There’s a bat in me kitchen, what am I gonna do?

I’m clearly going deaf. My wife keeps saying things like “did you hear that?”, and all I can say is “hear what?”.  “No, there’s definitely something behind the curtain!” said she last night……. and once again, she was right!

Luckily I managed to scoop him up in a spare BDH bottle, and release him without harm outside.

Sometimes the outdoor life follows you indoors! 🙂

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The fright of my life!

I just went to put some sticks in the woodshed for kindling, and just as I bent over, right at eye level, there was a dirty great wood pigeon staring up at me!!

I expected it to fly right out into my face………..but then I realised it was nesting in there…………and then I realised it wasn’t moving very much……….and then I realised it was made of plastic!!

Do you think perhaps Gus the keeper has got his own back for the surprise eggs I left on his passenger seat? 🙂

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Beach Bums on Barra……..

The photo says it all – chilled out or what! 🙂

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The early bird…..

When you’re in Barra for only three days, you know you’ll be lucky to get any fishing done while you’re there – there’s just too much else to do. However, you also know you’re going to have to take your rod with you just in case! This was particularly the case this time round, as I have just aquired a lovely wee Greys Missionary fly rod, which breaks down to six pieces (small enough for my day-pack, and takes a lighweight #5 fly line). So, no excuse not to bring it – but was I going to get the chance to use it?

Well, as it happens, yes I was, and even if that meant setting my alarm for 05:30, I was determined to sneak a couple of hours in on Loch Tangusdail.

I cycled through Castlebay in the half-light, and as I climbed down the hill to the loch, the sun was just starting to show above the hills.

And whilst I rigged up the rod, a rainbow appeared in front of me across the Loch, swiftly followed by a short but very impressive rain shower!

Unfortunately, buying the new rod meant that I didn’t have enough money in the kitty for new waders as well, but I was already a bit damp by this stage, and luckily the water was warm enough not to need them 😉

I didn’t have much luck fishing the Eastern end, so I moved around to the Northern shore, where I soon spotted a very large trout hunting in the shallows. With my heart in my mouth, I worked out my line (I was only going to get one shot at this!), and quietly dropped my fly just in front of him. Of course what I want to write now is “i saw a boil on the surface, as he rose to take my fly. I struck, and the line went solid, before my reel screamed as the mighty fish headed out across the Loch”. Unfortunately honesty compels me to tell the truth – despite my near perfect cast, Mr trout was somewhat suspicious of a lump of feathers and metal dropping in on him unannounced, and scarpered for deep water as fast as he possibly could!  Big fish don’t get that way for nothing you know! 🙂

Still, the next fish I covered was not so discerning, and I finished with one beautiful wee trout caught and returned

and two kept for dinner that night.

The perfect morning’s fishing – and even better when you consider that I was soon back on my bike and back to the cottage by 9am, in time to make everybody their breakfast!

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