Disastrous trip

[big Neil]

A month or so ago I decided that I needed a bit of a "sea change". I hadn't been to Melbourne for quite some time so I thought I would have a look at what was on offer. Naturally, it had to involve fishing but I also wanted to check out some galleries and museums.

I booked my accommodation for Friday to Tuesday, and my fishing charter for Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning I was going to check out the local market. Galleries on Monday then head home Tuesday morning. In between those events I was organised to do some light tackle fishing from one of the piers in Williamstown.

I last visited Williamstown about 6 years ago with my wife and we had a lovely time We left the car at home and went down to Melbourne on the XPT, a bit of a novelty. We stayed in the city and travelled round on the trams and ferries and that's how we found Williamstown, a lovely gem of an arty place across the bay.

I was feeling pretty tired as I headed off on the 5.5hr trip in the COW. Got down there in good time and eventually found the accommodation and underground parking. Lovely hotel and a massive room with all the mod cons. I unloaded what I needed and then went for a recce to see what the access to the piers for fishing was like. This is where things started to go pear-shaped. I drove round and round trying to see a vacant parking spot. Eventually I found one and pulled in. I knew it was pay parking but the parking machine was hopeless. You needed an app on your phone to be able to arrange payment for the limited parking. Those of you who know me would know that I have no idea about technology on my phone. So I couldn't park there or anywhere for that matter. I headed back via a supermarket to the hotel.

That night I fell asleep early and woke shivering and sweating. Great, I'm coming down with the flu.. The morning saw me feeling somewhat knackered and definitely under the weather. However it was fishing charter day so I stocked up with medicine and headed off to find the pier where the charter was going from. I parked about a mile away in some side street, and joined the 5 hour charter. My spirits lifted as the skipper took us to different locations and we caught Snapper, KGW, Flathead and Trevally. We trolled lures around when the skipper spotted some bird action and found a school of Salmon that kept everyone entertained. There was only 2 of us plus the deckee who knew what we were doing so I helped the deckee out with showing some of the others what to do and re-rigging the rods. It was a good 5 hour session and everyone caught some fish. When we got back to the dock the deckee asked for my phone number and said he would call me Sunday if he was going fishing and I could tag along. "Great something to look forward to" I thought. I didn't want any of my fish so gave them to the others.

I had a bite to eat and then headed back to the hotel for the night. I had the worst night ever...even more sweating and shivering, even after taking the cold and flu medicine. In the morning I knew there wasn't going to be any point staying for the other 2 nights so I checked out and started the long drive home, feeling the worse for wear. About half way home my phone rang and it was Trevor the deckee asking if I wanted to go fishing with him, I explained the situation to him and we agreed to keep in touch.

I took a different route home, just for a change. After unloading the COW I had a cuppa and did a COVID test...POSITIVE.

Something of a disastrous "holiday". These things are sent to try us!

bn

[frankS]

Neil. Glad you had some success with the charter but as far as Melbourne goes You can have that all to yourself.

Mate so sorry about the positive test. Just hope you don't get it as bad as I did. Fair dinkum I used to think this covid thing was just a case of the fly or similar. Mate I gotta tell you it hit me like a ton of bricks and I felt no better than a complete Zombie for best part of a month, in fact I still don't feel all that good and I do believe when you get to our age it hits worse than the younger people OR maybe I just copped the long term thing.

It was that bad I haven't hardly been down in my sheds since before Xmas. I couldn't go to the family dinner at Xmas as It was just about that time when it hit me.

Geeze mate I am a real cheer up society aint I !!!.

Sorry to put the dampers on things mate but just take care of yourself and take all the precautions you can and anything that may make you feel better.

Frank

[linewetter]

Agree with @frankS, I had the 'vid before and it hit me like a ton of bricks too.  I thought it was going to be just like the flu for me too since I'm in my late 20s but never felt worse.  Get lots of rest and stay hydrated bn!  The fish'll be waiting for you on the other end of this all 😁   If you end up having throat issues, I found that swallowing honey actually helped me quite a bit, never really believed in it before but my partner insisted and I tried it.

[Little_Flatty]

Sorry to hear you're sick Neil. Look after yourself.

Those parking apps don't work for me either. I had one at my uni a few years ago, paid my fees and still had a ticket on my car. I challenged it and they had the nerve to get all testy at me not knowing that I was at carpark 1358ABC or something like that. Not a fan.

[wazatherfisherman]

Hi Neil I came down with it on my birthday last November and although it only put me down for about a week, the dreadful taste etc lasted for ages. Hope you recover soon

[big Neil]

7 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Sorry to hear you're sick Neil. Look after yourself.

Those parking apps don't work for me either. I had one at my uni a few years ago, paid my fees and still had a ticket on my car. I challenged it and they had the nerve to get all testy at me not knowing that I was at carpark 1358ABC or something like that. Not a fan.

It's a bit heartening to read that you, who I see as a snag, come unstuck on the technology. It annoys me continuously. Not everyone is techno savvy, nor has their whizz kid on tap to sort problems with it.

