all my tench fishing and i have caught specimens to ten pounds using it, i suppose it was used for all our bream fishing as well we never used line over five pound bs and i have caught a number of double figure bream in my life time and have never lost one because the line broke maybe i have been lucky. well i have had a bad day today arthrities has been playing up so that will have to do for today hopfully a bit more tomorrow
A COUPLE FROM YEARS AGO
In reply to Post #52
I met an old friend this morning while out and about his name is mike and we fished together for a good number of years i well remember mike catching his first twenty he was over the moon he loved to stalk fish and caught a good many specimens with the old dog biscuit he had it down to fair art and would rather catch fish that way than sit on his chair waiting for the alarms to sound, the only time i saw him do that was when we were night fishing i well remember fishing with mike at a lake in south Shropshire i had set my rods up for the carp and was fishing through the holes in the big weed beds but mike had other ideas and decided he would fish with worm he caught some beautiful perch that night up to three pounds but he had the time of his life when it got dark catching some cracking eels he caught a good many over the four pounds mark with a couple which went to five pounds plus it really wet my appetite and the next night put out an extra rod for the eels and i caught i think the biggest was around four pounds but the perch really interested me and i was determined to get in the action i fished for the perch in the day and caught some really nice fish not huge but some approaching three pounds it was a wonderful lake and it held some really nice fish the average depth was no more than six ft, the carp were a bit harder to catch but i did manage a few up to twenty pounds.
SOME OF THE EELS FROM THE LAKE
A few years before it was fished by the carp study group and i saw some photos of fish caught in those days but i think the fish had either died, or had been removed years before, a friend took the lease and formed a syndicate yes there were still fish in the place but no huge , we managed to catch fish to twenty pounds but that was about it. Really it wanted restocking but it was far to far to keep an eye on the place, they did have fish poachers a few years before i became a member. it was eventually wound down and the syndicate finished a shame really as the lake could have been quite a good place with a bit of work put in and could have produced some good fish
another from the same lake
mike also fished with me at betton and a few other lakes around Shropshire's we caught some really good fish we also fished for the barbel and on one occasion caught thirty seven barbel in one session with fish going into double figures i am afraid to say those days have gone you don't seem to catch them like that any more as i have stated before to many predators otters and mink there is no control i don't know what it will be like in a few years from now but i feel we must get our act together and lobby parliament before its to late. A bite more latter
I met an old friend this morning while out and about his name is mike and we fished together for a good number of years i well remember mike catching his first twenty he was over the moon he loved to stalk fish and caught a good many specimens with the old dog biscuit he had it down to fair art and would rather catch fish that way than sit on his chair waiting for the alarms to sound, the only time i saw him do that was when we were night fishing i well remember fishing with mike at a lake in south Shropshire i had set my rods up for the carp and was fishing through the holes in the big weed beds but mike had other ideas and decided he would fish with worm he caught some beautiful perch that night up to three pounds but he had the time of his life when it got dark catching some cracking eels he caught a good many over the four pounds mark with a couple which went to five pounds plus it really wet my appetite and the next night put out an extra rod for the eels and i caught i think the biggest was around four pounds but the perch really interested me and i was determined to get in the action i fished for the perch in the day and caught some really nice fish not huge but some approaching three pounds it was a wonderful lake and it held some really nice fish the average depth was no more than six ft, the carp were a bit harder to catch but i did manage a few up to twenty pounds.
