crayfisherman's reward

 

David's patience has been rewarded at last.

After many fruitless trips to check his pots and raging over the unsportsmanlike types who may be pulling the pots for him - today he cracked it!

And the secret is to get up very early.

Here's today's catch - a jumbo weighing 2.16 Kg - proudly exhibited to those of us who don't get up early:

 

Willow is interested but she knows from experience you don't mess with those big fellows.



outside table finished

Rory supplied the timber and David did the finishing.


It's a slab of pinus halepensis (Aleppo pine) with an interesting history.
In the late 1880s the McGowans of Strathdownie in Victoria went to Robe South Australia to collect a shipment of tree seedlings which had arrived there by boat. On the return journey they had to go through customs at the SA/Vic border.

The much-travelled trees grew well until last year the current owners decided to cut down a few and Rory went over with his bush mill to do the job, his reward being large slabs of timber, one of which he gave to us. Others will go into the new house he is building at Cape Douglas.

 

David removing dust from the repeated sandings, a leg hanging on the right

Eight coats of plastic later the table was installed on our house deck and we had a ceremonial launch with Rory and Di.

At this time of the year, any outside function needs a can of Aerogard



fishermen at work

 

Daisy and Chris are determined to learn the fine points of fishing - and who better than the master himself to instruct them.

Here they are, life-jacketed and hatted, out the front of Beechwood hard at it:

And here they are several hours later with FIFTY FIVE tommy ruffs to scale and clean.
Some jobs are a labour of love.