Transient Towpath Trudging - Pt.77 (Carp)

I like my tea hot, strong and in a big old dirty mug. It's an indication of character, is that. Shows I'm dead common. I realised just how common when I saw this lad on the telly, dressed in full Japanese gear, demonstrating the Japanese Tea Ceremony. There's more to it than sticking the little finger in the air and not cooling the tea in the saucer. The whole thing is a ritual, right from the brewing of the tea, the kind of pot and cup you use, to the way you pour it and drink it.

The aim of the ritual, which is about 900 years old, is to bring on a contemplative mood, and to bring hosts and guests into perfect harmony. There are even different forms of ceremony for different times of the day. Even more interesting though was the fact that the lad on the box who was about as Japanese as I am, makes a living from demonstrating and lecturing on the ceremony.

Suddenly a whole new career opened up in front of me: demonstrating to a waiting world the ancient British angling ceremonies. It wouldn't cost me a penny in costumes: I'd already got 'em. Apart from a couple of items I could rescue before the dustbin men came round.

Already I could hear the televised chat show host:

'Our special guest tonight is the distinguished English angler, Mr Mick Newey, who will demonstrate the age-old rituals associated with his mysterious art.

'Mr Newey is wearing the traditional angler's costume: Tatty bobbly hat; anorak decorated with abstract designs formed by the action of gravity on draught bitter and cheese sandwiches; baggy and low-slung trousers and broad-soled wellies with a hole in each toe.

'We shall be talking to Mr Newey later, but first let us look at the ceremonies recorded by our outside broadcast cameras on a typical day's fishing.

'The approach to the water is crowded with ritual. Here we see Mr Newey performing the Stile Leaping Ceremony. There he is at the top of the stile, executing a graceful high kick with his right leg. Listen now to the strange cry he emits between clenched teeth and notice how his eyes suddenly fill with tears.

'See the climax of the ceremony as his left foot slips and he clears the stile in a graceful parabola, falling in a carefully controlled heap.

'Watch him as he crosses the field, performing the Cowpat Skipping Dance, very much akin to the Scottish sword dance; slipping now and again as he makes the inevitable miscalculation. 

See him speed up in the Bull Running Sprint as the lone bullock in the field turns out to be in full possession of its faculties.

'At the water he performs the dangerous Bank Walking Ritual, carefully avoiding all the hidden holes. 

Apart from the last one, which leads him naturally into Welly Emptying and Trouser Wringing.

'The next few ceremonies are self explanatory: Tree Tangling (note the accuracy with which he casts his bait into the topmost branches); Pike Disgorging (note the sudden absence of fingers on the right hand); and Packing Up (note the power of his movements as he kicks his chair up and down the bank).

'We follow him into an ancient British hostelry for the Fibbing Ceremony. See how wide he spreads his arms to an enthralled audience. And in that one, remember, he is only demonstrating the size of the bait.

'This is followed, as always, by the Drowning of the Sorrows. Note the time-honoured Dead Man's Grip on the pint pot. Mark the movement of his Adam's apple in the highly disciplined Triple Slurp. See how the froth sticks to his nose and a dribble of amber, or in this case a barrel aged stout with a proper kick. You see fishing at the moment has taken a bit of a back seat.

The pandemonium in work has resulted in not knowing if I have a job or not in a couple of months. It is the cut throat automotive industry after all, and out of my control too. All over bleeding software issues too which means the business plan has gone to pot. Still no need to worry about it now, I'll put the feelers out and whilst I'm at it better get those 28 off 5.4m deck boards from the front garden through the house and in to the back. 15 years the old ones have been down, but they needed to be replaced. 

I might have plenty of time on my hands soon, lets see !!!

Anyway with the weather lovely and warm again I fancied a walk down to carp corner to see if I could spot any and maybe winkle one out if one was obliging. Simple tactics of a rod, a rucksack and a landing net, with bread placed in the Nash Bread Bomb to try and intercept a carp. 

The weather was perfect for it too, the sun high in the sky illuminating the canal nicely where just shy of 10k steps in 2 and a bit hours I spotted one carp !!!

I returned to this swim at the start of the session because that's where I caught the carp from but there was nothing in situ. It was only when returning to the swim towards the end of the session I spotted the carp. It was skirting the fringes of the spindly reeds and in plain sight !!!

Was is interested though, well what a stupid question as it couldn't have been less interested 😭🤣 because get a bait anywhere near it, it actually did an about-turn and swam away from the bait. Slow sinking and surface bread After it told me where to go a few times I lost sight of it and with the towpath and boats quite busy, boredom eventually took hold and I decided to head home and enjoy the sun in the garden and sup an imperial stout or two instead.