SOME OF THE EELS FROM THE LAKEA few years before it was fished by the carp study group and i saw some photos of fish caught in those days but i think the fish had either died, or had been removed years before, a friend took the lease and formed a syndicate yes there were still fish in the place but no huge , we managed to catch fish to twenty pounds but that was about it. Really it wanted restocking but it was far to far to keep an eye on the place, they did have fish poachers a few years before i became a member. it was eventually wound down and the syndicate finished a shame really as the lake could have been quite a good place with a bit of work put in and could have produced some good fish
another from the same lake
mike also fished with me at betton and a few other lakes around Shropshire's we caught some really good fish we also fished for the barbel and on one occasion caught thirty seven barbel in one session with fish going into double figures i am afraid to say those days have gone you don't seem to catch them like that any more as i have stated before to many predators otters and mink there is no control i don't know what it will be like in a few years from now but i feel we must get our act together and lobby parliament before its to late. A bite more latter
In reply to Post #53
morning pete , am still keeping an eye on your threads , always a good read about the old days , brings back many memories fishing with me dads old rod , built cane butt and middle sections wit h a greenheart tip ,weighed a ton in a ten year olds hands . LOL
morning pete , am still keeping an eye on your threads , always a good read about the old days , brings back many memories fishing with me dads old rod , built cane butt and middle sections wit h a greenheart tip ,weighed a ton in a ten year olds hands . LOL
In reply to Post #54
thanks harry appreciated
thanks harry appreciated
In reply to Post #55
Sitting out side in this beautiful weather i have been thinking about my life and the good things i have done walking in the hill country not a care in the world just myself graham and the dog the time we have sat between some bales left out by the farmer for us to make a hide and to keep us warm as we waited anticipating the duck to come and feed on the big stubble fields they would come in there hundreds and my old dog blaze would shake with excitement he knew he was there to pick the birds that we shot he was a good old dog and loved to be out with us, he has kept me warm on more than one occasion especially on a winters night when we have been crouching in some old ditch behind the hedge waiting for the geese to arrive it was moments like this that i appreciated the company of my old friend blaze, but alas he has now gone many years ago but he remains in my heart he has been one of many, but the best one i ever had was my old springer SAM alas he to has now gone he died from Weill's disease caused by drinking infected water from a puddle at the side of the road a most vile and terrible thing to catch but he was a wonderful dog he came fishing with me. he was my constant companion and he could catch a few him self when i was bailiff on a big trout fishery he would regularly bring trout up to the lodge in his mouth and they would be still alive i have seen him bring them back over four pounds he would stand in the water with his paw outstretched then in a flash his head would disappear under the water and out would come another trout he was quite well known for doing this he was a wonderful dog i have seen him stand up to his neck in water and catch the swan muscles when they moved he would spend hours with me in my view were never apart, when i had a fish on he would have preferred to land it himself he got that exited.
But he was really a supreme dog when it came to shooting he would never leave a wounded bird he had a brilliant nose i have seen him bring back geese that have been bigger than himself but one thing he hated was grey squirrels he got bitten by one when he was a youngster, i thought it might make him hard mouthed but it never did he would carry a egg around all day and never break the shell, i did not like him bringing hedge hogs into the house his tail would be going side to side as if to say look what i have got here, they could be full of fleas but that was the only fault he had i feel very privileged to have owned him and i have not had another dog since the day he died i don't think i could replace him he was one in a thousand. a bit more latter
Sitting out side in this beautiful weather i have been thinking about my life and the good things i have done walking in the hill country not a care in the world just myself graham and the dog the time we have sat between some bales left out by the farmer for us to make a hide and to keep us warm as we waited anticipating the duck to come and feed on the big stubble fields they would come in there hundreds and my old dog blaze would shake with excitement he knew he was there to pick the birds that we shot he was a good old dog and loved to be out with us, he has kept me warm on more than one occasion especially on a winters night when we have been crouching in some old ditch behind the hedge waiting for the geese to arrive it was moments like this that i appreciated the company of my old friend blaze, but alas he has now gone many years ago but he remains in my heart he has been one of many, but the best one i ever had was my old springer SAM alas he to has now gone he died from Weill's disease caused by drinking infected water from a puddle at the side of the road a most vile and terrible thing to catch but he was a wonderful dog he came fishing with me. he was my constant companion and he could catch a few him self when i was bailiff on a big trout fishery he would regularly bring trout up to the lodge in his mouth and they would be still alive i have seen him bring them back over four pounds he would stand in the water with his paw outstretched then in a flash his head would disappear under the water and out would come another trout he was quite well known for doing this he was a wonderful dog i have seen him stand up to his neck in water and catch the swan muscles when they moved he would spend hours with me in my view were never apart, when i had a fish on he would have preferred to land it himself he got that exited.
