No, I haven’t been on an extended summer break. My father suddenly became unwell and died after just a few weeks, on the day before the Olympics opening ceremony. I’ve not felt up to writing posts, but on this beautifully sunny weekend, I’m feeling a little more like my old self.
I was just reading an article in the Spectator (having torn myself away from Fifty Shades of Grey – believe it or not, a gift from my mother). The piece by John R Bradley maintains that spikes in the world food price index are historically linked to revolutions.
With conspiracy theorists suggesting that global financial meltdown is imminent, I think we need to consider how we’re going to feed ourselves in years to come. In the laid-back Caribbean, I was introduced to a conveniently time consuming and labour-intensive fishing technique that could be the answer…
Method:
1) Take one huge (and I mean really huge) net.
2) Have a motor boat take it out to sea (in the absence of fuel, a rowing boat will suffice).
3) Station two teams of people on the beach, holding onto long ropes at either end of the net.
4) Drag the net towards the beach – and the ends closer together.
5) Use snorkellers to help ensure the net doesn’t get caught on any rocks, and that nothing untoward is caught in the net… Though when it is finally hauled in, there may be the odd lump of coral, starfish… or turtle.
6) Throw protected items back into the sea – and try to scare off any predatory frigate birds.
The catch:
Just a few tiddlers – and barely a square meal for those present.
Come the revolution, they’ll probably be doing this:
Anyway, pure escapism for me was trying to spot a crab as it scuttled across the beach. Funnily enough, crab didn’t appear on the menu at our hotel. These ecosystems – I dunno…
Great to have you back, Susan, you were sorely missed.
Please do write us a review of 50 Shades (it’s too racy for the delicate eyes of men, I’ve heard) – our hits would go through the roof.
Since I hit the twilight zone (Kilroy repeats) I have no practical use for what I understand is a duet between bondage and classical music, and one of them had to go…..but wait, what is this………E L Wisty..sorry James, has given her imprimatur to 50 Shades, The Album. And I used to think that you couldn’t fatten a pig on market day – wrong! The CD has all the ‘numbers’ featured in the tome,
many, as I discovered looking through the list, I considered for tomorrow’s Lazy Sunday on one hit wonders – Delibes’ Flower Duet, Pachelbel’s Canon and that big family favourite by Tallis, Spe*m In Alium(sorry). Classical music needs all the help it can get just now – and I suppose the use of sex, is as good as anything else. It is but a short step from here, to seeing the Tallis Scholars doing a bump and grind on Sunday Service. Now, for the third time in a year, I will ask the editor to prepare my P45. Taxi!
yes a review of 50 shades would be great Susan!!! Great to have you back. I saw a documentary on the indian ocean recently that had keralan fisherman using the same technique but having to row instead of use an outboard motor – the presenter was appalled at the imbalance between the huge amount of calories burned for only a handful of teeny fish. Dynamite fishing looks right upmy street though – I’m actually off fly fishing this afternoon and wouldn’t mind some of that
And mahlerman please do a 50 shades lazy sunday!!
Very sorry to hear about your father Susan…
And meanwhile, to anyone thinking of fishing with dynamite, don’t take the Retriever with you.
I’ll endeavour to come up with some sort of review Brit, though I’ve not quite finished the first volume and there are two more to go… (so far 3 words sum it up: compelling, slow, repetitive.. probably much like BDSM).
Mahlerman, a post on the music in 50 shades would certainly boost The Dabbler with the search engines – so long as you omit the Britney Spears number.
Hope your fishing was a success Worm – no need for dynamite today, the fish were surely dying of heat stroke? Btw – you didn’t have a Retriever?