CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO :
Hello everybody,
Captain Perky speaking,
Thank you for being here, and sorry if you are packed like sardines on the deck, but you are more and more numerous to embark on " Perky Busy Bee " ocean liner !
Anyway, whatever the number of passengers, our cruise has nothing to do with package tours !
No tight schedule : you can stay as long as you want to in one of the stopovers, or just decide to skip it.
No alloted time ! What matters is to respect each passenger's pace.
Whether you are introverted or outgoing, Perky Busy Bee customized service will meet your expectations : either you enjoy the stopovers on your own ( with the best headphones trademark at your disposal (http://dictionary.reverso.net), or you share the visit with as many people as you feel like with the link http://danysteiner.blogspot.com !
Oh, sorry, hang on a sec, I can hear Dearhubby shouting !
" Come on, Perky, stop advertising and let your passengers come to the gangway ! ".
OMG, forgive me ! That's right, time is flying, and Dearhubby is waiting for you to help you down into the dinghies.
Yes, actually this week's port of call is way too shallow for our cruise liner.
But, don't worry, our little boats have all modern conveniences, and in case of emergency,perkybusybee@gmail.com is always available and ready to lead you through the meanders of Funny Fishing Net.
We discovered that river when we were living in Charentes.
You remember in chapter " Hunting Season ", I already told you about that little village where people cultivate vineyards and carpe diem, as well !
Whatever the season, they make the most of it. As soon as Winter comes to an end, they get ready to enjoy river fishing.
All the easier as the countryside is criss-crossed with slow-flowing, fairly deep rivers.
Even though during hunting season we had done our best to forget the saying " When in Rome, do as Romans do ", when Spring came, we thought it could be fun to go fishing.
No sooner said than done.
A visit to the outdoors sports shop, and we had the perfect angler equipment : fishing rods, hooks and baits (yuk, those worms nearly made me sick).
Unfortunately, a few fishing parties later, we had to face the facts : we would not take part in the year fishing championship !
The only things we had been able to catch were weeds and water lilies.
Even worse, when lending an ear, we could hear carps and trouts gossiping about an unexpected flow of worms, and harmful hooks and lines entangled in the reeds...
They were not the only ones to make fun of us. One neighbour, who had already laughed at our poor mushroom-picking talents, kept telling us we would stay former city-dwellers for ever, and that with budding anglers like us the nearby fishmonger would never go bankrupt !
Our fake laughter and awkward smiles couldn't stop his constant taunts !
Whenever we met him, he would boast about his secret trick to throw his net across the river, and I must recognize he really had the knack to do that.
Yet, as we were getting more and more suspicious about the size and quantity of fish he caught, one day, he challenged himself.
He said he would fix his net and the day after he would " parade " through the village to show his miraculous catch !
A glance at Dearhubby and I immediately knew a prank was on its way !
After midnight, we tiptoed to the bank of the river. As it was pitch dark, in spite of our torches it took us quite a while to find the net.
Half-an-hour later, we had freed one sturgeon, one eel and one crayfish, and saved them from their frying-pan doomed evil fate. We had replaced them by ...have a guess before reading the rest !
Our prank played, we rushed back to bed to be widely awake to enjoy the next morning " parade "...
When the church clock struck nine, everybody was outside waiting for the " village first-rate boaster " !
Suddenly he burst out of the water-mill he was living in, and shouted :
" Incredible,isn't it ? I'm so good at fishing that fish must have sent the word round, and now get into my net, ready-to-eat ! Look ! ".
And then, he raised his hands and showed two tins of sardines and tuna !
Looking at Dearhubby and me mischievously, he added :
" Would my Parisian friends accept to share my lunch today ? 'Fish just out of the net' is today's special. Sure , you'll enjoy it ! ".
That's when we started wondering who the biter bit really was ! And we still wonder !
To know whether our "fishing-for-compliments neighbour" had seen us that night or if he was just quick on the draw, that's another kettle of fish !!
Dear passengers of Perky Busy Bee ocean liner, enjoy your stopover and don't forget :
Be perky !!