But he was really a supreme dog when it came to shooting he would never leave a wounded bird he had a brilliant nose i have seen him bring back geese that have been bigger than himself but one thing he hated was grey squirrels he got bitten by one when he was a youngster, i thought it might make him hard mouthed but it never did he would carry a egg around all day and never break the shell, i did not like him bringing hedge hogs into the house his tail would be going side to side as if to say look what i have got here, they could be full of fleas but that was the only fault he had i feel very privileged to have owned him and i have not had another dog since the day he died i don't think i could replace him he was one in a thousand. a bit more latter
In reply to Post #56
As i stood beside the old style i heard the unmistakable call of the hunting horn in the distance the cry of the hounds poor old foxy was being hunted again but as yet they were fields away but if i waited they would come my way. Old foxy had traveled this way many times he had learned this way years before when only a youngster he was only five years old now he had been hunted before many times and always got away, some say he liked the chase but i fear not his heart would pump away, what a majestic animal he is i just hope this not his last day, in the distance i see a flash of red and then hear the dogs they are in full cry poor old Renard had tried, all things to hide his scent but it was no good today in the distance i can now see the hunters on there horses all dressed in red and black but they were still fields away the hound were well in front the horn blew once again to keep the dogs in check but it was no good they were on the scent and on and on they came and then from no where he appears and stops and looks to where i stand a most beautiful dog in his coat of rustic red he had only one way to go through the fence where i stand he has ran this way many times i stand well back and let him go away he goes through the water course he makes for the old ivy tree where he has hidden many times before. I turn my head to face the style just as the dogs arrive i just hope my scent has put them off they cast around the ground sniffing here and there and then the huntsmen comes have you seen the fox sir no says i he never came this way he gave me a funny look and was on his way, along the water course they did go the dogs sniffed here they sniffed there but no scent did they find they stood below the old ivy tree are you sure you never saw him sir no says i, as i look up in the tree i see his little nose as it pockes from beneath the ivy leaves i smile to myself and i will not tell them where he is , the hunts man blows his horn i stand and watch them go across the fields, i look up in the tree once more, i know this fox quite well its not the first time his been up this tree he knows it quite well, i walk away and leave him to rest in piece but before i go i wish him well and say you and i will meet another day but i could not kill this lovely beast and he always got away a true story from the 1970. well a bit more latter
As i stood beside the old style i heard the unmistakable call of the hunting horn in the distance the cry of the hounds poor old foxy was being hunted again but as yet they were fields away but if i waited they would come my way. Old foxy had traveled this way many times he had learned this way years before when only a youngster he was only five years old now he had been hunted before many times and always got away, some say he liked the chase but i fear not his heart would pump away, what a majestic animal he is i just hope this not his last day, in the distance i see a flash of red and then hear the dogs they are in full cry poor old Renard had tried, all things to hide his scent but it was no good today in the distance i can now see the hunters on there horses all dressed in red and black but they were still fields away the hound were well in front the horn blew once again to keep the dogs in check but it was no good they were on the scent and on and on they came and then from no where he appears and stops and looks to where i stand a most beautiful dog in his coat of rustic red he had only one way to go through the fence where i stand he has ran this way many times i stand well back and let him go away he goes through the water course he makes for the old ivy tree where he has hidden many times before. I turn my head to face the style just as the dogs arrive i just hope my scent has put them off they cast around the ground sniffing here and there and then the huntsmen comes have you seen the fox sir no says i he never came this way he gave me a funny look and was on his way, along the water course they did go the dogs sniffed here they sniffed there but no scent did they find they stood below the old ivy tree are you sure you never saw him sir no says i, as i look up in the tree i see his little nose as it pockes from beneath the ivy leaves i smile to myself and i will not tell them where he is , the hunts man blows his horn i stand and watch them go across the fields, i look up in the tree once more, i know this fox quite well its not the first time his been up this tree he knows it quite well, i walk away and leave him to rest in piece but before i go i wish him well and say you and i will meet another day but i could not kill this lovely beast and he always got away a true story from the 1970. well a bit more latter
In reply to Post #57
As i walk the old brook rod in hand the sand martins skim over the water taking the small flies and such then dart back to the nest in the river bank they have nested here for generations there grand parents and parents they come back every year to this little brook that wanders through the fields of Shropshire's, i stop and listen to the robin his sweet voice ringing out from deep in the wood as i wander down the bank side the young rabbits scamper for the safety of the wood i look up into the canopy of the tree tops and listen to the ka ka ,of the rookies there are hundreds in this old rookery they have bred here for as long as i can remember and long before i was born as i look i see the unmistakable head of a heron sitting on her nest there are a few pairs that nest within the rookery and seem to tolerate one another nature is so wonderful, i cast my line and watch as the fly disappears with a splash sending up a spray of foam that glistens in the sunlight, i stand in the water and play the fish to the waiting net he lies on his side a beautiful golden colour spotted down both flanks i will not kill this fish i pick him up and stare in wonder at his beauty before gently returning him to his home beneath the glistening water to grow perhaps i will hook him another day as i walk further down i hear the call of the geese as the pass over head there is only a pair both grey lags maybe looking for some where to nest.
