Warwickshire Avon – Gotch-Gutters and Gullgropers

This wine I was bought from Aldi came in a heavy, premium looking bottle. Unfortunately I found that the liquid inside couldn't quite live up to this. Leafy aromas of cranberry and hedgerow fruit with a waft of tar and chocolate lead into slightly tart flavours of sloe and elderberry. A herbal, minty character and liquorice and tar notes lurk in the background.

Suggestions of unripeness, and lacking much in the way of what you would expect from these two grape varieties. Now 20 minutes in to the mix and mid slurp I’m thinking, I’ve got another 5 hours of this. The right pace, surprisingly musical, and within a short while, oh yes, my mind elsewhere, It’s not all about repetitive beats I tell thee, it's just a shame the wine didn't live up to expectations, luckily then I didn't pay for it.

Now for those not on the same wavelength, Psychill is a downtempo genre that often seeks to reach a state of deep relaxation, close to meditation and lucid dreaming, it utilises various elements of Goa Trance and Psychedelic music in general and typically has a classic Goa kick drum, 303’s sounds, and lush atmospheric pads.

Over your head yet….?

Psychill and much of psychedelic electronica is often created to ingesting of acid, but that’s difficult to achieve when you’re in a 9 to 5.

Taking LSD to transform our brains from a cubicle-laden office of sorts to an open-concept plan where the walls have disappeared, and where users experience strange visions and odd revelations stereotypical hallmarks of a drug trip, probably ain’t a good idea in work is it, however there may be an answer….

….there is a culture happening of late you see, the microdosers. This is where small amount of LSD is consumed to improve work output and alleviate all manner of ills. It is done at doses so low that users experience not hallucinations but instead very subtle changes. 

A hundred or two hundred micrograms of LSD will have people tripping brains, but users generally taking only between five and 20 micrograms, and are able to go about their daily business unimpaired.

Typically, individuals integrate sub-perceptual doses into their weekly routine and often report higher levels of creativity, more energy, increased focus, and improved relational skills.

Many people microdose in order to treat depression or anxiety, with often remarkable results, with some enthusiasts reporting that it helps to heighten spiritual awareness and enhance all five senses.

The research is all there to be seen, it's of benefit….

Now, no assistance to be seen here, as one’s brain is properly tuned in to electronic music and the ‘away from it all’ experience that goes with it. Quite easily I can feel like I’m in a parallel universe with a proper out of body experience, but then lucid dreaming also come naturally, in some way’s I’m very lucky indeed, it’s just the way I’m wired.

Don ones comforting Plantronics, switch the noise cancelling on, very unsociable I know, but I've work to do a job, zone out, boxed ticked….

Talking of zoning out, this stretch of the Warwick Avon I’ve been fishing, seemingly is also a parallel universe. Now a parallel universe is a hypothetical self-contained reality co-existing with one's own, and that’s very much how I see it. Away from civilisation, a community of its own, fishing on my terms, a departure from the railway tracks that is family life. I could probably fish it exclusively for a whole season as I'm sure there are some proper big fish hiding I'm sure of it.

There are some nice holding areas quite close in that I'm sure must hold some decent fish. Now the weather was damp and very wet, so unusual for me but I decided to sit it out most the session under an umbrella, and cannot remember the last time I did that. Having caught Zander here and some good ones in the past, maybe waiting and contemplating would give me a bit of chill-out time which is a rare thing for me these days, especially with ones restless legs.

I had to get out though, so what if there was a bit of rain. So the fishing well, the roach deadbaits went out and within minutes the left hand rod had a tentative take, but either the fish dropped it as it was too big, or if felt something was wrong. Another hour went by and still rain coming down, again another take, this time though the baitrunner was activated and the fish was taking line.

Now Zander bite like that and most of the time after lifting the rod up and feeling the pull of the fish through the line, a mere pull in to the fish is required. I lifted up the rod though, line between thumb and forefinger and nothing happened, the fish was gone.

Hmmmm, not a good session, the rain eased up so after packing up the umbrella I fish four more swim a half hour each without anymore bites. The water was still much clearer than I thought, and for Zander despite fishing quite deep swims probably wasn't ideal conditions. I'm sure live baits or lobs for Perch at another stretch altogether would have been the better choice.

So a blank, and a couple of mediocre visits to the river which isn't good, I need to start making better decisions me thinks....