Fishing.

I landed a few fish this weekend.

I've used the fishing analogy for writing a few times now, and I think it generally holds true. This time, however, I mean actual fish. A couple of Australian Sea Salmon, and some smaller flathead which I threw back in.

I hadn't taken my rods and reels with me for the weekend trip, but once I was down there I decided I wanted to fish. I bought a small hand reel and bait, and stood on the small jetty for a few hours and chatted casually with the others that fished nearby.

Makes me want to go fishing more often. My wife dropped down to see me at the jetty and told me how relaxed I seemed.

The salmon we later pan-fried in butter, and they were delicious.

As for my metaphoric fishing lines? No new bites there. Sigh. The editors make me wait.

Vale: Jon Lord.

We have lost Jon Lord.

When I was a teenager, a friend and I would occasionally go on weekend fishing trips. On one such trip, up at Eildon, we met this other guy who was also fishing. The three of us sat around the fire at night and listened to music.

This is the first time I recall really hearing Deep Purple. He played us Made in Japan, and I loved it. I traded a Kiss album for the Deep Purple double live album a few days later. I still think it was a great deal for me.

Over the years I've seen the band around seven times. I was lucky enough to see the Mark 2 lineup in their 1984 Perfect Strangers tour. In 1999, I was in the tenth row at Rod Laver Arena. Every time Jon Lord hit the low notes on his Hammond organ and the leslie speakers started spinning, you could feel it right through your stomach.

Amazing.

Don Airey is a fine and fitting replacement.But Jon Lord's Hammond organ sound was so integral to Deep Purple that they were never quite the same after he retired.

And now he has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Tonight I will raise a glass to his memory and listen to some of his finest moments.

Using The Right Bait.

I've just spent a week holidaying at Merimbula. A splendid time indeed, and I didn't really have internet access. There was a signal, but it took 5 minutes or more to load each page - if it loaded at all.  In the end I decided to ignore the outside world and get on with my relaxation.

I know I've previously used the fishing metaphor in regards to writing, but it really hit home a couple of times this week as I stood in the surf creating storylines and hoping to catch some dinner. Over the week I tried a couple of styles of fishing this week. Once I was with some other people, lines straight down into the water.  A few nibbles but little success. Except for one guy, who seemed to have no technique, no skill or experience, was using the same rods and bait as me but was just reeling them in. Sigh.

I've had those nibbles from editors while I've seen a couple of others sell their first story.

I tried surf fishing too. Lots of casts, with the occasional strike.  I was able to reel in a couple, only to lose them in the surf right in front of me. Reminds me of the seven months one of my stories was on hold before the editor slipped off the hook at the last minute.

Another day I tried the same thing and actually caught a couple. Same technique, same place, just a different day.  I have no idea why they were biting that morning and not the previous day.

But it all comes down to persistence. Changing things around, switching baits, hooks, seeking advice from those that know the waters and keep throwing those lines back in the water.

And yes, I had a feast of freshly caught tailor one night.  Delicious it was.

Just watch out for the sharks.