Back from Canada

• Pete and I arrived back at Gatwick yesterday morning after a short flight back from Canada - a 30 minute hop from Fredericton to Halifax, an hour on the ground (so I've sort of been to Novia Scotia !!), and then only just over five hours back to London. Just time to pop a couple of sleeping pills, grab a couple of hours kip and then drive back to see my family. As ever, it is about the biggest thrill possible to get back to my wife, two girls and of course my sheepdog Jess - her paw is fully healed up and that means I can take over to Ireland on Saturday.

• What an awesome trip it was - this was my third time over to Canada, and every time I get back I start thinking about just how much there is to see and do over there. We got chatting to a couple in the airport who had been over to check out some houses prior to emigrating there in a year or so. The amount of house and land you can get for your money in the Quebec and New Brunswick areas is staggering.......

• The thing that really got to me the most was the astounding amount of world class salmon fishing that these areas have, from pure sight fishing in crystal clear rivers to double-handed work on the famous pools of the mighty Miramachi. Some of the all-inclusive trips over there can work out a lot cheaper than heading up to Scotland, and I am amazed that this stunning part of Canada is not receiving a huge influx of European salmon fishermen every season. What I really love is the the fact there is simply no class system attached to the salmon fishing over there at all - you either fish or you don't, whoever you are and whatever you do. Fly fishing happens to be the way that it is done, and everybody seems to do it. I would highly recommend that you talk to Pete or Charlotte at Aardvark McLeod as soon as you can about a trip over there.

• I now have a couple of days here before I head over to Ireland with a friend from Cornwall. Once again we are going to be fishing and photographing along the deserted south east coastline with my mate Graham Hill. The weather has been appalling recently, but all the forecasts I can get hold of are all pointing towards a good, settled spell of weather that should be just about perfect for the bassing. I love this kind of fishing as you can most likely tell, but it is also work for me as I need a huge amount of photographs to illustrate all the bass related features that I am writing for various magazines at the moment. Yes, I love my job, but then why not ? Life's too short to spend this much time doing something I hate.

• Andy and I will be driving up to Fishguard on Saturday and taking the fast Stena Line ferry over to Rosslare. I love this journey because the anticipation builds in me all the way, to the point where I get so excited that I rarely sleep much on the first night there. Told you I was a fishing junky !! Whatever happens with the fishing, I love every minute of my trips over there, and perhaps if I ask nicely, Graham might pull on his dancing shoes and sing for us (sorry mate).

• The photo above was from my most recent Irish trip, and perhaps if I ask nicely the skies might be that blue again ? Here's to dreaming......