Alan Lever Interests

*What I do in my spare time*
	Interests Wildlife and The Great Outdoors I have always had an interest in the outdoors, like most lads I went bird nesting but never collected eggs. This led to me and a few mates joining the Young Ornithologists Club. (A little bit high brow for a colliers son) When I left school, I helped to repair the dam of a local fishing pond, the Swannee, cos some Herbert had been told that a chewing gum machine had been thrown in and so he tried to drain the pond to get at it! No thought for the fish stocks in the pond or the hours of pleasure it gave to all kids in the area catching tadpoles, sticklebacks, and very rarely newts, not to mention the armada of tin baths that sailed its length and breath after bathrooms were built onto the terraced houses down our street. Natures Regeneration Whilst working at the National Coal Board, I saw the vast areas of wasteland caused by its extraction, acres and acres of land without a single blade of grass, (plenty of Muckstack Lupins/Railway Chysanthemums - real name Rose Bay Willow Herb - I think these will grow on the Moon given the chance) with tailings lagoons and settling ponds to act as a magnet for kids. (When my granddad retired, he would go back to the pit to see his mate who was the pit head baths attendant. Hearing that me and my brother were larking about on the tip, he would round us up and make us get bathed "With the Men". It was then that I realised that all men are definitely NOT created equal) I am glad to say that most of these have now reverted to nature and have been landscaped from the blue/black mountains of my youth to real wildlife habitats. RSPB Old Moor near Mexborough is a wonderful example of what can be done and is magnet for birds and bird watchers alike. Stick Making A return to this hobby of late when as an offshoot (pun intended) of my walking activities where I realised the quality of some of the hedgerows round my home town. A friend gave me a bag full of antler (Red, Fallow and Roe) to match up with the large number of stocks I have cut over the last two years so I have plenty to go at. Match fishing As my father had been a matchman since I was a kid, it was natural I took up this very competitive side of angling. About 1970, there was little fishable waters local due to pollution so most Working Mens Clubs with a fishing section hired a bus and fished areas such as the Fens and Lincolnshire and the River Trent. The first two seats of the bus was always full of crates of beer just for if we got dry on the way down. Several seasons of frantic practice and buying ever more new and expensive tackle, I still had won nowt. I realised that I dint have my dad or my brothers "Magic Touch". So when the Government made it illegal to have beer on a bus, match fishing lost a lot of its charm. I had some brilliant days out and laughs galore and might just have another go when I become a "Wrinkley" Family History I have just started to delve into this fascinating but very frustrating hobby. Watch this space!!
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