Fishing at the Southend drain

When I was a kid I remember going fishing here a fair bit. Mainly with my mum, or my Gran. Gran lived in Southend, and we'd spend a lot of time here in the holidays.

It seemed fitting that I ended up here in the afternoon with my daughters on Mothers Day on a whim. I can't remember who's idea that was, but after the idea had stewed around in my brain, I quickly packed the car and we were down the road.

Such a peaceful place despite the sound of motorbikes buzzing about when we got there.

Summer and Brett are not the most patient of fisher people. Isabel and I are kindred spirits when it comes to fishing. As the rain set in around five o'clock, she and I donned our jackets and hoods and would not budge. The other two sitting in the car reminding us it was raining(like we didn't know that), and Summer could be clearly heard complaining in the back seat.

We had already caught two good mullets, and the fish had gone off the bite but I didn't want to spoil Isabel's determination and perseverance. I know that feeling oh so well, she is just like me when it comes to fishing. We could stand there all day. I guess it shows we have hope, faith and persistence. It's not such a bad thing.

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Rate of Knots

I stood at the jetty for almost five hours yesterday. Didn't catch a thing.

You can't say I am not persistent. I could see the fish swimming around the burley bag I had dangling in the water, but they weren't biting. 

It reads the same the last few times I've been fishing.

It's starting to get me down. I could say why I think it's getting me down, but I know why. 

It's because this time I was getting time out on my own. I just wanted to my time out to count, for something. I should have just sat there and been happy to be, but I just wanted to catch a bloody fish. I wanted to go home with something to show for my time out.

Maybe I should have gone out and taken photos or something. The last few times I have driven to Southend, where I go fishing, I've driven past the Rivoli wetlands, where I've seen a white water bird in the same spot. She must be guarding a nest. Or it could be a he? It's becoming a warm, familiar sight. I should have had my camera with me. I realise I have thought that every time I've seen that bird, and I know exactly what I am doing the next time I have some free time up my sleeve. 

At least I'd have something to show for it. I should have taken my camera to the jetty. Crayfish (lobster) season started a week ago, and the jetty is abuzz at the moment. So much to take photos off, but alas I have nothing to show for my five hours, out of the house and alone.

I can be grateful though, as while I was out Brett mowed the lawn, cleaned up the living area, even mopped the floor and did a load of washing. THAT is a load off for starters. 

I didn't mention I saw a hawk in our backyard this morning!! So it apparently means I need to look at the big picture and not get bogged down with the smaller details. If only my brain would stop stressing about the small details! 

I am in disbelieve at the rate of knots this last half of the year is flying by. I was looking forward to the last term being over and done with, I got my wish. Really it's gone by in the blink of an eye, and so has the first week of school holidays. I am feeling like I am treading water constantly. One more term to go, I cannot believe I am thinking about christmas holidays already! There is so much to happen between now and then. Our gymnastics club annual concert, christmas in the gym, the kids school concerts. I can see this term flying by too.

The long weekend we spent camping in the bushland camps in Southend. We were there for the start of the cray fishing season, the boats sounded like airplanes taking off, as they ventured out in the early hours for the first time in six months. We watched the AFL grand final by the campfire, and the kids swam in the ocean for the first time in months. It was a great couple of days, if you ignore the two days of washing. My chicken breasts cooked over campfire coals were amazing! 

We camped, as someone rented our holiday house, which meant more washing as I went there on the Tuesday following to change bedding. The kids fought almost the whole time, which added to my need for time out.

We're off to the theatre to catch an interractive show of the Wizard of Oz today. Hoping that goes well. I may need some shopping therapy afterwards, or at least some junk food at maccas. Lord knows, that crap never satisfies. 

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Knock Knock

I am not a great joke teller. My tongue tends to trip over itself all the time, I don't have that flow of words, or I am just crap at remembering the lines. I used to start laughing before I finished the joke and had trouble finishing the punch line. It just didn't work.

I admire people, and a couple come to mind, that always have a joke to tell. It's their thing, and I don't know how they remember them all.

I hear a great joke, and ten seconds later, it's gone! Wiped from my memory forever!

We all sat in bed together the other morning, cracking each other up with 'Knock Knock' jokes.

I don't know where Isabel picked it up from, but her go to joke is The Interrupting Cow. She cracks herself up with it, and seems way too pleased after executing it. She actually tells it amazingly well. I am proud. It goes like this -

Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Interrupting Cow.

Interrupt...

MOO!

When I was younger I loved joke books. I remember borrowing just about every book on the shelf, and then annoying the heck out of my family. 

I distinctly remember sitting at the kitchen table, reading jokes from one of those joke books. My mum was pottering in the kitchen, and I must have been driving her bonkers with my jokes.

I am fine delivering them straight from a book, but from the top of my head. No.

I can still appreciate a good joke book, and yes, none of them every stay in my memory, except The Interrupting Cow.

Isabel is quite shy though and wouldn't tell her joke in company over the weekend. Brett and I told it and it wasn't the same. 

