Morning All!

It's my favourite time of year. Autumn!

The mornings are crisp and cool, but not yet cold, and the trees are just starting turn. All coarse fish species are heading into a last feeding frenzy to help see them through the winter, but it's October and that inevitably makes me think about Predators.

Catch reports are pointing to our bigger Perch making a reappearance, but this year I'm keen to have a go at a style of fishing I'd never tried before... Piking!

Luckily a friend of the family is an excellent and keen Pike angler, who kindly agreed to take me along for my first session on Saturday morning.

(Pike are a predatory fish armed with impressive teeth, gill rakes and athleticism,  they require specialist equipment and skills to not just catch but more importantly unhook and return them to the water safe and healthy. I cannot stress enough just how important it is to venture into Piking with an experienced angler beside you to help and keep both you and your catch happy at the end of the day)

We set out about 8am and headed over to the back of Lonsdale, to the edge of "Dead man's corner" where I know a huge hen fish of 28lb 8oz had been caught not once but twice already this season. 

I wasn't too keen to be introduced such a grand lady of an esox my first trip out, but I knew Richard would love to meet her! 

(I'd brought along Dad's massive carp unhooking mat, and another smaller one to give us plenty of room - just in case!)

We settled on deadbaiting using some frozen Roach and Mackerel that we sell in the shop, and threw in a few chopped up sections as free offerings and added interest.

I settled on the rods off to the left - away from the stately home of the fish I was thinking of as Lady of the Manor, looking for a more gentle introduction among smaller Jacks.

I didn't have to wait for long!

There you have it my first ever Pike!

As soon as I struck the bite I couldn't believe the believe the fight - I could tell he wasn't a big fish, but he used every lean muscle to resist. As Richard slipped the net under him I felt myself breath out - I'd unconsciously held my breath throughout the fight!

Richard quickly and calmly demonstrated the proper technique for unhooking, and we had used single hooks to make it easier.

Wary that he'd put his all into the fight I slipped the little Jack into the water and held him steady for a few moments until he decided firmly he'd had enough of my company. Champion!

Over the next 40 minutes I had two bites, but missed them both! One snapped my trace, and the other was undeniably a poor hit on the bite. 

A little over an hour after my first fish, I struck a gentle inquiry (it turns out sometimes Pike eat a deadbait insitu so you have to be set up for this) and found myself with a bigger opponent.

This fish was much more aggressive that the little Jack, and even tried to tail walk. 

Richard helped me with the net and again demonstrated handling (this one was a little trickier to unhook) For our super speedy photo I couldn't quite get over the densly packed weight of the fish - or the fact that it was quite a bit longer than my torso! 

After a minute and half of nursing in the water, admiring the beautiful camouflage patterns up close as the sun filtered through the top two inches of sunlight, I said good bye to my second Pike.

A short while later Matt (Amy's boyfriend) appeared, keen to learn what he could about Piking in 20 minutes. After a decent bite, Richard kindly handed the fight to Matt, who landed a cracking fish - the colours really popped!

All the time Richard's baits sat in prime position, awaiting "The Lady" to no avail.
She must have been unimpressed with the uncouth company he had brought!

In the end his patience was rewarded with one of the biggest eel's I have personally ever seen:

More impressive was the way Richard lulled it into a torpor (something I'd never seen done) and then unhooked it easily as lay motionless - we even got to snap a quick picture!

The big eel is a very different prospect to the smaller babies I occasionally see, and actually a really impressive creature!

I love days like this - when someone or something opens up a whole new element of the water to me, showing me something I had never suspected. 

For me I think Lonsdale will always be bottomless - there will always be something to learn, some fish uncaught.

To start your own Pike adventure give us a ring on 07770825896 or book online at the link below:

To return home click: www.lonsdalepark.co.uk

10 ideas to keep the kids entertained and outdoors!

So I know alot of my city friends can't tell one tree from another, or some basic birds.
But I read some really frightening statistics from the National Trust today:

Did you know less than 10% of British kids now play outside in a natural space, compared to over 50% a generation ago?
And 3 times as many kids are taken to hospital because they fell out of bed, rather than a tree!
This phenomenon is becoming known as 'nature deficit disorder'

So I thought I could write a post, for all the families that come and stay with us, to share a few ideas of things the kids can do (that aren't fishing) that will get them interested in nature.

1) Go for a picnic – easy and fun, anyone can do this. Take an ID book and find out what plants your sitting on!

