freeline102 - Flipbook - Page 240
SI LLEWELLYN
m onth, the weather and th e ca r p g o d s s mi l ed u p o n m e . I t wa s
a midweek evening, and I wa s s q u e ez i n g i n a n ove rn igh te r. Yo u
k n ow what it’s like at that ti m e o f ye ar hav i ng to p a c k u p i n t h e
c o ld, dark hours of the mo r n i n g j u st s o yo u c a n g e t b a c k to t h e
d readed work and receive b i t s o f p a p e r to live . I ’ d h a d a b i t o f
a touch and managed to g e t o f f wo rk ea rly, s o a fe w h o u rs o f
d aylight allowed me to get ab o u t t h e l ake a n d h u n t my qu a rr y.
A s I say, the carp gods we re i n d e e d s mi l i n g o n me t h i s ti m e
a n d put on a show for me t ha t h ad to be s e e n to b e b e l i eve d .
O ne after another they bre ac h e d th e c a lm s u rfa c e , t h row i n g
t h emselves towards the dra b s ky t i me a n d ti m e a ga i n !
I hurriedly got the gear in to t h e n e a re st sw i m fa c i n g t h e m a n d
bodged together three septic looking choddies, hands trembling
o n ce more (don’t you just l ove t h at b uz z ! ) . A fe w pu b c h u c ks
a n d a scat tering of boilie s l ate r, I wa s o n c e m o re e n s c o n c e d
i n a little hidey-hole back i n g o n to t he d u al c a r ri a g e way s i d e
o f the lake. The noise was e n d le s s an d m o re i rri t a t i n g t h a n a
whinging Liverpool fan. Jus t as i t wa s b eg i n n i n g to g e t d a rk , my
te a drinking routine was r u d e ly i n te rr u p te d by th e s h r i l l to n e
o f my right-hand Nevi lle ( Ye ss , I f i n al ly b i n n e d t h e D el k i m s ! ).
I won’t bore you with the d e t ai l s o f m e p lay i n g t h e f i s h , as
I ’ m sure you have heard it a ll b e fo re , b ut i t wa s p re t t y m u c h
s t andard procedure. I can te ll yo u th o u gh , t h a t b e a u t i f u l c a rp
ly i ng in the folds of my ne t wa s n o t h i n g s ho rt o f b re a t h t a k i n g ,
q u ite clearly standard for th i s p l a ce , a n d M o t h e r N a t u re re a l ly
d o es know how to craft be au t y. T h e c rowd s o f p a s s e rs by an d
d o g walkers began to mou n t u p i n my sw i m a s G a z wa s o n c e
m ore on hand to do the ho no ur s w i th t he c am e ra a s he s n a p p e d
away at another dark half li n e a r, h e r s c a le s gl i s ten i n g a t t h e
b u rsts of l ight from the fla s h. It wa s ove r a ll to o s o o n , as s h e
FREELINE 118
