St. Patrick's Day fishing

 In fairness, I'm not too big on St. Patrick's Day celebrations and standing amongst a million other people to maybe catch a glimpse of a parade going by. No thanks.

I do however love fishing, because the amount of people crowding is usually much less.

So this morning, after some time waiting for the Dodder fishing season to open, it was that time at last. And the solitude did not disappoint.

The river flows through Dublin, starting it's journey not too far outside Dublin. It flows into the Bohernabreena reservoirs and then abruptly enters the west of Dublin and flows down past the Aviva stadium and into the Liffey at the entrance to the Grand Canal. While not as famous as it's brother the Plodder, it is much more of a river than the Plodder. 

Angling on the Dodder is managed by the Dodder Angling Association and permits can be bought from most of the tackle shops in Dublin.

Near my home, the Dodder runs through at least three parks in close succession. This morning I decided to visit a spot in the Dodder Valley Park. It's close enough to cycle there, and in fairness, I would much rather park my bicycle right next to me on the river bank than park the car at the entrance and having to walk all the way down with the fishing gear in tow.

So I packed the donkey and saddled up.

And off to the river we rode on the "Fishmobile". 

I am very rusty when it comes to flyfishing. So I will chalk up today to getting the cobwebs out of the gear and re-discovering long lost muscle memory. But even though it was not a very successful trip if measured by the amount of fish caught, it was hugely successful in the clearing of the head and spending quality time in nature. There is nothing as soothing as the sound of a river. At least not today.

Sir Lance-alot, I presume

 As I was washing the car the other day, I was once again struck by how terrible the standard Bosch soap dispenser is. I am also not going to be the one to spend my entire paycheck on a foam lance.

So I started browsing Amazon and came across this one

Does what it says on the tin, really. But does it work?

I'll let you be the judge, but in my opinion it was well worth the 20 squids or so. Does a much better job than the standard Bosch attachment in any event.

Can't wait to let it loose on the bike...

Cars and Coffee Bray - 2nd March 2025

 On the road again!!

Enzo and myself took the bikes out for a spin to the Cars and Coffee meetup in Bray. A couple of very nice specimens were on show, and from what I can gather on the C&C Bray Facebook page, it was one of the best turnouts yet.

My favourite car? Difficult to say. There were so many, and notably no Corvette Stingrays. So, if I have to choose an alternative best for the day, it will have to be this one:

This 1969 Pontiac Firebird just stood out! You could spot it on a mile. Well done to the owner. An absolute beauty!

And here some other pictures of the day.