Friday’s Allan’s Fangler (FAF): July, so, so late, because I couldn’t find my tuxedo. Never say never again…
From Russia With Love? Fishpool received a slap in the face a few weeks ago. Having enjoyed watching my mate Feds win Wimbledon for an eighth time (from the comfort of the Royal Box in fact – I was just behind Wills and Kate), my agent called to say the […]
Parr’s Diary – July 2017: of mushrooms, mackerel and a quartet of carp
It has been a long time since my fishing took a truly unexpected turn, but July has delivered a fresh and local diversion that has given my summer quite a lift. In fact, there has been enough going on for me to start to diarise as a piece for Fallon’s […]
Surface tension for sun worshippers: chasing carp from the top
I’m not a sun worshipper, not with my delicate Irish skin. I crisp like burnt potatoes, dry out rapidly like a jellyfish stranded on a beach. I find myself wishing for any of the many types of rain we have back home, hitting my skin and exploding into little balls […]
Parr’s Diary – Season’s Opening, June 2017
It seemed so straightforward. All we needed was a small lake or pond, preferably quiet, hopefully natural, but definitely home to a tench or two. Ideally there would be a lily pads and overhanging trees, with a grass snake slipping through the marginal reeds, a song thrush singing and a […]
Friday Allan’s Fangler (FAF) – June 2017: the feeding of the 250,000 (and more)…
The feeding of the 250,000 Fishpool is properly pooped. To be honest, I wasn’t going to bother with Glastonbury this year, the line-up was alright but the atmosphere hasn’t been the same since the early 80’s. It was real back then, with proper musicians whose heads weren’t up their own […]
Parr’s Diary – (May) Thank heavens for the Glorious 16th!
It is easy to forget how close we live to the sea. Our cottage faces south, but is tucked into a fold of the West Dorset hills and we need to climb a few hundred feet in order to glimpse saltwater. Occasionally, with an inshore breeze, there is the faintest […]