The latest news from Ireland is that my nephew John Hogan has caught his first brown trout on a fly. His Dad sent me the news and his Mum sent me a photograph featuring John, his Dad Sean, and Meg the dog. Continue reading
Category: Other bits and bobs
While I have been immersed in deluge of exam marking here in Spain, back in Ireland my old partners in crime, my brother Sean and Mark McCann have been doing what they do best – sinking pints and fly fishing for the elusive brown trout of Lough Arrow and Lough Sheelin.
Needless to say I am wracked with jealousy. The only mildly amusing moment I have had over the last few days occurred during the marking if the IB Biology when one candidate stated that the answer to a question was “That´s just the way things are. God works in mysterious ways!” Continue reading
One of the unusual features of human mind is the curious interest we show in the behaviour and motivation of chickens. For instance I have lost count of the number of times people have asked me why the chicken crossed the road. And I have often been challenged to state what came first, the chicken or the egg?
The first question, the road one, has a large number of possible answers, each considered to be hilarious. The second question, about the egg, is supposed to entice us to stroke our chins in contemplation even though it is a pretty dumb question if you know anything about science. The most memorable answer that I can recall is the dismissive comment that a chicken is simply “an egg´s way of making another egg.” Continue reading
Something happened yesterday right out of the blue and it cracked me up.
I was paying for some diesel at the service station. This can take a little while because I need to get a receipt to claim some tax back later. While this was going on I was looking at the characters queuing at the other till. One guy comes up to the till looking a little dishevelled and he said “here´s 20 euros for the unleaded I just put into the Lamborghini at pump number four.” Continue reading
Not a million miles from where I live there is a fishing tackle business which includes an extraordinary museum. We made a visit here during our second day of filming for Jara y Sedal. There is heaps of fishing gear here but it is the exhibited items of tackle that really steal the show. Continue reading
The second day of filming began in a very civilised way with a pitufo mixto and a café con leche in Éstacion de Cártama. The film crew were looking a bit weary, no doubt after a late night (it was feria time in Cártama). Guillermo, one of the producers, looked decidedly bleary-eyed through the fog of his cigarette smoke as he tried to kick start his day with a strong coffee. When he finally got to talking it was simply to express the view that it might have been good to have had one less beer the previous night and maybe one more hour of sleep. I guess many of us know how that feels. Continue reading
A little over a week ago I began three days of filming on the Río Grande and Río Guadalhorce for Spanish national television. I was joined on the rivers by my friend John Langridge who is a great character and a hugely experienced fisherman. He is also a veteran of several films on fishing and an author of a dozen or so books on fishing. The TV people got in touch with John and he in turn asked me if I wanted to be involved. As if he needed to ask! Fishing is always fun on these rivers but in the company of a fisherman like John I knew I was going to be in for a real blast. Continue reading
The stretch of river Guadalhorce which leads from its meeting with the Río Grande is quiet for much of the year. I usually have it to myself. But it was heaving with horses and people this afternoon. This is due to the annual Romería when crowds turn up at the river bank and hold a party al fresco. The most beautiful women attend this event and, sitting side saddle with drink in hand, they are quintessentially Andalucían.
I don´t know a great deal about horses. The last one I sat on would not even move until my Mum
put a coin into a slot beside it. But here at the Romería horses are everywhere and there are some real stunners. There is a real buzz here with kids, and old and young all hanging out together finding shade under the eucalyptus trees and the cool of the riverside breeze. Continue reading
Fly fishermen spend a lot of time thinking about rods and lines and reels and flies. Fair enough, that all makes sense. But here fishing the local river for much of the year I would consider a decent pair of polarized sunglasses and a nice hat to shade them to be among the most important bits of kit to throw into the car when heading off. And another thing that is equally important is a decent pair of neoprene boots.
I had a pair that the puppies chewed up so badly they had to be abandoned. These bloody dogs chew everything. Just recently the black dog, Boris, took a big chunk out of Bill Bryson and Grandad appeared one morning last week only to discover that he had left his book outside the previous night and that Boris had swallowed a sizeable chunk of recent history, including much of the Victorian era. Continue reading
Today is Easter Sunday and I came across an Easter procession, quite by chance, in Fuengirola today.
Fuengirola, if you are not familiar with it, is a town of similar size to Marbella and located just a little further along the coast. It lacks Marbella´s pretention and snob appeal and has an altogether earthier feel. It is a little rough around the edges but that is something I like about it. It certainly seems to have a greater appeal to those who are looking for a cheap and cheerful holiday. If you are an English speaker and want a bit of sunshine without everything being ruined by “foreigners” you will find that you are well catered for here. There is premiership football in the seafront bars and fish and chips if you are nervous of seeing something on your plate which is unfamiliar. Continue reading
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