On a brighter note I managed to get my bisque kiln unloaded, waxed, glazed and decorated it all, and fired a glaze firing yesterday. Coughed my guts up last night but, what the heck, that would have happened anyway. Feeling a little improved this morning and will no doubt be terrorising the lawn bowling greens very soon.

bn

DISCLAIMER #1: Reference to the word snag (sensitive new aged guy) is merely a perception of how I see the modern, upwardly moving young guys of today. They are intelligent, driven, caring, and considerate. However, they actually believe that they have a good understanding of what makes females of our species tick. We, the older generation, know this is not possible.

DISCLAIMER #2: The content of the above post is to be considered as my attempt at a bit of humour. 

Lastly a question for our medically trained Fishraiders.

Why do we cough our guts up when the temperature drops in the evening?

 bn

[Little_Flatty]

43 minutes ago, big Neil said:

It's a bit heartening to read that you, who I see as a snag, come unstuck on the technology. It annoys me continuously. Not everyone is techno savvy, nor has their whizz kid on tap to sort problems with it.

On a brighter note I managed to get my bisque kiln unloaded, waxed, glazed and decorated it all, and fired a glaze firing yesterday. Coughed my guts up last night but, what the heck, that would have happened anyway. Feeling a little improved this morning and will no doubt be terrorising the lawn bowling greens very soon.

bn

DISCLAIMER #1: Reference to the word snag (sensitive new aged guy) is merely a perception of how I see the modern, upwardly moving young guys of today. They are intelligent, driven, caring, and considerate. However, they actually believe that they have a good understanding of what makes females of our species tick. We, the older generation, know this is not possible.

DISCLAIMER #2: The content of the above post is to be considered as my attempt at a bit of humour. 

Lastly a question for our medically trained Fishraiders.

Why do we cough our guts up when the temperature drops in the evening?

 bn

Good to see you have something to keep you busy Neil.

It's one thing struggling with technology, it's another thing working in the technology sector and encountering stuff that's badly designed or doesn't work. That makes my blood boil! It's not just an age thing...you should see one of my former bosses (now 70) come up against an app that doesn't work. He doesn't struggle with technology. 'Happy Gilmore' is probably a decent approximation!🤣

[Blackfish]

Sorry to hear about you getting so sick mate and spoiling the trip, cutting it short. At least you got out for a fish and made a good contact.

Bloody parking in a major city is such a pain and I had my fair share of it when I lived in Sydney. For work we did a lot in the city and close suburbs. 😤

 

As for COVID, I had friends and family who tested positive and they were not to bad and I couldn’t catch it. I did finally catch it and was the second worst thing I’ve had in my life. I’m pretty fit and healthy and can see how it can kill people.

Take care Neil, hoping you improve quickly.
 

 

[Yowie]

Well b.n., most of us will catch the covid bug at some stage, and gain some natural immunity from it.

As for the fishing, you did well with a mixed bag, enjoyed that part of your holiday at least.

You are now ready for another adventure. 😂

[mrsswordfisherman]

3 hours ago, big Neil said:

It's a bit heartening to read that you, who I see as a snag, come unstuck on the technology. It annoys me continuously. Not everyone is techno savvy, nor has their whizz kid on tap to sort problems with it.

On a brighter note I managed to get my bisque kiln unloaded, waxed, glazed and decorated it all, and fired a glaze firing yesterday. Coughed my guts up last night but, what the heck, that would have happened anyway. Feeling a little improved this morning and will no doubt be terrorising the lawn bowling greens very soon.

bn

DISCLAIMER #1: Reference to the word snag (sensitive new aged guy) is merely a perception of how I see the modern, upwardly moving young guys of today. They are intelligent, driven, caring, and considerate. However, they actually believe that they have a good understanding of what makes females of our species tick. We, the older generation, know this is not possible.

DISCLAIMER #2: The content of the above post is to be considered as my attempt at a bit of humour. 

Lastly a question for our medically trained Fishraiders.

Why do we cough our guts up when the temperature drops in the evening?

 bn

Gawd sorry to hear your trip was spoiled. It must have been a bad trip driving home so unwell. 

The cold drier air air usually affects airways by irritating the mucous membranes producing that annoying coughing. Have you seen a GP? There are meds that you may be offered. 

 

[Renegade460]

Covid sux, I'm still getting over it from the beginning of January.

[slowjigger]

I got it for the first time 6 weeks ago. It was quite mild in the infectious stage. But it doesn't seem to have gone away - feel rather lethargic and coughing, also a bit of brain fog. The latter might be why I got a hook in my thumb (first time I have done that). It was in really deep so it was off to the Emergency Department. Tip - 2 hook rigs are dangerous when de - hooking a fish. Think about using single hook or be very careful. Perhaps cover the free one with Styrofoam or similar. Definitely use tools like boga grips and hookout or long pliers. 

Edited April 23 by slowjigger

[big Neil]

5 hours ago, Renegade460 said:

Covid sux, I'm still getting over it from the beginning of January.