2) Miniature boats

Try to make the best boat you can out of sticks you find on the ground, leaves and grass only! Float them out and see who’s goes the furthest

3) Nature’s Treasure’s Hunt

Save a few old egg boxes.

On the computer (or by hand) show a picture for an object with it’s name to fit into the egg spot in the tray. Good ideas would be things like acorns, birch leaves, wood pidgeon feathers etc. You could get seasonal with this and think about blackberries, or bits of broken duck egg shell for example. You can adapt this to your own little hunter’s abilities and ages, maybe only include the names of the objects, or get more challenging with plant species, and bird feathers.

On the top of the egg box, glue down a the printed strip of paper.

Off you go!

4) Find and keep some footprints

Bring along some plaster of paris, an empty takeaway box, and cut some circles from old pop bottles.

Mix the plaster of paris ready into the take away box and stick the lid on.

See if you can find any footprints, look out for great big heron prints, duck, or little hedgehog, and rabbit prints.

When you find some clear any sticks or leaves gently off the top of them,  push the plastic circle into the ground around them, and then pour the plaster of paris over the print. Wander off or wait for 20 minutes and come back to see if the plaster of paris has dried and you can collect the cast of the foot print.

Clean any dirt off the cast with an old soft toothbrush.

You might need to get a book on tracks if you're not used to looking for them!

5) Pooters

Use old jam jars to make your own pooters to check out some insects.

You’ll need 2 bits of plastic tubing, a jam jar, some muslin, some electric tape, and some blue tack.

Make two holes in the jam jar lid big enough to push the plastic tubing into.

On the end of one of the pieces of plastic tubing that will be inside the jar, tape the muslin across the bottom of the tube. (This is the tube you want to suck on so maybe mark the other end using electric tape too) Leave the ends of both bits of tubes a bit short off the bottom of the jar so bugs have space to drop down.

Squish blue tack around the plastic tubing and holes in the lid to make a nice seal.

Put the lid on the jam jar.

Find a bug small enough to fit in your tubing, and gently cover it with the unmarked plastic tube end. Suck on the taped plastic tube and you’ll hoover the bug up the other tube into the jar, so you can have a proper look! Use an ID guide to figure out what you've caught!

6) Make your own Whistle

Suitable only for kids safe whittling!

The best instructions for this are at: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Willow-Whistle

7) Catch a spider’s web

You’ll need some silver spray paint left over from xmas, a piece of black card and a piece of spare card (maybe from a cereal box).

Find a pretty spiders web that will fit onto your card. Make sure a spider isn’t on it!

Then hold the spare piece of card on one side of the web, to shield any plants or things behind it. Then gently mist the spray paint over the web.

Whilst the paint is still wet, remove the spare card, and place the black card behind the web, move it gently and evenly towards the web until it touches it, and keep it moving to transfer the web to your card.

You might like to try covering the caught web with acrylic spray glue to preserve it if you want to keep it. Spiders webs are very strong for their size, but can be quite delicate too so be careful with it!

8) Hunt for a nearby geocache!

If you don’t know what this is, google it and get the iphone / smart phone app!

9) Make a grass trumpet

10) Go for a walk at night – how are things different? What things can you hear? The night isn’t scary, you’ll probably be able to hear our Tawny Owls talking to each other… Try cupping your hands together or whistling in a low pitch to call back to them!

Sorry it's not angling related - but I hope the families out there take some inspiration from it!

Emma

PS: Top tip - you can get some really good ID guides and nature related apps for your phone! 

I recommend TreeId, Chirp!+, FSC Wildlife Guides and StarWalk.

To return to our home page click: www.lonsdalepark.co.uk

First Fish as an Official "Vitin'ry"!

After my graduation and graduation ball this week I was happy to come home properly today.

Without having to worry about exams, cases or placement organising etc I feel like I'm 100% home body and soul for the first time in 5 years!

Of course I had to head out for a little fish with Dad after dinner....

There you have it - my first fish as a sworn, signed, certified official vet and it's a gorgeous red fin well over a pound and a half!

(For the eagle eyed amongst you, no it's not the first fish I've caught in my pajamas and it wont be the last! You might also spot that I'm missing my usual hat, and have gained a new badge on my lapel which was given to us at graduation)

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend and are set to make the most of next weeks good weather!

