Monday 15th September : Take the electric-fishing machine that broke down on Friday into the electricians at Pitlochry, who reckon they can replace the float switch during the day. Work on the laptop on the budget for the North Sea Sea-trout programme while waiting - spreadsheets are great, but it can be incredibly difficult to track down the cell where some formula is wrong. Takes all day to finish, then collect the repaired machine and back down in the evening.

Tuesday 16th September: In to the office early, the budget has to be off to Amsterdam today, but the laptop won't start up, says it can't "Boot". James tries when he comes in, to no avail, so have to take it in for repair and to see if they can get the data off.  Drop it off and then out up the Yarrow to take two more genetics samples and when back in phone range, phone the office to find that the laptop has been repaired, so in to Tweedbank to collect it - something about the start-up sequence having been corrupted. Get the budget sent off at half past four.  A lesson to always, always back-up / make copies.  Back in the office, James reports that the suspicions  he has had that the new electric-fishing machine that arrived last week is not working properly were confirmed this morning when he tested it in the Ettrick at Selkirk with the other machine (newly back from Pitlochry)  that Kenny was using. The old machine turned over about 10 fish for every one that the new one did, so it will have to be retired and the results got with it last week, scrapped.

Wednesday 17th September: Out with Steven  electric-fishing and to take the last genetics sample needed for the Ettrick. Working in the Bowhill area, where the river is very wide in places allowing efficient enough electric-fishing. Back to the office in the late afternoon to find more details required for the Euro budget  and a request for a summary of our last economic survey, to support the proposal with data on the value of migratory salmonid fisheries. Get this done in the evening as it is needed for Friday.

Thursday 18th September: Out to clean the Peebles trap and narrow the entrance to the Tweedsmuir trap since there have been reports of fish getting out of this. Takes forever to drill through the metal, but eventually get the bits of wood on that will narrow it. Back for an afternoon's office work while Steven starts entering the electric-fishing data into its spreadsheets. Kenny and Barry and James and Sean out electric-fishing, with the two of our four machines that are actually working.

Friday 19th September: At the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory, Pitlochry, for a meeting on the national genetics survey being organised by RAFTS.