freeline102 - Flipbook - Page 229
SI LLEWELLYN
o n me as I took in the atm o s p h ere , t he re wa s o n ly o n e t h i n g
fo r it – k ettle on, lad!
The fish continued to sh ow t he m se lve s ove r th e n ex t c o u p l e
o f hours as I watched them wi t h a b re w o r two b e fo re I n o t i ce d
a van approaching up the t ra ck . I t tu r n e d o u t to b e n o n e o t h e r
t h an Gaz – happy d ays. He c am e ove r a n d s a t w i t h m e fo r a
while. I informed him that th e f i s h we re i n t h e area a n d t h ey
l o oked well up for it , so h e d ec i d e d to p i tc h u p a c o u p l e o f
swims down the bank. A fte r se t ti n g u p h e wa s s o o n st ro l l i n g
i n to my swim with a nice co ld c a n o f Ste ll a fo r my c o n s u m p t i o n .
I was happy to oblige, for m ed i c i n a l p u r p o s e s o f co u rs e (c o u gh ,
c o ugh!). Life couldn’t have b ee n swe ete r at t h a t m om e n t fo r
m e – a good friend, a cold b ee r a n d c a r p fo r c o m p a ny. To a d d
to this enjoyment , my old ma n d e c i d ed to t u r n u p a n d d ra i n
my tea supplies accompan i e d by a n o th e r f urr y c h u m of m i n e ,
o u r elderly but lively Dob e rm an , Cl eo . Cl eo wa s my m u m a n d
d a d’s dog really, but she u s ed to love c o m i n g to t he l a ke w i t h
m e, and I’d have taken her m o re i f n o t fo r o l d a g e a n d b a d l e g s
( t he dog’s, not mine, I sho ul d a d d) .
Whilst we were all sat th e re i n t h e s un q u i e t ly c h at t i n g ,
a ticking noise began to i n te rr u p t o u r me r ri m e n t . It to o k a
s e cond before the penny dro p p ed … ‘ T h a t’ s my ro d ! ’ Th e b o t to m
b a it that I ’d placed on the c le a r a re a to t he r i gh t o f t h e b ay
was fizzing off. I was in, b u t t he a la r m h a d fa i l e d to re g i s te r
t h e bite! ‘F****** Delkims ! ’ I m ut te re d un d e r my b re a t h , b u t
i t mattered not a jot; I was i n to a ca rp ! A f te r a s p i ri te d b a t t l e ,
which involved the fish ta k i n g o u t my o t h e r ro d , we s o o n h a d
t h e little blighter in the ne t . Wh a t co ul d i t b e ? M y mi n d b e ga n
to race! Was it the big L in I ’d s e en ea rl i er ? Wa s it t h e my t h i c a l
m onster I’d heard tales o f ? N o … n o , i t wa sn’ t ! I t t u rn ed o u t
FR E E LINE 10 7
