It’s so easy to get stuck in your own little world where nothing much matters beyond the boundaries of Mt Albert or, if you’re really stretching horizons, the outer limits of the supercity.
At times that sort of local tunnel vision can have an amusing outcome… like the gmail to Mt Albert Inc the other day from a Marg Chenier.
Her message: “We moved here in May and I was wondering where I can go fishing for free. I’m a senior and just like to fish for fun. Thanks, Marg”.
Normally I might have flicked back a note with a “sorry, I can’t help” because I don’t have the time to search out answers.
But Marg found me in a good space between television ad breaks and her request was something I could help with – I’ve fished for close to 60 years (without overwhelming success, though I’m a trier).
So I wrote Marg a long, detailed note on Auckland’s easy-to-reach fishing wharves (suggesting she use her gold card to get across to Devonport, or pop into Kelly Tarlton’s before trying Orakei wharf).
I even went as deep as charter boats, best times to hit the water and what bait to use and where to buy it, before signing off with the suggestion she wait until warmer weather before trying her luck.
In the morning, I checked the email queue to find a “thank you” note from Marg.
But my expansive reply was no use to her at all – Marg had got onto the wrong website. She was writing from Mount Albert, Ontario!
Anyway, I had a laugh this end – and I know she did the other, probably sharing the experience with mates in Canada as I did here. The internet is certainly a powerful way of bringing the world into our homes, with at times some interesting results.
Talking of fishing, I’m off myself and, as a fellow senior, no doubt with Marg’s blessing. Using the ‘gone fishin’ phrase in a broader sense – just away to meet up with family, explore some bits of the world fresh to these feet… and, as a bonus, find some warmth.
I should be back in about six weeks and Mt Albert Inc will go into mid-winter hibernation until then.
Keep warm.
Bruce Morris