The brook as it flowed through the wood
Standing on the bridge where the kingfisher had her nest
i cast my line once more and watch the fly trundle down under the far bank there is a splash i miss so try i once again as it approaches the same spot its away and i am connected to a good fish god does he fight on light tackle i play him to the side and look within the folds of the net it is a big old chub i did not weight him but gently let him go he would be around three pounds and gave me quite a scrape. As i follow the mendering course of the brook i see the vibrant blue of the king fisher as he dives for the minnows i lie prone on the bank and watch from a safe distance i notice him going back to the river bridge it looks as if she has her nest tucked inside a hole in the stone work of this ancient bridge out she comes again perching above the moving waters i watch her dive again and reappear with a minnow in her beak and disappear back to the bridge i wander if she has young i will not disturb her by having a look but wander on and leave her in piece, i hear a bark and stop instantly it is the vixen calling her young she must be in the old wood the far side of the brook she has reared her cubs once or twice before in the old rabbit holes that adorn the sandy soil, i creep on down on all fours and lie in the tall grass watching from my side i see movement and watch in wonder as four cubs appear and start to play they roll down the bank beside the old wood no fear at all, i hear the vixen give a sharp bark and the cubs vanish from sight why i wonder she could not have seen or smelled me, then i see the young lady on her pony i walk on and leave them in piece but i will be back and watch them another day by this time the sun is high in the sky i sit by the old style and light my pipe what a way to spend a morning. Now i am old i think back i really miss that way of life my legs no longer want to work and my back aches like hell but what a wonderful time i did have all those years ago this is a true account some time in the late seventies. well a bit more latter
As i walk the old brook rod in hand the sand martins skim over the water taking the small flies and such then dart back to the nest in the river bank they have nested here for generations there grand parents and parents they come back every year to this little brook that wanders through the fields of Shropshire's, i stop and listen to the robin his sweet voice ringing out from deep in the wood as i wander down the bank side the young rabbits scamper for the safety of the wood i look up into the canopy of the tree tops and listen to the ka ka ,of the rookies there are hundreds in this old rookery they have bred here for as long as i can remember and long before i was born as i look i see the unmistakable head of a heron sitting on her nest there are a few pairs that nest within the rookery and seem to tolerate one another nature is so wonderful, i cast my line and watch as the fly disappears with a splash sending up a spray of foam that glistens in the sunlight, i stand in the water and play the fish to the waiting net he lies on his side a beautiful golden colour spotted down both flanks i will not kill this fish i pick him up and stare in wonder at his beauty before gently returning him to his home beneath the glistening water to grow perhaps i will hook him another day as i walk further down i hear the call of the geese as the pass over head there is only a pair both grey lags maybe looking for some where to nest.
The brook as it flowed through the wood
Standing on the bridge where the kingfisher had her nesti cast my line once more and watch the fly trundle down under the far bank there is a splash i miss so try i once again as it approaches the same spot its away and i am connected to a good fish god does he fight on light tackle i play him to the side and look within the folds of the net it is a big old chub i did not weight him but gently let him go he would be around three pounds and gave me quite a scrape. As i follow the mendering course of the brook i see the vibrant blue of the king fisher as he dives for the minnows i lie prone on the bank and watch from a safe distance i notice him going back to the river bridge it looks as if she has her nest tucked inside a hole in the stone work of this ancient bridge out she comes again perching above the moving waters i watch her dive again and reappear with a minnow in her beak and disappear back to the bridge i wander if she has young i will not disturb her by having a look but wander on and leave her in piece, i hear a bark and stop instantly it is the vixen calling her young she must be in the old wood the far side of the brook she has reared her cubs once or twice before in the old rabbit holes that adorn the sandy soil, i creep on down on all fours and lie in the tall grass watching from my side i see movement and watch in wonder as four cubs appear and start to play they roll down the bank beside the old wood no fear at all, i hear the vixen give a sharp bark and the cubs vanish from sight why i wonder she could not have seen or smelled me, then i see the young lady on her pony i walk on and leave them in piece but i will be back and watch them another day by this time the sun is high in the sky i sit by the old style and light my pipe what a way to spend a morning. Now i am old i think back i really miss that way of life my legs no longer want to work and my back aches like hell but what a wonderful time i did have all those years ago this is a true account some time in the late seventies. well a bit more latter