I was too tired to write last night, and I'd had more than a few sherberts so I thought I'd catch up this morning.  Sandra went to the garden show in Birmingham yesterday; I was going to go with her but she didn't seem to want that.  I think she values her independence these days, and that's not  a bad thing.  After our morning walk across the fields to Pontyclun and back, I had a lesuirely breakfast and decided to go fishing on the lake.  It was a beautiful morning, a little overcast, but warm and no wind.  I set up on peg 14.  The carp were lying under the bushes; I could see them clearly.  I fed some corn and watched as they mopped it up.  I baited with meat.  My float shot under and after a struggle, I netted a lovely crucian carp.  I admired it for a while before gently placing back in the water.  Good!!  This is what I had come to catch.  It's exciting catching the bigger carp, but you need to use heavy tackle and that's not my scene.  I like my 13ft rod and light reel.  I've recently upped my line strengh to 6lb and my hook size to 12s or 10s and that's plenty big enough for me.  The thought of using a carp rod and heavy line is not for me.  Anyway, my next fish was a big carp; a big common actually.  He took my offering and fought me for a while, trying to use the roots and the lillies, but eventually I managed to net him and he was a beauty; all of 10lbs.  I waited for him to recover and then lowered him into the water and watched as he swam away; what a lovely sight!!  The action continued; I caught more crucians, lost a couple of big fish, and banked another common.  In between I had some cracking roach, rudd, and a fair size perch; and all on meat.  Around 12-00 a few drops of rain hit the lake.  I'd had enough for one morning and decided to pack up.  By the time I'd reached the car, the rain was falling heavily.

After lunch; Sandra had left me a casserole; see she does love me!!  Anyway, I had a little doze and when I woke up, I started writing my Phil The Post article for the District Diary.  I thought long and hard, but decided to theme it around Post Office closures.  The subject came easily and I finished the piece just short of 800 words.

Ron came round this evening and he talked for a while.  He's going to look after Suki whilst we're in Cuba.  Sandra brought some plants back and then dropped into the conversation that  she had ordered an expensive garden swing.  I'm not as sure about this independent faze any more!!