Gee mate that's a long time to be suffering the symptoms. I sincerely hope you make a FULL recovery and get back to enjoying life.

Take care, bn

[big Neil]

10 hours ago, Blackfish said:

Sorry to hear about you getting so sick mate and spoiling the trip, cutting it short. At least you got out for a fish and made a good contact.

Bloody parking in a major city is such a pain and I had my fair share of it when I lived in Sydney. For work we did a lot in the city and close suburbs. 😤

 

As for COVID, I had friends and family who tested positive and they were not to bad and I couldn’t catch it. I did finally catch it and was the second worst thing I’ve had in my life. I’m pretty fit and healthy and can see how it can kill people.

Take care Neil, hoping you improve quickly.
 

 

Many thanks Gordon. I know how fit and healthy you are, exact opposite to me. I have friends who have experienced the whole range of impact. One cited it as the best thing that has happened as he had to stay home and got twice as much work done. Another ended up being hospitalised and still has effects that he could do without.

I'm well on the road to recovery although I'm going to re-test on Thursday to see how the results are then.

Cheers, hi to the family, bn

[big Neil]

11 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Good to see you have something to keep you busy Neil.

It's one thing struggling with technology, it's another thing working in the technology sector and encountering stuff that's badly designed or doesn't work. That makes my blood boil! It's not just an age thing...you should see one of my former bosses (now 70) come up against an app that doesn't work. He doesn't struggle with technology. 'Happy Gilmore' is probably a decent approximation!🤣

Technology is such a massive industry these days and it must be very frustrating to be working with substandard technology Mike...bit like being a bus driver when the bus keeps breaking down. The speed of change must be hard to keep up with too. I don't think that industry has ever been exposed to such changes, so quickly, since the advent of the Industrial Revolution.

One good thing about being old is that my generation has witnessed probably the most significant changes to everyday life, ever experienced by humankind. Even in our chosen pastime of fishing, technology now plays a massive role in the pursuit of our quarry.

Cheers, bn

[Aussie_fisher]

Hope you're feeling better. Covid can be terrible - and getting it on a trip is very unfortunate. Atleast the charter trip went well though. TC

[DrRaymondSnapper]

+1 on the techno crap Neil. The problem is that too much clean country air makes you susceptible to the filthy city stuff and its horrid diseases. Its  technology muddies your pure rustic mindset , rendering you techno illiterate. My tip is to avoid cities like the plague , especially Melbourne , the Soddom of the south. Hope you are feeling better soon. As a doctor , I prescribe a course of rum , especially the OP variety. It cures everything from asthma to Zellweger Syndrome. Best wishes.  PS as to your coughing question , I`m guessing that the colder air is irritating your airways that are already inflamed from the virus. When you breath in , air is warmed by the upper respiratory tract and if this is compromised by a respiratory infection then this function is lost. The infection is probably also reducing protective mucus secretion from the cells lining the upper respiratory tract and leading to more irritation during inspiration.

Edited April 23 by DrRaymondSnapper

[big Neil]

1 hour ago, DrRaymondSnapper said:

+1 on the techno crap Neil. The problem is that too much clean country air makes you susceptible to the filthy city stuff and its horrid diseases. Its  technology muddies your pure rustic mindset , rendering you techno illiterate. My tip is to avoid cities like the plague , especially Melbourne , the Soddom of the south. Hope you are feeling better soon. As a doctor , I prescribe a course of rum , especially the OP variety. It cures everything from asthma to Zellweger Syndrome. Best wishes.  PS as to your coughing question , I`m guessing that the colder air is irritating your airways that are already inflamed from the virus. When you breath in , air is warmed by the upper respiratory tract and if this is compromised by a respiratory infection then this function is lost. The infection is probably also reducing protective mucus secretion from the cells lining the upper respiratory tract and leading to more irritation during inspiration.

You're quite a card Dr Raymond. Many thanks for your medical diagnosis of my recent ailment (aka coughing my guts up syndrome)...bloody annoying. 

Not sure I can totally avoid cities, I have a lot of friends who live there and I do enjoy catching up with them for some "different" fishing. Personally speaking, they can have city life, but each to their own. I love the country life and not much beats chasing down some Aussie native species.

I'm not a big drinker and don't know if I've ever had OP Rum. Didn't do the 1st fleet mariners any harm so you're probably right about its medicinal properties.

Appreciate your reply, tight lines Dr Raymond,  bn

[Burger]

12 hours ago, DrRaymondSnapper said:

I prescribe a course of rum , especially the OP variety.

I have to admit to using this 'remedy' many years ago . . .every time I felt a cold or flu coming on . . .get amongst a few OP Bundy and cokes (no ice) in a 7 glass!

Appeared to work most times . . . . or it may be I just have selective memories of those long past times.

[DrRaymondSnapper]

Mmmmm  OP Bundy and coke. Good medicine. A few of those and the pain goes away.

Edited April 24 by DrRaymondSnapper

[DrRaymondSnapper]

Sorry , I stuttered.