Fish And Shrimp Together

One reason I like invertebrates is that I get paid for surveying for them, it does make a difference. However, I've always been fascinated by "pond life". I used to go fishing with my father as a boy and would spend most of my time collecting various small creatures that I'd bring home in jam jars and keep in an old metal baby's bath.

One reason I like invertebrates is that I get paid for surveying for them, it does make a difference. However, I've always been fascinated by "pond life". I used to go fishing with my father as a boy and would spend most of my time collecting various small creatures that I'd bring home in jam jars and keep in an old metal baby's bath.

55+ years ago when I was a young child our mother would give us tuppence for a screw of sherbet powder, provide an empty R. Whites lemonade bottle (glass - no plastic in those days) which we would fill with water and put the sherbet powder in to make lemondade, a jam sandwich each and possibly, if she was feeling particularly flush, a couple of pennies.  She would also provide a couple of jam jars with string round the neck and a net made from a garden cane, and old stocking and a bit of wire.

We would walk from Battersea in South London all the way to South Kensington and fish for sticklebacks which
we would then cart all the way home again and put in the garden in an old galvanised wash tub. 
We would be fascinated with them for a while and then, of course, we would forget about them so she would be left with the care/disposal of them.


I remember on one occasion we wanted to go into the V & A museum and they tried to turn us away at the door. They objected to the fishing net, the jam jars and four very grubby kids aged about 6-11!!
I seem to remember they did let us in eventually because one kind man let us leave it all at the desk while we wandered around.

We would be gone the whole day

And mine, also in Lancashire. My father would take my sister and me out walking, and stickleback collecting, when we were considered small enough to drown, then we'd go on our own. Though as we got older it was more climbing trees and generally getting very dirty rather than collecting live things.
I clearly remember the day we visited a friend who lived on the outskirts of the village, who had a pond full of frogspawn. I was fascinated. I must have been under 11 as we ended up at different secondary schools.

That's like a script from a horror movie. I'm glad you survived all of that, but I think I've heard enough to put me off eating for a week, thanks!

I'm with you Sue, you won't catch me anywhere exotic – not without full body armour anyway!

That's very true. It's my husband who has to do the tick check on our dog when she's been out. I can't to it myself. we have one of those special tweezer remover devices which seems to work really well. We've never yet had a tick on ourselves, but I suppose that's not impossible either