Monday 25 August 2008

Monday.

On Saturday went fishing. We go fishing once per year most years. Saturday was a lovely morning so we decided to go fishing. The six of us packed a small picnic (this turned out to be fortuitous -I think that's the word I mean- in view of our fishing fortunes) and set out for the preferred lake by our preferred means of transport. Four of us walked through the forest (Ann, Ruth, Freja, and Meself). Lasse drove (well, to as near as possible) and Tuva cycled (both the latter two along rough track, then walked the last half mile or so with the rest of us. We launched the little rowing boat and I rowed Ann, Ruth, and Tuva , across to the 'island' where they disembarked and lit a fire to cook the fish that the other three of us then attempted to catch. Freja (eight) caught a medium sized perch, and we two blokes caught sweet Fanny Adams !!!! (a second World War expression whose derivation I won't trouble to explain - mainly because I don't know it -but whose meaning is I think plain. We eventually did cook the fish over the fire with a little lemon salt, and we all had a taste, but we were jolly glad of the picnic. We then (well five of us -meself and all four ladies -Lasse had a post prandial nap- took the boat and explored a bit more of the lake. We found a small secluded beach, with a circular stone fireplace, and about 90 percent of the dried up skeleton of an elk (disarticulated) and then spent a while discussing the probable sequence of events that could have led to these grisly remains. The girls decided that the likeliest events involved pirates, canibles and castaways, so we rowed away quickly before any hostile natives returned. Should add that Freja took away with her five elk front teeth as memento mori. Must close now as a cheese ommelette calls.

8 comments:

Crowbard said...

So glad you all escaped the Can-nibbles.
Suggest you go fishing in the can't-nibbles' territory next time!

No wonder you were so hungry if the pie-rates were excessive!

If you whisper quietly to a pirate, will he become a private-ear?

Unknown said...

Hi Crowbard. Do you know, I thought cannibles looked wrong. When Ann queried it I explained that cannibles are cannibals who don't actually eat people - they just nibble them. I think your spelling - Cannibbles- is a great improvement of this idea- Thanks, Mike.

Unknown said...

Hi Crowbard, ref your query on piratical semantics; he might not be a private ear. Depending on the author, he might become a Buchan-ear.

Chuck said...

Mike -- Sounds like a great adventure but fishing only once a year? When I lived in California I never saw a fishing hole but now that I'm in Minnesota we're only a city block away from the fish. I go down there once or twice a week and have plenty of sunfish to keep us supplied. I enjoy the quiet time down by the bridge and river. Haven't had any unexpected "visitors" this year but once had a bear come on the bridge while I was there to see if I was catching any fish. The bear left before I had a chance to jump in the river.

I checked out your phrase "sweet Fanny Adams" and indeed it is a British naval slang phrase for "nothing at all" but the origin is a bit gruesome -- referring to a young girl (Fanny Adams) back in 1867 who was brutally butchered. The details are nasty so won't go into them but her grave is at the Alton Cemetary in Hampshire.

Tell your granddaughters that we find the remains of various creatures in our woods and often wonder too about the origin of their demise as well --- pirates (not likely in this neck of the woods) but can-nibbles or castaways a distinct possibility.

Chuck

Crowbard said...

Especially if the treasure was hidden thirty-nine steps from the entrance to the secret cave!

Unknown said...

Hi Chuck. Used to go fishing a good deal as a boy in the Norfolk fens, but these days I think I haven't enough patience to be an angler. However, most years when visiting daughter 2 in Sweden we go fishing at least once. Depending where we fish, we usually catch brown trout, perch, or pike. If it's not big enough to eat we put it straight back. If it is big enough to eat we do. Except pike, which the Swedish don't consider humanly edible so they hang them in the trees for the bears. Actually I have eaten pike as a boy, and after treatment to make them edible, they are a very tasty white fleshed fish I seem to remember. Regards, Mike.

Nea said...

I eat the pike! Prefer it to the perch!

Unknown said...

Well there's usually more of it. Love, Pa.