To return home click: www.lonsdalepark.co.uk

Veterinary

Hello all,

Many of you asked to keep up with my studies via the blog so this is a quick note to let you know that I recieved my results yesterday..............................................................................
and I have passed my final year!

It's been 5 years of very hard work, and I've loved almost every minute of it.
In July I'll graduate, take my oath and sign the register of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons - which will make me: E Drinkall BVMedSci BVM BVS MRCVS (That's a long way to spell 'Vet' if you ask me!)

 To return home click: www.lonsdalepark.co.uk

A little game for you

Just a quick note today - as I'm sure you all know it's arrivals day for us.

I've started a little game on our twitter and facebook pages, where I take a picture from a peg using my phone, and upload it for you to work out which peg I was on when I took the picture.

A few clues:
I might not be at the usual height / angle to take the photo, to make it a bit more interesting.
It can be any lake.
I won't use the accomodation's private pegs, as not everyone will recognise the view from them!
I'll start with our named pegs (a honour many guests acquire following a remarkable catch) which are popular and easy to identify.

If you're not already you can get involved and follow us on our twitter page: https://twitter.com/#!/LonsdalePark

Or become a fan on facebook, just click the box in the right hand coloumn of this page.

Hope you're all having a nice weekend, even if it's raining!
Emma
To return home click: www.lonsdalepark.co.uk

Ghosts in the sunshine!

Just a quick post to share a video I took during my lunch break today:



To return home click: www.lonsdalepark.co.uk

National Geographic spots Emma's Photo!!

Emma is really delighted to have one of her photos chosen by National Geographic has photo of the week!!!


It's a great photo she took whilst on one of her veterinary placements in Shetland.


To check out  go to:- 

                             http://facebook.com/natgeo/posts/243078815768805

Lots of bird life at Lonsdale but don't think you'll spot these!

 

                                                        

Great North Run

I had a great time at the Great North Run on Sunday!
Above is me at the start line with my new friend Graham who was running for his wife who was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 months ago.
The whole day was a fantastic demonstration of the human spirit - everyone was running for a reason, and you could write it out and pin it to the back of your shirt, so I spent the whole day buoyed by pictures of hope and stories inspiring the determination of my fellow runners. And there was 54,000 of us!The locals turned out spectacularly and stayed through the torrential downpour to cheer us on. Many had bought oranges, ice lollies, jelly babies, face wipes and tissues to hand out to runners - all of which were very, very much appreciated!

The run itself was very enjoyable, the hardest bit was towards the end around 9-11 miles where the course turns uphill and you're just starting to fade. I was a fair bit slower than I had wanted to be (2:30) but I finished and really enjoyed it. I'd thoroughly recommend it!

A big Thankyou to everyone who sponsored me, it means alot.
Between the online and 'real world' sponsors I've almost reached my pledge of £500 for the British Heart Foundation.
It's not too late to help me, and even just the price of a pint would mean alot now! http://www.justgiving.com/Drinkall-GNR

You don't have to be broken hearted to help

First of all a BIG THANK - YOU to everyone who's filled in the Sponsor form at The Park for Emma's Great North Run. Emma is undertaking this on behalf of The British Heart Foundation.

If you want to donate it would be greatly appreciated by Emma ( Who's working hard with her training for this event as well as working hard) along with everyone who has in the past or may well in the future benefit from this great organistaion.

If you can't fill in the form you can donate by going to her "just giving " page.

http://www.justgiving.com/Drinkall-GNR

EO: We're not the only ones who like to fish from the jetty!

After blogging about my Kingfisher photo mission earlier I've been a bit too busy to really crack on with my quest, what with having to go down to Nottingham to graduate over Thursday and Friday.
Dad even gave me a Nikon D5000 (Thankyou very much to Paul and Jackie for helping him with this!) as a graduation gift! So my older Nikon D40 has had a timely and much appreciated upgrade.
It seems I'm receiving rather more than my fair share of good luck at the moment though as I wandered through to Mum and Dad's bedroom to find Dad this evening (to ask him if we might be braving the gentle drizzle) and what catches my eye?
The female of our Kingfisher pair!
I think the blur of movement back to my room, pick up camera, change lens, and back to the balcony door could only be described as 'a controlled tornado'.
But back at the balcony I gently opened the door, and crept out...
For a few moments she didn't notice me but you can see her weighing me up here:
Our 'home' pair are quiet shy at the moment, and she didn't take long to decide I was (probably quite rightly) a funny looking character and that it might be pertinent to retire to the other side of the Willows.


