Swandives

Easter Show trout, originally uploaded by Swandives.

So what does the Sydney Royal Easter Show have to do with fishing? Well, generally not a lot. This year, however, there were more than a few links. Firstly, I was able to buy a Rapala lure and a new fishing jacket, an oilskin with loads of pockets.

But my favourite part was the Central District produce display (which was awarded second prize in the competition - nice one). The area takes in, among other places, Barrington Tops, where I’ve caught some lovely little trout. The streams there aren’t very wide, but don’t let that fool you. Another tip if you’re fishing up in those parts: watch out for the leeches! Take a salt shaker with you because they’re relentless little bloodsuckers and you know about it if they get in your waders…hehe.

As you can see, Swandives is in the middle of a renovation. The swan is gone, as they say (fitting really, given this blog’s title), replaced by a picture of a magnificent rainbow trout. That’s right - we’re changing identity to all things fishing. I’m still working out whether and how I’ll archive content but expect to see more piscatorial prattle from now on.

Speaking of which, the rats (that’s fisherman speak for young kingfish) are still running in Sydney Harbour. My husband and I watched a marauding kingie only two metres off the shoreline from Kurraba Wharf in Neutral Bay a few days ago. And one sliced through my line while I was reeling in on Sunday. I was after bream so wasn’t geared up for a kingfish. Minimal lead, long shank hook and some frozen squid were the order of the day. Of course, I immediately whacked on a wire trace and live yellowtail (a type of baitfish that kingfish love) but by then he was long gone. The day I land that elusive kingie will be a very proud moment.

The only other time I’ve actually hooked a kingfish was when I was 10. My sister and I had been allowed out by ourselves in the tinny for the very first time. That in itself was very exciting! We anchored off Smedley’s Point in Manly Cove and dropped over our handlines. About halfway down … bang! It was as if a whale had taken off with my line. Of course, I pulled too hard, snapped the line and the fish got away. But the fish then swam around underneath our tiny tinny for what seemed like hours but in reality was probably only 10-15 minutes. I have a vivid memory of peering over the side to come eye to eye with a giant kingfish! It looked giant to my 10-year-old self anyway. In the end we upped anchor rushed home to tell mum and dad, who weren’t half as excited about it all as we were. I suspect dad was a bit upset that we’d hooked this fish when he wasn’t there to help us.

We didn’t have a landing net in the boat, otherwise I’d have given it a red-hot go, but I still lie awake at night and think about whether I’d have been able to wrestle that fish into the boat. A real one-that-got-away moment.

The beloved and I regularly talk to each other on IM - it’s like a creative lifeline/brains trust that lets you communicate all those random thoughts that occur to you during the day, but which you inevitably forget at the end of the all when the ‘Hi honey, how was you day’ conversation occurs. And every now and again, amidst the generalities of everyday existence, I’m given a nugget that reminds me why I married the man. Here’s today’s:

i am listening to joy division … and once again realise that possibly no other band will ever come close to their greatest moments … and they make me want to write .. because they make me realise art can be transcendent and stories - pain, beauty, joy, love and all those other emotions - somehow need to be fitted to pages … so people can breathe …

Hear ye, hear ye! Transmissions (aka inane ramblings) are about to cease as Swandives undergoes an extreme makeover and is becomes a full-time fishing blog. That’s the plan, anyway. I haven’t been updating much lately because, well, I’ve been fishing. And I think it makes sense to focus on one particular topic.

Plus, it’s a good excuse to change my theme again…hehehe.

Happy New Year! You know, I really should be the kind of person who scoffs at new year resolutions as being completely vacuous and silly but that’s not the case. I love a good new year resolution! I always make a few, and inevitably fail to keep a couple. The longest standing has been to obtain my boat licence - I have had this on my list for at least the past 15 years!

But this year, I am determined. And in order to give myself a kick up the bum and actually accomplish them, I am posting them here. No doubt in 12 months I’ll look back and chuckle at the complete futility of it all but I can’t take the chance that this action won’t motivate me to new resolution completion heights! So here it goes. Resolutions for 2009:

• * Obtain my boat licence - I have already completed the compulsory safety course, so now all I gotta do is pass the test. Good start huh?
• * Become fit enough to run another half marathon - just to prove the first one wasn’t a fluke. Fitness levels at rock bottom right now so I’m essentially starting from scratch.
• * Read Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. Then Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Did you know I have never even seen the film?
• * Play field hockey - this is a big one. I haven’t played hockey for 17 years and the game has changed radically in that time. But it’s on the list anyways.
• * Travel to New Zealand to go fly fishing for trout.

That’s probably enough for one year don’t you think? Got any resolutions of your own?

Like many people, I’m always on the lookout for specials in the supermarket. As a consumer, I’m only loyal to a handful of brands (my loyalty is fierce, mind you) - the rest is all about whatever’s on special that week.

Sometimes, however, specials seem to defy common sense. Take this example:

Two for less than the price of one

A single pack of Golden Crumpets costs $2.59. If you buy two packs, it costs just $2. Bargain!

But whether it was some loss-leading marketing ploy or the store really needed to move those crumpet stocks quickly, I am in two minds about this special. The tight-arse in me loves that crumpets are just a dollar a pack. Another part is really quite appalled that it costs more to buy one item than two. It defies common sense. Plus, it encourages people to buy more than they need, which in turn leads to either to waste (if it’s not eaten and subsequently thrown away) or weight gain (assuming you do eat them, with lots of butter and honey…mmm…sorry, I’m projecting).

It’s a bit like when you go to the cinema, where buying smaller portion sizes often ends up costing more than ‘upsizing‘. My tastebuds love the idea, but my I have a sneaking suspicion it’s not as good as it seems on the surface.

I was noodling about on Facebook - with the new design, you really have to go looking for your apps so it had been a while since I’d checked in on LOLcats. I took a gulp of water, clicked ‘new kitty plz’ and this one came up.

more animals

I almost sprayed my wee Macbook!

Human rights. It’s a pretty big deal. It’s one of the reasons journalists are always harping on about The Great Firewall of China, which censors internet content and (in)famously marked the moment when Google went against its corporate values and became evil.

And if the Federal Government has its way, Australia will soon have a great firewall of its own.

At the moment ACMA is trialling an ISP-level filtering system which, ostensibly, is aimed at helping parents protect kids from the more unsavoury aspects of the web. I can understand the challenges parents face in this regard - it’s a bit of a minefield if you’re not technically savvy, and kids generally have it all over mum and dad/gran and pop when it comes to Net nous. The worry, however, is the ‘ISP-level filtering’ aspect.

The problem with the plan currently on trial is what starts out as a mild-mannered idea to save the children ends up as internet policing. It’s not so big a jump to go from this level of filtering to filtering for copyright breaches, for example. It’s known in industry parlance as scope creep. Innocuous enough under normal standards. Far from it when we’re talking about our right to access the internet as an essential service. Call me cynical, but I don’t believe it will stop at saving da kiddies.

Filtering would be mandatory in homes and schools and would be based on a blacklist of prohibited content. The arguments can get quite technical but it boils down to expense, slowing everything down and the potential for sites to be incorrectly filtered.

Electronic Frontiers Australia has set up a campaign webpage at http://nocleanfeed.com. I must admit, I’ve signed the petition. And you can follow all the commentary on Twitter if you’re registered - just search for #nocleanfeed.

Found on YouTube: Footage from the Leeds festival of Adam Hills‘ (from Spicks & Specks on the ABC) standup where he sends his prosthetic leg off crowd surfing while he sits on stage and sings Footloose. Very amusing! A mild warning: the language is understandably colourful, but only if you’re very easily offended.