'T' arrived.... And accused me of profane, immoral and indecent acts with the cat that was now semi-submerged in a spot out of the wind down the margin to my left, head down with a lung-full of water: that cat reminded me of a song by 'The Verve'. The little blighter had obviously drifted in over night. Possibly responsible for the tweaks that I had been receiving to my rods between 6 and 10pm....

REWIND.

I arrived at the lake, high pressure continuing but.... the sun had been on the pond for a few days and I fancied a peg which receives sun for most of the day. I had been at work so changed out of my suit into my more comfortable carpy clothes. Glasses on, dodgy clip-on's in place (CHIPS have nothing on me) and a lap of the lake to begin with.

The 'normal' spots looked as though they hadn't been fed on in months. Not surprising given the cold winter we have had, but I was kind of hoping that a gleaming spot might just give me an indication of where to start. Climbed a few trees, hoping to find one of the elusive buggers, but the ripple on the water was too heavy for decent clarity. The wind was cold, really cold, so eventually and perhaps grudgingly,opted for the easy option... Closest to the car, in the lee of the wind and a swim that was receiving the last of the early spring sunshine.

Finally got sorted with the rods out, two rods in such perfect positions that any carp with a modicum of sense would venture into these areas and take a liking for an early season snack in the shape of a 'Wootton' Special. The final rod was flicked into the 'abyss' hoping for an 'electric eel' or similar. I cracked open a beer, rolled a fag and watched the water. About an hour in and a couple of Canadian Geese landed. They honked and farted around, clearly agitated by my presence until they flew off in the ever so subtle manner that they adopt (???). The sun was now dipping below the tree-line, the indicators maintained their motion---less.

A car drew up behind me... Mr.P arrived in his jacket and shirt and we reminisced for a while about seasons gone and aspirations for the coming year. Mr. P. left as the frost settled on my brolly. A deer (I think) shot out from the undergrowth to my left and traversed the path for a hundred yards or so, noisy in the stillness and silence that twilight brings. I cursed it silently as one of my baits had been placed close in...

I cooked up a meal, a rarity for me when doing over-nighters, a couple of pork chops, potatoes and peas washed down with another beer. Very still and cold and clear. Orion bright in the sky. No shooting stars. I huddled into the bag at about 9.30pm.

I hadn't heard a sound of a fish but a few beeps on the Delkims had promised so much but given so little. Coronary time.

Slept poorly. Kept waking up and at 5am decided to give into wakefulness and make a cup of coffee and welcome in the dawn. As the light grew from the East I became aware of hundreds of circles dimpling the surface of the pond, my confidence grew: the silvers were active, is 'Norman' around?

9am and not a beep. Not a twitch on  the line and no sign of a carp. The daylight breathes life back into the geese and a lone tufty but not the cat which has mysteriously appeared down the margin.

The rest of the day passes in a haze of tea, cigarettes and 'what-ifs'...

'T' arrived.....