Some might think me daft but surely this is a good omen? A little message from the spirit of the pond?
Regardless my quest for a decent Kingfisher photo continues, and at the moment I thinking about attempting to produce a Lonsdale Calendar! So if I made one, what photo's would you like to see? Kingfishers, wildlife, and landscapes are all immediate ideas, but what about fish? I'm not really set up for under-water photography so would you be willing to admire some one else with a fish, or a lovely specimen alone? Or maybe just stick to photo's of Lonsdale without the fish?
And would you really be prepared to look at Lonsdale all year round?
Let me know if you have any ideas / preferences via email at lonspark@aol.com

PS: My kingfisher photo's on flickr (a few more and a few wider shots with more jetty) http://www.flickr.com/photos/edrinkall/sets/72157624404599043/

EO: 42 reasons to take your binoculars fishing!

1. Kingfisher,
2. Tawny Owl,
3. Buzzard,
4. Kestrel,
5. Greater Spotted Woodpecker,
6. Treecreeper,
7. Wren,
8. Long tailed tit,
9. Blue tit,
10. Great tit,
11. Chiff chaff,
12. Willow warbler,
13. Reed warbler
14. Reed Bunting,
15. Linnet,
16. Chaffinch,
17. House sparrow,
18. Robin,
19. Black cap,
20. Dunnock,
21. House sparrow,
22. Pied Wagtail,
23. Goldfinch
24. Bullfinch,
25. Swallow,
26. Swift,
27. Sandmartin,
28. Housemartin,
29. Song Thrush,
30. Mistle Thrush,
31. Blackbird,
32. Mallard,
33. Coots,
34. Moorhen,
35. Heron,
36. Oyster catcher,
37. Pheasant,
38. Wood Pidgeon,
39. Collard Dove,
40. Magpie,
41. Crow,
42. Jackdaw,

This weekend I've been seeking out some of our Kingfishers (with ideas of getting a photo), and as you can see, whilst out and about I've come across quite abit of other wildlife!
The above list is by no means an exhaustive record of all the species on site, that will probably take me quite alot longer than a weekend!
So I know I'll have a pair of binoculars and a wee bird book in my pocket from now on!

I did get a photo in the end by the way! At 5:59 am! You can see my photo (though it's quite rubbish and there's branches in the way) online at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/edrinkall/4785364129/

I also got to see the Tawny Owl take a bat on the wing, right above my head! This is quite a rare behaviour to witness, though I'm pretty sure the bats were more surprised than me!

Hope you're all enjoying your summers!
Em

EO - A bit of Natural History

As promised this post has been labeled 'EO' for Emma's Own.

I think inside every angler there is natural historian to some degree. And certainly in me I'm not sure which is stronger when I'm out and about.I'm stuck inside revising so of course everything out side has become infinitely more appealing!

So it's finally spring, and the weather, if we don't mention it too much, is really rather lovely.
There have been many signs to tell me that it's spring and I thought it might be nice to share some of them with you:

Firstly for the birds!This is our male tufted duck, who is waiting for his female to arrive to start nesting. I'm a bit worried about her to be honest, but I hoping maybe she's already well hidden and sitting tight to a nest. I'll be quite sad if she doesn't reappear as they are our only tufty's.

I've found my first mis-laid duck eggs and nests:Staying close to the water the toads and frogs are reappearing, and if you walk around the lakes at night quietly, listening for croaking if you investigate a reedy edge with a torch you're likely to see:
If you look during the day you'll see:
Now technically this if frogspawn rather than toad spawn, Toads spawn in lines, rather than in the globules of Frogs.

Moving a little further afield, and looking to the field behind Lonsdale you're likely to see:
This is one of the doe's of a family group of 4 who roam around in our area.
Sometimes very early in the morning you might see them inside the park.

If you want to see more photo's I upload some to flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/edrinkall/sets/72157623652304877/

I hope you've all had a lovely Easter, and I hope I'll see you soon!

Em

xxx

Your vote neeeded!

Hello again all,

I have today received a comment on my entry about the Tough Guy race from a reader who says:

"im sure the other female journalist will be far more interesting ie we log on the website to see how the place is fishing and whether we are going to spend our hard earned cash to pay to go there not to send you on another jolly regards carp"

Firstly I would like to thank that reader for your comment and your time.
I had hoped that my entries were interesting but I do appreciate that sometimes I report on events unrelated to Lonsdale Park, and the fish catches.
The people who contact us usually enjoy hearing my stories, but I realise now that perhaps many of you don't.
If this is true, I need to know to save you from encountering my ramblings.

