Justice, HLA 85 and Moss

A new medium for the Spinners this week. Ever the creatives they've branched out to the medium of pop art with this composition coincidentally titled "The Spinners"



Well Jury Service was a non event. Held in an ante chamber for six hours while legal types wrangled in the adjacent court only to be told that the trail had been cancelled and we could all go home for the two we that we had been summoned. I don't know what costs are incurred in the cancellation of a trail at crown court but it has happened forty seven times this year. Judge Judy returns home to tend her roses, and clerks, ushers and counsel repair to iron capes and buff up wigs. While we're on the formalities of court isn't the whole wig and cape thing a tad archaic? it's all a bit like George the third does batman. Surely in this day and age we could have some more contemporary garment possibly with a name and number on the back to signify their role in court.

It's just a thought.

The world of justice's loss was the world of wood's gain as the best machine of 2017 was put into action to split enough logs for next winter and part of the one after that.

You will note the Nordic method of log stacking employed on the stack on the left.

And the Bransbury method by our back door.

Mayfly fishing has been productive with over a hundred fish on the bank by the end of the month. Currently fish are preoccupied with spent mayfly and lie doggo for much of the day to feed after five. We have also experienced some heavy hatches of medium olives with sherry spinners falling on the water in the evening. Weed growth continues to be prolific and we have more ranunculus in flower than for some years although we have gradually tweaked the hatch on the Mill house closed as the small surplus of flow that we enjoyed at the beginning of the month recedes. Water clarity is very good with no sign of any foam and relatively little of the insidious brown algae that rises from the river bed in sunny conditions to break up in broken water and taint the river. An indication that the river had a reasonable "scrub behind the ears" over the winter.

Whisper it quietly but Command centre central have finally acknowledged that substantial numbers of swans are impacting upon the biodiversity of precious chalk streams. A trial scheme on the neighbouring Avon in which broods were limited to a pair of chicks under licence has proved so successful that it is to be rolled out to other rivers. Thirty swans on a beat will strip the river clean of weed, particularly ranunculus, causing a detrimental impact to the invertebrate population that calls ranunculus home and subsequently on the fish and bird populations that feast upon the invertebrates, This isn't supposition, it has happened all too often in recent decades particularly on several tributaries of the Avon. More licences are to be issued to limit the number of eggs a pair of swans can produce and yes it all sounds a bit Chairman Mao but swans f the requisite size to roll out such a scheme that maintains a stable population of an animal impacting upon biodiversity in the chalk stream. Effective fishery management,

or keepering as it was once known.

A week or so ago I received a call from Madam on her evening ritual of taking a walk in order to reintroduce herself to the outside world after the madness and stress of working in a Primary School that is severely financially stretched.

She had found a young owl sitting in the middle of the track so could I come and take a look. We live in a particularly owl rich part of the world and we've previous in this. It was a young tawny owl who had fallen out of its tree, Tawny owls are relatively good parents and will feed the chick on the ground or help it to a higher place. We undertook a watching brief for a few hours but with the light fading and Reynard on the prowl we took the decision to pop him in a pen and throw chicken at him each evening as the light faded. He was off his legs for twenty four hours but has gained in vigour with each passing day and is currently practising flapping his wings with an eye to possibly taking flight in a week or so.

It's been a while since we did any product placement so here goes. I was once a little sniffy regarding rechargeable equipment for use up the river. Battery life, build quality, the ability to carry out the task for which it has been designed. But all that has now changed. What was the cause of this damascene moment?

The recent purchase of the Stihl HLA 85 Pole Hedge cutter. With the Partridge upon me I'd like to espouse the two hours of battery life produced by the Ap 200 unit the tremendous build quality and maximum telescopic length of three metres.

That's the Stihl HLA 85 everyone

(Come on Stihl you can reciprocate accordingly for this plug)

No noisy engine so every word of Test Match Special can be heard

(Come on ECB no third test against Pakistan and over a month before the next Test Match - nuts!)

No exhaust fumes and the knowledge that with each trim of the fringe, planet earth is that little bit safer.

The Stihl HLA 85

Names currently under consideration for impending new puppy:

Stihl HLA 85
Judge Judy
The Defendant
Errol
Graeme Swann

Only all this careful consideration over names is not now required.

Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Moss!

Kennel name - Maurice Moss Have you tried turning it off and on again?

He's full on and goodness you forget how much work is involved with bringing up a pup. Otis has taken to him, although dips out of some of the more energetic activities which is only to be expected for a dog of such venerability.



Apologies but it's loin cloth, cave and shaking fist at outside world time again.

On three occasions this season, and we're only five weeks in, I have had anglers say to me that they had fished at such and such a place recently and had not seen a fish. Negotiating the banks had been a mission in itself and they were considering giving up their rod that they had held for some years. They were three separate stretches of chalk stream.

It is a worrying trend that some seem to have gone over big when exposing themselves to the cult of "re-wilding".

Call me a crank if you wish, but chalk streams must be managed if biodiversity is to be maximised.

How do I know this?

because in thirty two years that I have been falling in and out of this river I have been asked to look at several stretches of chalk stream that have not been managed for a number of years. One not far from here was a tree lined tunnel void of all weed with rudimentary aquatic life that was vastly improved after two weeks of going bananas with a chainsaw. It now has weed, an increased number of invertebrates and a population of trout and grayling that each year undertake the rigours of spawning.

Under management of chalk streams can be as detrimental as over management, the right balance must be sought if the habitat is to thrive and biodiversity maximised.

Keepering they used to call it - you've done that one - ed.

The principle source of income to fund this important work is derived from angling. Dressing up as Dickie the Damsel Fly to give guided tours of a broken chalk stream won't provide sufficient funds for the annual habitat management that must be undertaken if these rivers are to thrive.

I've said it on here before, but the work of a river keeper is now about providing safe and productive fishing in a manner that is sympathetic to the chalk stream environment.

Reports suggest that some stretches have become a right old shambles, and on a personal note if we look up rather than down, in five or ten years time there may be much needed work for the likes of myself restoring some order to some stretches that perhaps went in too deep with regard to the cult of re-wilding.