We stayed at Casa Pelicano (our holiday house in Pelican Point) over the weekend and had a few visitors drop in. Go away, and we have more visitors than we do at home!

On Saturday arvo, some of them joined us down the beach for some surf fishing. Brett got so excited about the HUGE fish he had on his line, which turned out to be a sting ray. Fair to say we let this one go, but the kids had a ball checking it out and watching it returning to the sea, eventually. 

I could add a sting ray joke in here, but the ones I googled mostly refer to Steve Irwin, and I'm not going there, so here's a lame arse fish joke instead -

What's the difference between a piano and a fish?
You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish.

What did the fish say when it swam into a wall?
Dam!

Where do shellfish go to borrow money?
The prawn broker!

Why did the whale cross the road?
To get to the other tide.

I know, sorry that was more than one...aren't you glad you're not my mother?

Joining in with Denyse this week for #lifethisweek

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Moana beach and a wedding

We spent a little time by the beach during the holidays, despite the fact Spring really hadn't sprung in South Australia and it was still rainy, COLD and windy. We did see some sunshine briefly, but like they say, wait five minutes and you will have four seasons in one day.

I was in awe of this fantastic wood carving in Meningie, created by Millicent's own Ant Martin.
The Ant Trail

We stayed by the beach at Moana, south of Adelaide, for a family wedding in the first week of holidays. The marriage of my neice Claire was held at a winery in the McLaren Vale wine region. She married a Danish lad, Sam, who's family are all outrageously good looking. It was a fantastic wedding, though aren't they all in their own respective ways. It special when it's family.

Our place settings double up as our bonbennieres.  

Izzy and I woke early in the morning and went for a walk on the beach. With the rough weather, the usually beautiful sand was gone and the beach was covered with rocks. I like collecting rocks from beaches all over the place.

In the second week of the holidays I took the girls fishing. Izzy is as keen as mustard, but Summer not so much. We went to the Southend drain with no luck and then to the jetty. It has been so wet, the drain is more fresh water than salt. The fish don't like it.

Summer sat in the car playing with my phone because she was too scared to go on the jetty. We caught a couple of slimy cod which weren't much to write home about. They tasted good!

             All the brown, fresh water running out to sea. It's so brown from the dirt that has been washed away from other swelling drains and paddocks. We've had a ridiculous amount of rain.

Izzy had pink hair for the holidays! 

Life this week....

Who hasn't had a go at Shoebox yet? 

The new way to store and share your memories. It's a lot of fun to create entertaining slideshows of your treasured pics. You can link and pull photos straight from your Facebook or Instagram accounts. It's easy.

I am excited about it because my blogging friend Denyse is starting a new linky on a Monday, called Life this week. This is the perfect way for me to easily share what's been happening, in a neat way. I am practicing for it already!

Her linky will be making it's debut on September 12th. Write it in your blogging calendar!

_______________________________

My sister had a birthday last week. We are the same age for the next two weeks, after which I will turn 44. That number is really uncomfortable to say. I tend to live in denial mostly, and am always having to actually think about how old I am. How did I get here?

I made her a salted caramel chocolate tart. It's based on a Valli Little recipe, called Forest Gump tart, mostly relating to life being like a box of chocolates, hence the Lindt and Ferreros on top.

Summer cut her darn hair, mainly her beautiful fringe. The good thing is that hair grows. Not fast enough.

She had two days of Book Week dress ups, one of those days she insisted on going as Spider Girl, who ever that is. Surely out there somewhere has written her into a book!? I didn't care, she was happy. THAT'S ALL THAT COUNTS....says Mummy's sanity.

Luckily Izzy only had to dress up once. She was happy to be The Little Mermaid, and we have the book! Her best friend went as Ariel too, they were mermaid twins.

We stayed at our holiday house in Pelican Point on the weekend. Sunrise, sunsets, fishing and beach walks. 

What has your week looked like?

McLennans Punt on the Glenelg River

If you missed my last post, we went camping over the weekend.

The gorgeous scenery made up for the amount of rain we had.

A man from another camp site came looking for me, having seen me taking photos the previous day, to let me know there was a pelican perched on a post in the morning. Just Izzy and I were up, so I ditched making breakfast to head down to the landing.

We toured the Princess Margaret Rose caves also and the first photo is from the lookout on the river view walk.

Important #fmy52weeksofmemories

I've been needing to get away from the house AND kids for some time for myself. It's has been obvious to me that I need to. It hasn't happened and is something I am going to have to organise, because I have been a total crabby McStabby and well because MENTAL HEALTH.

My quick getaway for the day is usually fishing. I think I'll be needing more than a day away though.

Over the weekend we all went fishing. Fishing with kids is far from calming, although I was happy to have all my kids along for the ride this day. We had heaps of bites, but didn't catch a thing. We tried at the drain and then at the jetty, where all I got was snagged, twice, and lost all my hooks and a sinker.

Even though we didn't catch anything, I was in my happy place. I spent a lot of time here when I was a kid. By the beach and fishing, the seaside really is one of my good for the soul places.

Everyone was happy and together, that is just a important to me as having some time out for myself.