To find out I have created a simple survey on a reliable website called Surveymonkey.
If you would be so kind as to click the link below to vote as to whether to keep or loose my ramblings I would greatly appreciate it.
You will not have to give any details or sign up to vote just click the box and submit.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XPHKWW6

If it turns out that most of you want to hear from me directly then I will continue with my usually occasional updates but clearly label them so others can avoid them, and if not I will stop them.

Thankyou,

Emma
x

Things other than fishing!

Hey guys,

Just thought I'd put up a couple of pics to show you what I got up to yesterday here in the South!

- A friend and I went upto Stanage, in the Peaks to boulder (a type of climbing) but it got a bit difficult going as the snow fell:

You wouldn't believe how long and how many attempts it took me to get over that overhang! Got it in the end though!

(Oh and most boulder's don't wear helmets but I'm just so accident prone for head injuries I don't risk it too much!)

I'm home to revise for 4 weeks at Easter so I'll have to work on finding other exciting distractions at home then too - I'm thinking I might try working on a project on all the fells / climbs / outdoor stuff that's within an hour of Lonsdale...

Do you think I could get Dad to cover the petrol? :D

Em

x

When the Going get's tough!

Hey guys,
I hope you're all well and your New Year's Resoloutions are coming along nicely?
I've been home this weekend to relax after a hectic start back to the year, and had to make a hard decision today as to whether to christen my Christmas gift or take the dogs to the beach. In the end Mo (my Rhodeisan Ridgeback) turned her big brown eyes up at me and fetched me one of my crocs. Well that was it.
( I wonder if that's how Dad feels when I turn up and bring him his fishing jacket?)

Anyway Dad said I should tell you all about my adventures last weekend. (It's a bit of an epic story sorry!)

Always up for a challenge and a laugh my friends at Uni convinced me it was a good idea to enter a competition called 'Tough Guy", you might have seen it on the news.
This years event was the coldest for a long time, and the water obstacles were covered in 5cm of ice. We arrive in a flurry of snow.

The race is about 8 miles long and touted as the worlds safest most dangerous assault course.
To start you slide down a steep hill with your 5000 fellow competitors, run through a cloud of tear gas, and then have to jump or crawl under logs, launch yourself into several ditches of waist deep (or deeper if you're 5ft 2") water and haul youself out of the pits using ropes. Thats the start of the 5 mile 'run' which then continues to include slalom on a stupidly steep mud hill (think crawling up and careening uncontrollably down bouncing off trees and other competitors), along with other distractions including crawling through cargo nets of baler twine, and jumping big round bales set up in the way.

Now to set the scene, just before Christmas I took myself off to the doctor because after a year of Rugby (University first's team I'll have you know! I played hooker) I was breathing as one friend put it 'like a geriatric horse with one nostril'. Excercise induced asthma, you need an inhaler. Brilliant a few runs later I'm sorted.

So you're off on tough guy and destined to spend the next 4 1/2 hours running, swimming and climbing. It's not exactly easy to carry stuff along so I left my new magic inhaler with friends thinking I'd be ok. Wrong!
Part way though the first 5 miles my lungs shut down and my ribs turn into steel! I lose my two mates and I'm left gasping towards a yellow jacketed marshal who helpfully jams an inhaler into my mouth until I can take an especially big gasp and carry on.
Alone.

Naturally a shy and reclusive character (ha ha) I run upto a group of women in bright pink shirts and enquire as whether I can stick with them as someone I run with should really be able to tell medics about the asthma thing. One lovely lady declares she has an inhaler and they'd love to spend the next horrific 4 hours with me.

The race continues with 11 pink ladies and one short lass wearing an illuminous green shirt. I launch myself in and out of massive ditches lined with clay and chest deep in water and ice. The set of ditches we have to cross and climb is a set of about 12. Keen to help my new friends I clamber out first and pull all 11 out for the first few ditches.
Eventually it dawns on me that this is perhaps a fast route to exhaustion and I limit myself to helping the two behind me and instructing them to do the same.
At one point a man in an orange shirt is struggling and already at the wall of the ditch I shout to him "give you a boost?!" he replies "but your a lass" I politely remind him it's bl**dy cold in the water and that prompt movement is preferred. I throw him up onto the bank and them climb out myself and pick him up and push him on. I was in my element and the poor lads team weren't letting him forget it.

