The One That Got Away

During a past summer, Robert, Rod and myself travelled down to Mornington to embark on a fishing experience.  This is the story of the one that got away.

Now, before I go on, I need to explain how diametrically opposed these two friends are : Robert and Rod.  The only similarities are that their names both begin with R.  

Lets Start with Robert.  Robert is one who is most dignified and cultured.  Rumour has it that he descended from the Royal family (still to be confirmed).  At home, i will find him drawing a castle or playing the violin or polishing his Queen Anne couch.  But, above all, his faith  in God inspires me every day.

Let's move on to Rod.  Rod is one who is the quintessential bachelor.  As soon as you walk in the house and past the line of fishing rods, you can sense that he is unique.  But, above all, his faith in God inspires and encourages me.

So, back to the story.  We hiked for a kilometre or two to a river.  For some reason, I was the designated one to carry the bait and equipment all the way (I am still bitter).  Anyways, when we arrived at the river, the conditions were pristine.  The birds were chirping, the water was sparkling and the sun bathed us in its warmth.  With much excitement, I baited my hook and cast the rod with much vigour.   Sort of.   The hook caught on the collar of my shirt and the line tangled around me.

So, on my second attempt, I cast my rod again.  The hook flew through the air and across the river and landed on the other side of the river.  So, I slowly reeled in the line; when all of a sudden, a blur of grey ran out of a bush and bit my hook.  A moorhen came from nowhere and grabbed my bait.  Hook, line and sinker.  

Now, according to wikipedia, "Moorhens, sometimes called marsh hens, are medium-sized water birds which are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Gallinula.^[1]They are close relatives of coots, and because of their apparently nervous behavior (frequently twitching tail and neck) are sometimes called "skitty coots". Often, they are referred to as (black) gallinules.Moorhens can walk very well on strong legs, and have long toes that are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces.

These birds are omnivorous taking plant material, small animals and eggs. They are aggressively territorial during the breeding season, but are otherwise often found in sizeable flocks on the shallow vegetated lakes they prefer."

Now, let us pause and consider what is happening.  I am in the beautiful Mornington Peninsula wiht two good friends on a fishing experience.  Now, generally, fishing, according to wikipedia, is the "activity of catching fish."  But, instead, I have caught a hen or a bird!  

So, I had no choice but to reel in this moorhen to retrieve my hook.  As I stood on the jetty and reeled in my line, the moorhen had other ideas and tried to fly away.  The battle was set.  A five foot uni student on a jetty versus a medium - sized water hen in the air.  It was vicious; but eventually, I won.  Sort of.  After I reeled in the moorhen onto the jetty, Rod pinned it down and tore the hook out.  By that time, the moorhen was quite violent and scratched Rod's hands quite badly.  But, Rod was brave and once the hook was removed, the moorhen was released and got away.

So, ends the story of the One that Got Away.  

NOTE : To all environmentally conscious readers, the moorhen is fine.

2nd NOTE : To all non-envrionmentally conscious readers, Rod is fine

Welcome to my nephew Eloi Simeon Grace

Proud parents Tim and Jacqui

Proud Uncle Andrew with his newphew Eloi (who has  a strong grip on his finger)

A New Superhero

Have you ever been asked what superhero you would be?  I would be Gadget Man.  You may not have heard of him.  There have been other superheroes, such as Batman, Superman, Ironman or Spiderman.  But, Gadget Man is who I would be.  Basically, Gadget Man owns all the gadgets of the world and has them at his disposal to save the world from its problems.  Perhaps the heat wave has begun to mess with my head.  Basically, I hang my head in shame and admit I LOVE MY GADGETS.  Let me explain.

 Here are my 3 favourite gadgets : 

1.          GPS (Global Navigational System) : Tom Tom One XL.  Really Cool.  This GPS has the ability to guide me to any street or location in Australia.  I have the ability to choose what voice to hear and can decide what is the best route to travel.  Whenever I am lost, MY GPS can find my location and guide me home safely.

2.         Another one of my favourite gadgets is my 80 Gb Ipod Classic.  At the time, this was the high end of the Ipod range.  With the ability to play a myriad of podcasts, all my music, videos, TV shows, games and store my vast collection of photos.  This Ipod was a status symbol which I cherished, that is until the iphone was released .  Now my Ipod Classic has been relegated to stand aside common gadgets.

3.         Finally, my phone.  The ubiquitous accessory that every human being must have.  It is a Nokia 6500 slide phone.  Black Finish with Carl Zeiss Lens for its 2.5 Mb camera.  This phone basically exudes coolness and sophistication.  That is until the Nokia N96 is released with its touchscreen and slide out QWERTY keyboard. ( I am salivating already)

Sad, isn't it?  I love my family and friends but I love my gadgets as well.  In one sentence, I am applying the word love to my beautiful family and friends and then to lifeless pieces of metal and plastic.  It is so easy to have this continuous lack of contentment trying to have the latest model or trendiest fashion.  I found such delight in my gadget until the next model was released, which was a week later.  This can easily be applied to what I wear, what I drive or how I appear.

There is this quote from the Bible that says, "For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."  By no means is this saying that we should throw away all our gadgets and all our possessions; but, I think it helps to place a priority and perspective on everything around us.  Technology changes and trends come and go; but family and friends remain (and they cannot be upgraded).  In the last few days, this nation has faced a terrible tragedy in the form of bushfires which showed no regard for status or income; where everything has been lost.  There is a further quote in the Bible, "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."  Whether I own much or have lost everything,  I am grateful for the life God has given me and the blessing of family and friends.

Well, this blog must end; my phone has finished charging and my ipod has finished syncing.