Photo:
1. Carp School (l-r) Me, George and Charlie.
2. Gunner, Jude, Ginny and of course 'wilvir'.
3. 'Skipper' Charlie.
We left the Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Union Canal on Monday to continue our journey north with the emotion of 'goodbyes' between new found friends bringing a lump to our throats.
Charlie, a young angler we met during our stay, breathlessly arrived at the boat to join us for the run up the locks, accompanied by his older brother George and mum Claire who were picking him up when we got to Marsworth. Charlie and George accompanied by their friend Alex had spent a couple of days the previous week fishing with me and Neil learning the art of catching the two extremes of the same family, Gudgeon and Carp. We also met Charlie and George's parents, Mark and Claire along with Claire's mum. At the end of their second visit to the boat, Mark left Ginny and me speechless when they gave us flowers, chocolates and two bottles of wine in appreciation for what we'd done for them. Great people and three boys to be proud of.
Before we left, Sally, who along with her partner Ray own the land and stables adjoining the canal between Puttenham Locks, very kindly dropped by with a parting gift of a dozen duck eggs.
Neil and Jude, who live in Wilstone, met us on the way back up from turning the boat below Redhouse lock to help us lock-up to Marsworth Junction where, after a quick lunch beside the boat together with Charlie and Claire, we said our goodbyes and turned north.
We'll not be passing this way again for a couple of years now.
27th Aug 2011, 12:07
comments (1)
This little oasis is sadly blighted by the scourge of littering and so-called anglers who not only fish amongst the litter but unashamedly add to it when they leave. It saddens me to admit to being an angler sometimes.
This beautiful stretch of the Aylesbury canal is often frequented by anglers fishing for carp. How do I know? Simply through finding empty boillie and Chum mixer bags, after the contents has been used for bait, left stuffed into the hedgerow. Shame on them.
It's not only bears that s**t in the woods these days either going by the growing tendency to leave faeces (DNA) and soiled toilet paper lying adjacent to footpaths for all to see, without the slightest attempt to hide or bury it. The human race is fast becoming the vermin of the world.
18th Aug 2011, 19:31
comments (2)
Fortunately we're moored above the lock at the end of the pound in the photo.
16th Aug 2011, 11:15
comments (5)