Running on to climb a 12ft log wall, and start the last 2 miles of the race my legs are beginning to cramp.
This section is called "The Killing Fields" and is home to the worst of the obstacles.
We slog through knee deep mud, passing a man with a broken leg being treated my St. Johns, we climb several higher log walls and continue to 'The Tiger' a set of two 40ft A frames followed by a run through bull electrified fencing. (My Ron Thompson fishing gloves meant I could flick the strands away without a belt) then The Bethemoth - more cargo net climbing and 3 sets of rope walking also about 40ft up. Next its running through fire and icey water ditches. (The fire was made surprisingly welcome, I watch one competitor get too close and set his trainer on fire)
We crawl through tyre tunnels, and slog through a swamp to reach underground tunnels and then climb up another version of the Behemoth to rope walk over an icy lake. Competitors around me have friends and family feeding them jelly babies and cups of tea. At this point I'm shivering and cold. Sheer determination to minimise water exposure gives me enough grip to avoid falling into the lake.
Unfortunately the next obastacle was the underwater tunnels. My pink ladies leave to avoid the obstacle. Advice from Dad had me running in a bob cap covered by a swim cap. Despite this I am very very cold.
I clamber out onto the mud and a marshal pulls to one side to ask if I'm ok. I nod and refuse to stop moving. I start climbing a frame again but realise it's the 'Plank' - pirate ship style back into the lake. Practised as I am at 'unorthodox water entry techniques' I don't have the energy to jump so instead continue walking off the end into the water. A rescue diver in the pool beneath calls out encouragement to get me swimming to the edge. Out on the bank I'm struggling to get my fingers to obey me but at least my feet keep moving.
Back in to swim the rest of the way across the lake I can see smoke in the distance and know there's a second round of fire over the other side. This is an appealing prospect and I jump into the water.
I have to swim amongst my taller male competitors but my tired and cold legs give out, cramping beyond my control and I can't move them. I am involuntarily and unexpectedly dragged down into the water. Fortunately my taller colleagues realise my peril and hold me up above the water.

My race is over and I'm dragged out to paramedics who whisk me off. Amdist questions of my name and address I can only tell them I want to finish and that I'm Emma from the Vet School, and please not to take me to hospital because my friends don't know where I am. Helpful to them I'm sure.
Eventually I'm warmed up and returned to the barn where my panicked friends have spent about 3 3/4 hours trying to find me. They help me dress and hold hot drinks for me to sip (my shaking body simply results in me throwing it over myself if I try it do it myself) and push Kendal mint cake into my mouth. I feel overwhelming waves of love towards them!

My two mates make it back managing to cross the finish line. One of their Dad's came down for support and has kept tabs on them around the course feeding them mars bars and tea so they're not so bad, but still battered and bruised.

I was gutted not to finish and will be back competing next year to cross the line don't worry. After this year though I'll definately be running for a charity - it's such a challenge the prospect for fundraising is immense. I think I'll run for the Guide Dogs. Expect a pleading blog post next January looking for sponsorship!
In the meantime there's a similar race up near Peebles called the Deerstalker that I've entered. If you're interested I can tell you about that in March...

And finally I heard on the grapevine that a fellow fishing park owner's daughter has started to keep her own blog this year! Is this the start of female fishing journalism?
It certainly seems that the idea is catching on - but I'm pretty sure my Dad (and perhaps a few other people) are certain there's only one Emma!


Emma
x

Emma's Australia Photo's

Hey guys just a quick post - a few people were interested in what I got upto over the summer in Australia and while I can't write up all my stories on here I can share some of the many photo's I took using a website called Flickr.

If you're interested click this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/edrinkall/sets/72157623187017546/

To see my photos.

There's a few of fish and fishing, from diving the Great Barrier Reef and Fraser Island. My favourite Aussie fish - the Parrot Fish also has a photo.

Fell Walks and Canoeing

Below: my photo of beautiful buttermere!
Hello all,
Well Jamie returned and so I got the weekend off!
It was Tom's 21st on Saturday, and the weather was beautiful so we were tempted into walking up Haystacks which was Alfred Wainwright's favourite mountain, and where his ashes were scattered. We carried on to another hill called Fleetwith Pike which looked right down Buttermere with some amazing views!
We ended up walking in thye glorious sunshine for about 4 and half hours - and with the drive less than hour it was a lovely way to spend the day!
We also went up a little hill called Mellbreak the other week, which is a nice fell - where we didn't see another human being at all!

