Now there’s an interesting thought !


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10. 2001 Space Odyssey


12.


The One That Got Away. By Janet Stansfield. I guess it had to happen…it’s that time of year again - dark, dismal wet and frosty mornings….freezing rain lashing down sideways with the impact of hypodermic needles, assailing faces and any other unprotected body parts…frozen fingers, noses and tosies….wind whipping the leaves off the trees to leave them in a sodden and slippy mess ready to trap the unwary….need I go on? So what do we do in my local angling club? Yes, you got it…we organise a work party! I was duly summoned the night before by a phone call from the Club Secretary, asking what time he was picking me up? Yer wot? I know I’d had a glass or two of wine the previous night, but I didn’t recall arranging a fishing trip? Besides, I was maggotless! (unless you count the ones that are hidden under the bench in the back garden, waiting for me to summon up the nerve to open up the bait box and wash it!) Suddenly and inevitably, the penny dropped. Oh well, nothing for it but to dive into the depths and retrieve my cold weather gear. First requirement – two pairs of tights. Much more flattering than thermals, particularly if you intend to get run over by a bus on the way home…remember what your granny told you about checking your underwear, just in case? My woolly hat had long since been purloined (and never replaced) by my son, so the Tilley hat was the order of the day. Waterproof, windproof, sunproof and comes with a lifetime guarantee, even if it gets eaten by elephants (despite popular folklore, they are becoming increasingly common in Padiham…) Luckily it wasn’t too early a start, so after a walk in the woods along Grove Lane to empty Max, the dotty rotty, we headed up to Kingfisher, our club lake. It was good to see that there were already quite a few members there, despite the rather wet and gloomy conditions. Being a small club of only around sixty members, it was gratifying to see that a third of them turned out on such a miserable day, all willing and ready to be bossed around by Alan...he who must be obeyed…and the one who will NEVER be forgiven for making me put all my fish back before the weigh-in at our last match! Due to a recurring back problem, there wasn’t much I could do in the way of physical work, except a bit of fetching and carrying, so I delegated myself as the official Work Party photographer and proceeded to document the goings-on. My contribution was to come at the end of the day, once everyone had heading home, when I fettled the cabin. What is it with men? Do they think there’s a magic fairy who comes along and cleans cookers and windows when nobody’s looking? Look guys, we actually have a VIEW out of the cabin now! The most important job of the day was to put the lines up to deter the goosanders on their annual winter fish-fest. Nothing very technical – just lines with carrier bags attached, strung across the lake. They do look rather unsightly, and prove a float magnet to Roy, but they do the job. Own up the pillock who forgot to puncture the carrier bag! As we didn’t have the use of the boat, Ashley was unceremoniously shoved into some chest-high waders and sent into the water to carry the lines round. He was very cocky about it, posing for the camera….until he lost his balance! That wiped the smile off his face! Unfortunately he didn’t actually go in, but it was touch and go. One member did actually get a soaking, but I only witnessed the aftermath with the wet waders. Pah! Last year three of them got wet! A couple of the pegs were given temporary repairs until the main work party next year, but almost all the pegs were treated to some new non-slip rubberised matting that Alan had managed to secure at a bargain price – so much better than chicken wire. Sue proved very handy with a hammer, and it was good to see another female for a change! Although she doesn’t fish the lake, and isn’t even a member, she’d accompanied her partner Craig, and did a fantastic job, although one member expressed concern that Craig was trusting enough to hold the nail whilst she wielded the hammer! Did I tell you this lot were a bunch of chauvinists? There was a lot of work done to the path at the back of my favourite peg, where the banking was slipping due to the constant rain. The bank was dug out and sloped back, then faced with large paving stones. It was a hard and heavy job, and involved a lot of effort, but at the end of the day the lads can be proud of a good job. It looks a little bit bare at the moment, but come the spring, when the bushes and greenery burst back into life, it will blend in nicely, and it will also keep the path clear for our disabled and wheelchair users. Talking of spring, I did manage just a little bit of physical effort. I’d bought a sack of daffodil bulbs, so myself and Ernie wandered round and planted them in strategic positions. He dug, and I popped the bulbs in. I can’t wait to see them when they burst into life next year. With all the work we’ve done recently, I’d estimate that more than 75% of the lake is now fully accessible to wheelchair users and pegs that were previously unusable for our disabled members are now open to them – and all the work has been done by volunteers!


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