Every now and again I have strange little insights about the peripheral experiences of fishing, and the effects they have had on my adult life. Most recently it was a random epiphany about the role that "Gates" had on me as a young man. I know that sounds a bit strange, but bear with me....there are deeper metaphors and meanings here.

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I’ve always liked the weather. I think as a fly fisherman that this is important. If you don’t like being outside in the rain, then fly fishing probably isn’t for you! Just being outside, no matter what the conditions, always makes me feel alive. And it sure is pretty damned wet over here at the moment.

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Knowing there was a while to the next Annual and General Meetings of the Willowbrook Fly Fishers club and wary from my experiences now that things could and probably would just get caught up in the bureaucracy and blocked for a year of inactivity. Either directly, with cod science that is so hard to dispute on the hoof, or with anecdotal evidence dressed in a veil of ‘common-sense’ and presented as knowledge.

Or, as so often the case, when trying to discuss an issue that ruffles feathers, finding it gets waylaid by some wonderfully imaginative obfuscation to transform the discussion from whatever topic, into some personal recollections of shooting Rooks as teenagers, or the increasing Badger numbers, or the benefits of old fashioned milk bottles, (yes I’ve heard each of those at the AGM delaying the agenda), or berating these nameless city newcomers for thinking that they understand the countryside!

Switched in an instance to a topic everyone felt more secure chattering around, chipping in, and the whole flock start clucking and chirping contently until that troublesome change is put safely away and forgotten.

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It's been a busy week for me; topping up my big fly box, putting a couple of fly selections together for Christmas, a podcast and, of course, a bit of fishing.

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First winter season week starts to be done. It has been pretty good one. Our team, reindeer and workers has been doing great job, when it is like this, this is easy work.
 
My biggest doubt was on Sunday. I have had same pullover/sweater (made from wool) for over 10 years. Last spring, Satu bought new one which similar as old one. Old one has some extra holes and to be honest, it has seen better days. It has been heavily used, about 180 days per year, every day during the winter.

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There is little doubt that Frederic M. Halford was a special type and a character. He’s considered the father of modern dry fly fishing - and for a good reason. He was a near-religious dry fly fisherman, fishing the famed chalk streams of southern England. There are a lot of stories about him and his relationship with others, and especially G. E. M. Skues, but many - if not most - are not true.

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