Monday 15th October : In the office most of the day before heading out to check the Peebles trap - I am on trap duty this week. On the way back stopped to help Kenny and Steven do the final bits of work on a new trap set up on a small burn near Cardrona where an Edinburgh University research student operated a trap in 1976 & 77. The interest here is, obviously, to compare what comes up this burn to spawn now compared to what came up 30 years ago.

Tuesday 16th October: Working on the Management Plan contract, after a gap of some weeks. Getting close to finishing the section on the history of rod fishing on the Tweed. Working out how beats have split, amalgamated and changed names over the years is a fraught business but think I now have it sorted out enough to see how the numbers have increased over the years. Out to check traps in the afternoon.

Wednesday 17th October : Panic in the morning, checked fish counters remotely - Gala OK but no connection to the Ettrick. Straight out there with the pages of instructions left for me by James, who is on leave this week. Found both computers, the one at the fish counter and the one in the viewing centre had switched off - presumably there had been a power cut and they do not restart themselves. Got both switched back on again, then had to get the new IP address of the counter computer (each time it is switched back on after being off, it gets a new ID number) by interrogating its innards and then put this in to the viewing centre one, so the pictures and data from the counter could be displayed. Actually managed to do this without too much stress; James' instructions covering most of the steps so only needed to use a small amount of intuition to fill in the gaps which are inevitably left when someone who knows what they are doing writes instructions that have to be followed by someone who doesn't. Didn't, however, risk changing the firewall settings on the viewer centre computer to allow remote access from the office as James will be back on Monday anyway.  Back at the office got some second opinions on  scales from three large Sea-trout from Andy Walker, who is doing surveys of angling club water under the TTGI, did some more admin, then out to check the fish traps.

Thursday 18th October : Out in the morning to check the Ettrick counter as can't do this remotely now and relieved to find everything working.  On to the funeral of Andrew Mercer, the sawmiller at Philiphaugh who had been a great help over the years in producing all sorts of sizes and shapes of wood for traps and other bespoke and unusual purposes. Back to the office, more management plan work and then out to check traps again. News in of the first mature trout to be caught at the Coldstream trap - a 25cms male. Trout need up the burns now and if the low water continues, could have real problems getting up the smaller burns this season.