I spent some time in a secure unit when I was 20. Actually, ‘secure unit’ is being generous – it was a Mental Hospital, dating back to the First World War and since bulldozed and developed (for housing, obviously – nobody gets mentally ill anymore). ‘It’s nothing like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ theyContinue reading “Institutionalisation”
Tag Archives: Perch
Curled up
January. A thick head and heavy limbs. Uncomfortably numb. Comfort comes in sleep. A gentle drift into dreams. They aren’t always pleasant, and many are bizarre and untouchable, but my subconscious is kinder to me now than my conscious. No guilt for not doing, for spending too long in bed. For not being gratefulContinue reading “Curled up”
Reality
I have come to realise that I do not much enjoy living in ‘interesting times’. If that is indeed what we can call the now. We are certainly living in a time of confusion. And mess. Working twice as long for half as much, and then waking to discover that yesterday we hadn’t even beenContinue reading “Reality”
Off-line
It’s been a peculiar 10 days or so. Having become conditioned over the past fifteen years or so to a life online, a cow with an interesting appetite has thrown our routine into a vague chaos. A fallen tree had brought down the telephone cables a mile or so down the valley, breaking a telegraphContinue reading “Off-line”
Time to see..
I wake up each year on March 15th with a clear minded sense of relief. After the intensity of the final throes of the fishing season, comes the reality that I can’t go fishing even if I want to (I could, of course, but kid myself that the exile isn’t partly self-imposed). Instead I canContinue reading “Time to see..”
Too much…
Had the coarse fishing season ended a week ago, then I really wouldn’t have minded. Having book-ended the weekend with trips to a new stretch of canal, I found myself in such a contented state that the standard late season urge had all but gone. Friday had been damp, especially in the morning, but weContinue reading “Too much…”
October
Gosh it’s been dry. Aside from the dew, which frosted last week, we haven’t had significant rainfall for weeks. Then, last night it finally came, and today has remained damp and dank – just as a Monday should be. The rain has probably come a little late for the mushrooms. Normally by now, every jarContinue reading “October”
Busy Busy
I like to reflect at the end of the fishing season, and enjoy a mildly indulgent reminisce. I don’t diary my catches and nor do I keep tallies of the fish I have taken, so it can be pleasantly surprising to look back and remind myself of some of the finer moments. This spring hasContinue reading “Busy Busy”
Gudgeon
Gudgeon are a dreadful distraction. There I was, happily inching a float along the far bank, a couple of worms on a size 6 hook, when a shout came from further upstream. Garry had caught himself a gudgeon – and almost immediately, Chris was reeling in to tie on a size 14 in order toContinue reading “Gudgeon”
Sunshine perching
The final week of the season is my favourite time to be on the bank. The fish are at their fittest, the days stretching and time, suddenly, is so precious. Perch are the usual winter fare but with our normal river haunts out of sorts, my friend Chris and I were struggling to find aContinue reading “Sunshine perching”
Kevin Parr 