If you're interested in my walks I've added a folder called Fell Walks to the Photo Gallery and in there are a few pictures. Tom's also put a few up in a folder called The Lake District.

On Sunday the weather held, and Tom, a couple of friends and I went canoeing on Derwent Water.

Our friends 'Gulston' and Stuart came out with us - and were very amusing to watch. I can't talk because my steering skills are limited, but watching the two of them zigxag around and then land the canoe at the marina was quite funny! I've put a photo up of the two of them in the red canoe, dodging away from the other boats moored up.

Don't worry I tried to stick to the front of the boat so that the other lake users were spared my slightly dodgy steering!
It was really fun to get back on the water - though I did relearn a little lesson.
A motor boat passed in front of us and as I saw the wash I thought it would be fun to pick up a bit of speed and 'jump' the wave! Only we landed in between the next wave which came over and into my lap!! Oh well when you go out on the water, you can only get wet as far as your skin!

I'm hoping to get to the Honister Mine Via Ferrata route depending on when I go back to Uni too. In case you didn't know Via Ferrata is a sort of extreme mountain walking / rock climbing, but you're harnessed to a wire cable all the way along the route. (The same as climbing Harbour Bridge which I did in Sydney) It's only £20 and it's so close to us it has to be done! If you're interested search for 'Honister slate mine via ferrata' on Youtube to watch a video about it.

It's a shame that more people don't realise what a bounty Cumbria has to offer when they come to stay with us! The site is perfect for anglers but if your other half isn't so keen there's plenty to do and see around us!!

If you'd like to go back to the Lonsdale website please click here: http://www.lonsdalepark.co.uk/

New and ever more interesting ways of falling into a lake.

Yesterday Dad and I set to work on building a new jetty for the lake at home. To allow us to suspend our baby carp rearing nets in the perfect depth of water you understand, nothing to do with creating a fishing platform in front of the new house!

So with Dad's friends Ray out to help us we pile drove two old railway sleepers upright into the lake for our posts. It was a hairy manoeuvre and at one point Ray was yanked quite aggressively by the digger bucket - I thought he was going in! But he recovered it nicely.

Dad had me jumping from the bank into the out-stretched digger bucket and back to cut ropes from the sleepers - as you do you know. Slippery clay bank to wet water filled digger bucket? Of course!
As Ray said, when he woke up he thought, wallet, keys, watch. But not really hmmm lets build a jetty!

Anyway we got the cross member sleeper over and I was stood atop it to direct Dad as he used the digger to square it up on the top.
'It's a bit high at that end Dad!'
'Right you stay at that end....'
CRASH the digger bucket landed on the far end of my sleeper and my end rose up. A slight impression of a a windmill and some canny footwork kept me dry.
'Flippin' heck Dad, I'm not sure I'll survive another of those!' I shouted.
But Dad had lifted the bucket even higher and dropped it even faster....
CRASH
My end jumped up into the air and I found myself thrown backwards, head first into the lake.
The very cold lake, the colder that I would have anticipated, very cold lake I told Dad. I believe most of the anglers on Lonsdale heard my colourful descriptions of the temperature of the water, as well as Dad laughing.
Worse still I'd lost my hat as I was flung in! I could see it where Dad pointed. Drifting away the Kangaroo leather (I'd bought it, worn it and cherished it all around Australia) taking on water at an alarming rate just a couple of inches visible above the surface.
Luckily my dodgy front crawl had me on the scene in time to rescue my beloved hat! The only damage was a slight bend to the feather in the band.
No harm done!

I climbed out onto the sodden and soggy bank, looking very much like a monster from the deep as Dad stopped laughing to tell me how funny I'd looked.
Apparently my legs and feet had attempted to recover my torso and remained on the sleeper for a slit second longer than expected, then suddenly they followed me in, almost like they belonged to someone else. This description obviously set Dad chuckling again.

I think when Dad and I get working together we really should set up a video camera on the job just in case. That's twice in four days we could have earned £250 on you've been framed now!

So we've added another dive possibility to my repertoire of interesting, accidental but always stylish methods of falling into lakes!