Tuesday, August 4, 2009

WELCOME

Sometimes it is the small things in life that can captivate one's attention. For a normal person that may be just a fleeting moment but for the fly tyer it is almost an obsession. I think it could classify as a disease that affects all who mingle with feathers, fluff, hooks and bits of stuff that glitter or shine.

I think I am qualified enough to say that via self diagnosis I caught this bug around forty five years ago. Well that's all I am going to admit to so you can take it leave it it's up to you.

I can tell you now it has been quite a journey. That old Dyna-King professional fly tying vice No. 723 that I purchased well over twenty years ago has followed me around the world. It has held hooks for me in England, America and Italy as well as New Zealand. It has travelled around all of the States of Australia on many occasions.


How many flies has it tied is any one's guess and I suppose that's another post? My problem is I have often thought it is time for a new vice but I can't wear this one out. Honestly it holds a hook today as good as what it did over two decades ago. Simply the best I suppose and a credit to American know-how.

Yes I am a bit of a collector I have over a dozen old and some not so old Fly tying vices but I never use them.
It is like I say to my Wife Alaine I'm a one girl guy and it must be the same with my old Dyna-King. Thank you Ron Abbey you are one hell of an engineer.

So why start a Blog? Well I reckon I am not the only one out there that has the same interests as I do. Their journeys may be a little different to mine but at least we have a lot on common including that bug that I caught all those years ago.

Running a website like Kossiedun is all well and good but it is not as open as a Blog where thoughts can be shared and opinions discussed. So please join in, have your say, you never where it will take us.

Cheers Mick

5 comments:

Niklas Dahlin said...

Well written first post mate. You are not alone mate...

Mick said...

Thanks Nik please keep in touch and watch this space.
Cheers Mick

bobfly said...

looks good Mick. should be an interesting exercise
Cheers Bob

Alistair McDonald said...

I must agree the site looks great Mick. Saying you are a self confessed hoarder, like all fly tiers. How do you organise you materials?

Ally

Mick said...

Oh, that's a tough question, Alistair. I have a series of 'under the bed' storage bins; one contains various dubbings, another is saltwater materials, another is feathers of all sorts and yet another feathers of all sorts, then one for capes and three smaller bins for packets of hooks, etc. My problem is I travel, doing demonstrations, so I also have to have a travelling working kit, which is one big bag which is in a hell of a mess, that naturally I keep stocked up from the storage bins.

Mind you, the best I have seen was a filing cabinet, all the materials stores in alphabetical order; sadly, I am not that organised!