I slept well; I would have slept longer had Fudge not
started barking for no reason shortly before seven o’clock. I got up and was
disappointed to see the cars outside weren’t covered in ice; we’d decided
against a day’s fishing today as the forecast said it was going to be cold.
Over brekkie I was pleasantly surprised to see that between
Facebook and other messaging apps I’d had a hundred and fifty birthday wishes
yesterday. That’s quite a lot. Someone with whom I used to spend a lot of time
made an announcement that they were leaving Facebook earlier in the week. Such
a shame. The platform might not be perfect, but it keeps me in touch with so
many people so easily. That’s one less person from whom I will ever hear again.
Other than birthday wishes there wasn’t an awful lot
happening on social media which was a shame. Mind you I had a wry smile at
something I saw on one of the work-related groups I follow. Someone had seen
something odd down his microscope and asked the world what it was. Now I’m no
expert but I recognise a megakaryocyte fragment when I see one. I thought
everyone would, but reading the postings on the subject it was clear that few
on that group did. Why would anyone sign up to a blood science related group
and not know what they were looking at? But then isn’t this social media all
over? Blood-testing, geocaching, kite-flying, trekkie-ing, snake-keeping,
fishing… the most vocal people on social media about any given topic seem to be
those with the least practical experience in that topic. It seems that these
days one takes up a hobby not so much to do it as to argue about it on social
media.
I had an email from LinkedIn telling me that it was never
too late to change career. Perhaps it isn’t, but doing so is a major upheaval.
Bearing in mind that my original life plan had me retiring in only three and a
half years (ain’t happening now!!), I
might have left a major change just a little late.
I walked the dogs round the park. Our walk was relatively
uneventful for once. We met a chap with a dog which looked just like a furrier
version of my Fudge. This chap was adamant that his dog had no dachshund or
Jack Russell in his heritage, but was a cross between a cocker spaniel and
springer spaniel. When I remarked that Treacle was half cocker the chap told me
I’d got that wrong. Perhaps dog breed recognition isn’t his strong suit?
With the dogs settled I drove round to collect "My
Boy TM" and we went on a little road trip. We emptied a car
full of his rubbish at the tip, then rather than going fishing we went to check
out some lakes about which we’d heard good reports with a view to future
fishing trips.
Our first stop was Hawkhurst Fish Farm. The place’s website
describes it as “one of the most
beautiful fisheries in Kent and Sussex”. Well… it ain’t. For me a large
part of the pleasure of fishing is the surroundings; the scenery. There are several
lakes at Hawkhurst fishery. Together they look as though several huge holes
have been scooped out of the ground and filled with water. There is no
surroundings or scenery. The place is ugly.
We then went eight miles up the road to Biddenden to have a
look at Greenacres Farm Fishery. Now that place has
the potential to be rather pretty. At the moment it was rather muddy and
swampy, but what can you expect by a pond in February. We’ll probably have a go
there in the summer. But we were both put off by the half-dozen huge notice
boards outlining the rules of the place. Don’t do this. Don’t do that. I
suppose some rules are needed, but it isn’t so much having the rules as how you
shove them down people’s throats that matters.
Sam’s Lakes in Smarden was next on our list of places to visit. We
rather liked what we saw, and as we walked round the top lake we met a chap in
a row-boat who was tidying the lake up. We got chatting, and from what we heard
we decided that regardless of how cold it might be, we’d have a day’s fishing
tomorrow.
Having just found a geocache as we drove back toward
Ashford I suddenly found a car on the wrong side of the road coming head-on at
me. It was driven by some halitosis-ridden thug employed by Len Webster Caravans who ordered me off of
the road so that a rather huge caravan could get past. I suppose the thug had a
point; by driving my car onto the lay-by I avoided getting it smashed up by the
caravan which was going far too fast down a rather narrow lane. But it isn’t so
much ordering people off the road, but how arrogantly you do it and how much
your breath stinks to high heaven when you are doing it that causes the offence.
We drove to McDonalds for a spot of McLunch. Much as I
really did like the meal in the Beefeater yesterday, we went in McDonalds, were
served, eaten and out quicker than it took the Beefeater to come up with the
meals yesterday. And at less than half the price too.
As it was just down the road we stopped off at Angling
Direct where I spent my birthday voucher on fingerless fishing gloves, and we
got some supplies for tomorrow.
I
dropped "My Boy TM" home, then came home myself. I
loaded up my tackle for tomorrow. Some of it looks chewed. Have we got mice in
the shed again? And then (at Fudge’s
insistence) I took the dogs round the park again. Treacle wouldn’t mind if
we didn’t go out at all, but Fudge shouts and hollers if we don’t go walkies at
least twice every day.
We
went the long way round the park. There was a minor altercation when Fudge was
straggling. I sent Treacle to go fetch the errant hound, but a passing normal
person took umbrage. He thought my “Get
him Treacle!” was an instruction for Treacle to attack him rather than to
fetch Fudge.
Just
as we were about to leave the park we met Rolo. Cheryl and "My Boy TM"
were just round the corner with Rolo when he had heard us. Apparently his ears
pricked up when he heard me shouting to my dogs, and when I called them by name
he shot off to find us.
I
had planned to fart about in the garden doing all the stuff I hadn’t done on
Monday (to say nothing of doing something
with two planters I’d stopped "My
Boy TM" chucking in the tip) but by the time I got
home it was four o’clock. So instead I drank coffee and ate cake and watched “The Crown” on Netflix whilst the dogs
sat on the back of the sofa and barked at shadows.
"er indoors TM" came home and
made a rather good bit of dinner, We scoffed it whist watching the Peanuts movie on
Netflix. It was rather good…
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