Aled

Well we knew this day would come. RIP the Queen and condolences to the family.

Talked fishing with a couple of celebs: Sir Ian Botham, Gareth Edwards Kenny Milne, & Robert Croft.

Something strange on the forum threads now ICQ%^565%^ etc. Not seen anything like that before!. Cheers Aled

Great news well done.

well if they are i've got to hand it to them, they have been very very clever, as the field is very close to where i live, and i go past it at all hours of night and day, (i'm a sea trout angler so late nights are not unusual!). If they have good luck to them!

There is one field near me where I've seen a few this summer, they have bred as I've seen a few small ones, i was seeing a few rabbits daily.....haven't seen one for a while now, and nobody shoots these fields, seems rabbits just suddenly disappear! Cheers Aled

Interesting post guys. I think where there is a will there is a way. A good few years ago i got myself into a hole financially (totally self inflicted) anyway i sat down with a pen a paper and crunched some numbers....to continue to enjoy my fishing and shooting i had to make changes somewhere so.....my social life was dramatically reduced, (i was still in my 20's) i bought no luxury's, sky tv went, i used the library, and shopped more savvy, (home brand tesco baked beans are pretty acceptable!)... I ate a lot of sea trout and rabbit that year!!! ...I also drank less beer and lost weight, there's a moral there somewhere!! So perhaps we will have to enjoy our sport within the financial means we have available? Cheers Aled

I know quite a few people who were at one time very keen shots.....now no longer shoot only work their dogs!

Makes sense Poor Shot.

Strangely enough there are lot more ducks on the main river where i go sea trout fishing this year. Is it because many of the smaller ponds may of dried up?

The Black Retriever Cross dog shelter, do rehome to shooting homes, and Battersea dogs home do as well. (unless something has changed)

Well i can give you some good news MInky, it does get better! I had the full snap and a repair operation back in 2001. I went on to play 5 more seasons of rugby, and have enjoyed an active life, fishing shooting, walking etc even done a couple of sprint triathlons. The worse bit was re-learning the coordination of walking and running. It will take hard work, and some physio but it will be OK.

My angling club membership is declining, we used to have a 16 year waiting list, now anybody who wishes to join can do so immediately.

Nice one! I love a rummage in a charity shop, over the years i've found an immaculate game bag which needed a new front strap found a suitable belt for the repair in the belt basket, a lap top bag, a mitchell 206 spinning reel, Hugh Falkus fishing books, wellington boot bag, and some old style cork fishing floats.

There were similar issues in parts of Wales. Some of my friends who were brought up in the coastal parts of Wales moved the whole family into the garage to live for the 6 weeks of the summer holiday....they rented their home out as holiday let during the summer! Tax free cash for 6 weeks. Don't know if it still happens.

You have a point he who pays the piper i suppose, but still doubt it. I may be wrong though!

Doubt that will happen, because as you have said if we re-join now we will have no say in what terms we join under, the EU will carry all the cards. There will be no concessions. There were some concessions under our previous membership, keeping the pound for example.

My parents were before retirement, front line health care workers. Both have stated that investing in education regarding lifestyle choices would save the NHS and indeed the country a lot of money. Cheers. Aled

Mixed feelings here: 1. The first home i tried to buy in rural Wales, i was gazumped and the house was sold at a higher than asked for price for use as a holiday home. 2. When i lived in Cardiff i was told (not nastily by the way) by an indigenous Cantonian (Canton is a part of Cardiff i used to live there and i did buy my house) that he was unable to buy a house in Canton as all you Welsh speakers are moving in here, and as you tend to be better educated than us therefore you can earn more money and buy the houses. So maybe local housing isn't only a Rural issue. 3. Local farmers have in the past been able to buy/build holiday cottages and have brought in visitors which have contributed to the local economy...tourists are money! Does something need to be done. Yes what exactly not sure. Perhaps holiday parks, campsites, chalets, Glamping Pods, and static caravans provided they are sustainably built can possibly offer a middle ground of bringing tourists in, offering local employment, and not affecting the local housing issue. Is there any room left in Rural Wales, where new houses can be built? I know in my area there are some disused brown field areas, which could be used for new homes. Cheers Aled

Boris Johnson to resign as Tory leader but remain as PM until autumn - BBC News

Well i'd never heard of Peter Anderson, but a quick bit of googling and i'm scratching my head and wondering why. Seems he was well known in Game Angling circles. Yes his brush with the law was mentioned.

Hugh Falkus was once banned from the Junction beat of the River Tweed for using a prawn (Ref: Hugh Falkus a Life on the edge by Chris Newton page 249), don't think it ended his career though.

Done a bit of buying and selling on ebay over the years. Got some good bit and bobs, i do have a habit of forgetting to look at the postage price, as sometimes i have not saved money as combined with the post price, the product has not been a bargain! Got some good Altberg boots from ebay. Cheers Aled

+1, at last i got one off my lawn!!!

I've seen 3 this week, one of which was a small one so there are some breeding here in West Wales.