Get some reading done buh

Christmas reading list.

Wivenhoe Boho gardening man

This is the first one I've opened. Welsh wizard

Norfolk gold

Not the Darling buds of May

And this one for on the pot. How many times have you seen the title changed to describe what's actually in the covers! Definitely not Traditional Fishing Forum stuff.

Shortest day

Today was the shortest day.. cold, windy but dry and on the spur of the moment I dropped in at Mayton Bridge more to just get out  than any serious attempt  to be honest and the scorer was never bothered once. Various clamouring swirls of rooks heading off to their roosts  below Oxnead and a fleeting flash of a hedge hopping sparrowhawk. No signal claws/carapaces on the bank.

Sun well  down as early as 2.30 today. A reminder of less than 3 months of river fishing left.  Still need a couple of good purges to move some of the strong weed growth.

Getting closer

Chub time draweth nearer

Last knockings

Saw this old boy yesterday afternoon on the Bure at Coltishall. Hemp, punched bread. Reasonable bag of roach. Fish topping everywhere. I am lergified, little prospect of fishing this weekend now.

The view from Bureboy Villas

Not a bad start to the morning. Two good frosts in a row. Rods out this weekend?

History man

Off to Chichester on Sunday/Monday for Penultimate Bureboy's graduation ceremony . Missed the autumn colour on the Sussex Downs on the way down due to clock change but Monday  was a glorious late autumn day.

A moving ceremony finished off in true style with Jerusalem.  Put simply it is England's National Anthem. No debate. Tears and bursting pride obligatory

Stuart Lee always seem to photo bomb these occasions...

Did get a few frames off whilst walking off the Wetherspoon's finest grease feast. I seem to have a
thing for windows and reflections in at present

 It's Chichester, not Chesterfield....

This is a Lowry

Icons I guess.

Into the light

Saturday and instead of Cuckoo Farm the venue was Essex Uni for a first stop on the Uni taster day circuit for middle Bureboy, Geo Man. The brutalist concrete late sixties feel has been built on a  bit now but the iconic towers still stand, and still sway just a little in a big wind. Rayleigh, Tawney, William Morris et al. The SU bar has changed a bit, and Abbot is no longer 33p a pint. Just had to relive all misty eyed the Iggy Pop gig, and me and Dave Nurse having a pint with John Peel when Misty in Roots blew us out. The stage was not pitted off, and we would cram to the front of the stage, which was at about waist height and jump on the stage at the end to nick the set lists. or stand almost in the huge bass bins. Whistling ears for days.

Tour done and after a busted handbrake cable took Geo Man for further nostalgic wallow on the front  at Wivenhoe, in the glorious low, pre-clock change afternoon light.

Cook's Jetty and yuppy flats. Rowhedge  in the distance

Navigation marker, tidal barrier

Looking down the Colne

 Ballast Quay

Still a working port despite the boho invasion

Up into West and Alma Streets and poking my nose into some windows. Treasure within.

  This is the money shot......

 Bookish and proud.

Slightly less revealed here.

Down the hill and on to the front again. Hauled out for the winter

Rose and Crown to the right. Awful Southwold, weak post mix coke. As the Essex Scribbler later said: It's a dreadful pub in a great position. Go to the Black Buoy, miles better. Greyhound is alright too. 

Back to check the Bureboy waggon hadn't rolled handbrake-less into the Colne. More widow snooping.

And a very pumpkin like buoy, complete with artisinal barnacles..

Chichester tomorrow for History Man Hen's Graduation pre-loading

For fecks sake

I fled the Wensum on the last day of last season, haunted by the clacking of  red and blue claws to the safety and security of the Bure. No crays on there.

Fast forward to today. Unexpected pass out and with two hours to kill thought I'd see if the recent rain had freshened up the river. The poplars have shed their leaves already

Given the short time available concentrated on the stretch below the Iron bridge. Starting to wear it's autumn clothes.

Couple of sharp pulls on the tip  and when the run failed to develop reeled in to find I had a comedy cartoon sardine on the trace.

And in the grass several otter left-overs.

Oh bother. The otter's larder has increased though and I guess the chub will wax even fatter on this high protein bounty .I recall Essex Scribblers March  14th remedy, pop ups and paternosters. Trouble is in 18-24 inches of water if I can see the bait popped up and no pike in sight confidence will wane. And I do hope the crays don't like cheese ... Looks quite nice just now.

Pea green soup

The weather portends were dire for today's planned foray along the A14 today to an undisclosed East Midlands stillwater so Plan B was  hatched. A National Trust Estate not to far from Bureboy Villas .

Perhaps they looked at Wikepedia for their reasoning behind the hoary old 1st October chestnut?

Arriving on the dam wall  under a rheumy sun and the calm before the eastward bound wet, kicking off already in Devil Dog  Land according to The Essex Scribbler. Srtriking green algae bloom.

Several sharp knocks on the long rage joey before a flat spot in the waves  as the bait was picked up properly by a crocodillian fish of about 5lbs length but not weight, a fish that previously been treated to a good scuffing on the bank.

Speaking of chestnuts...

Bivvy boy into a very nice common

And the view from my brolly

Took advantage from a break in the rain for a move to the long bank, and then back under the brolly again., disturbed by this little fella on an oily sardine....

now that is a flat spot

Ended up loaning my net to the bivvy boy's mucker as he already had a big fish in the net.

The fish rolling over the net went 28+

And the "smaller" one looked like this.

They has 6 between them on a water that is maybe a fish a year they said, at least 3 gorgeously coloured commons over 20

And home in time for tea. And wet smelly stuff all over the "study" (would have been wetter without a brolly, don't usually take it if I am on the river and moving about).