Just back from a couple of weeks away and for me it marks the end of summer. My longed for Indian summer didn't materialise and after all, we are only three months away from Winter Solstice. While spending a little time looking backwards over the year so far, I realised that summer has presented quite a few notable high lights.

So here is my short review with a few photo memories. The above photo and the photo below were taken in one of my favourite places near the estuary of the tidal river the Orwell.

Earlier in the summer on a very warm Monday the EB Band played at the Friars 40th Anniversary gig in Aylesbury. We had a great night and received a Friars Heroes Award which was a very nice surprise. Later we had another great afternoon at the East Barnet Community Festival where we played a free concert. ( Just like the old days).

A newly discovered gravel pit and a favourite haunt in the late part of this summer. Had a couple of very nice days float fishing here in the sunshine, rain and wind.

A fairly secluded private fishery. My idea of what a river should look like before the winter kills of the weed. The wild life here is plentiful. On a soft breeze a few butterflies appeared occasionally. Cormorants, Canadian geese and swans were in abundance with several types of wildfowl. The pike were not interested in taking a lure but snapped at them occasionally sending great waves across the surface of the slow flowing river.

Some of you will have read my post on here about the bike ride with Ramblin Mad along the South coast from Hove. Ramblin has found a couple of pics. We had a few laughs one night at his his place making up stories to fit the images. I hadn't laughed so much in ages.

Above I am pictured by Ramblin with our "domestique" in tow. In the peloton ( French word for bike riders in a race) the domestique is a servant rider who's duty it is to bring bottles and food from a team car to the star riders. Unfortunately we couldn't run to an actual bike for this guy so he ran along behind us carrying our goodies and neccessary refreshments in a blue plastic carrier bag from Hove to Worthing, beyond and back to Hove.

Above you will see that the nice lady in the wheelchair is getting ready for the final sprint for the line. The guy on the mountain bike made of plumbing materials is about to be caught by yours truly if Ramblin can get his big stick in the guys back wheel just as he passes the bush on his right.

This is me playing with a micro UFO by Devil's Dyke. The photo by Ramblin is completely untouched. I knew some thing was going on when I sailed past the wheelchair user on the imaginary finish line in Worthing. Fortunately people from the residential home team she represented were there to commiserate with her.

The gig at The Assembly Leamington Spa was a home coming high light and a good time was had by us all.

One little pike after a day on the Yare with Nick the guide. We went for dead fish baits on a float set up rather than fish with artificial lures which I would have preferred. Still the guide knows best and he reckoned no pike were taking lures and the season had been hard. As a pro it his job to put people like me on the fish. He tried his best but after eight hours this fish was the only one to fancy a nice mackerel tail . Still better than nothing and it fought harder than expected. He went back in the river as good as he came out. All good.

A day later, with a friend, we had three nice pike out of a small lake on spinnerbait lures. So, no one had told them they were not to eat those nasty things that look like prey fish but are really trick fish with hooks to catch 'em.

Some September time on the ocean lead to a catching day that included this nice codling pictured above. The various fish we caught provided eight wonderful dinners. We had a few days of feeling the swaying of the boat long after we disembarked but I actually quite like that. Excellent!

So Summer is over. Below is a short video of a yours truly singing to the trees and chanting for release. Any one got suggestions of locations for similiar antics?

Peace

copyright edgar broughton 2009