Loaches Online Forum

I'm just in from spending a very enjoyable day in the company of my fellow loachaholics! As most of you know, we coincided this meeting with Andre's visit from South Africa. Helen arrived shockingly early (well done Hels ) and when I got to the shop I found her chatting with Les and Susan, who have been absent from this forum for far too long (that is a hint, guys). We moved round to the loach aisle and a few minutes later Jane arrived. It was great to meet her at last - what a lovely person and so totally like the rest of us mad lot (that is meant in a nice way, Jane!). We were all getting a little concerned as to where Andre was, and a while later I got a phone call saying 'I got lost, but I'm in Peterborough now'. We thought that's good, he's only 10 minutes away then, but somehow he took a little detour. Anyway, he finally arrived, fashionably late, and found us lurking round by the loaches. He said he was hot and asked permission to take his top off. Of course we said yes please do (!) and he did so, only to reveal a Ferrari t-shirt ( ) We chatted for a bit before heading off to a local pub for lunch (Martin, it was the same one we took you to) and more chatting/eating. Andre bought some very strange looking foodstuff with him, which was a kind of beef jerky I think. I did not try it because I don't eat meat, but here is a pic of him and Hels tucking in. I was laughing away thinking that any minute now the pub staff were going to tell him off for getting out a slab of meat and cutting it up with his penknife!



We had our lunch and then went back to my house to see the loaches. I had starved the clowns since Sunday night in the hope that they would be rather keen on coming out for food today. The small ones ventured out first, and the barbs started making the most of the absence of bigger loaches and started scoffing the pellets. Then a few bigger loaches ventured out, but still no Marge. There were glimpses of 'a big tail' here and there, but we must have sat for the best part of an hour waiting to see if she would grace us with her presence. Well eventually she did, much to my relief, and I hope everyone enjoyed seeing her (especially Jane and Andre who haven't seen her before). The loaches became very playful and about 20 of them were out and about for a long time dancing and playing in the flow from the powerheads - I think Andre and Les may have pics/video of this, will have to wait and see.

We headed back to the shop at about 5pm so that everyone could take more time to see the selection of fish. Here we are, back in front of the loaches:

(Andre what are you doing to Helen?!)


(left to right: Les, Susan, Jane, Helen, Andre, me)


Whilst we were having a cuppa & cakes, Les and Susan picked out some lovely Rasbora pauciperforata to boost their shoal, Jane & Andre got some different foods for their fish to try, and Hels bought a blue moon tube for her big loach tank.

We had a surprise in stall for Andre, the perfect retaliation to his Ferrari shirt. Yes, this is our Italian friend drinking from a McLaren mug, hehe!



Luckily it was late night opening tonight (Thurs) so everyone stayed till 7:30pm. I really wish it could have gone on longer, such a fantastic group of people. Of course other regular LOLers were sorely missed. Hopefully we'll organise another one later on in the year.

Emma

Wow what a fab day!! Thanks so much to everyone for making me feel so welcome to the group. It was wonderful to meet you all and can't wait untill the next meeting! I've been smiling all the way home thinking of the eventual appearance of Marge, shes fab!! She really was teasing us

Can't stop smiling about the gorgeous baby hillies too, how absolutely sweet they are.

Love the pics Emma! Thats a great one of Andre and Helen

Looks like a great time- thanks for posting the pics, Em!


Kate

As always, I'm envious!
I'm glad you all had a good time and Marge made an appearance.

Ok.....I'm jealous.....I don't mind admitting it. Looks like Andre had some Biltong there. I'd have liked to have tried that. It looks like everyone had an enjoyable time....particularly Helen

Glad to hear that Marge is still suitably drama creating before an audience will be granted. It was certainly an impact to hear a room of otherwise decent speaking people (me included) all exclaim a long, drawn out f-word when she appeared while I was in her blue palace room back in 2006. Quite some sight.

How was that drink from the McLaren mug Andre? Did you find it kind of zoomed through the pit of your stomach and then hit you in the rear end?


Martin.

Splendid

Strangely, when I went for lunch today, I was offered biltong from the South African/Italian family that runs the deli. Good stuff! It's even better on wild meat, I'm assured.

I am also jealous not to have been there! Lucky swine Andre gets to do the best stuff. Nice to see Susan and Jane, too. And poor Emma, on little sleep - you pulled it off nicely.

Best to everyone.

Sounds like a lovely day (and evening)!


~sigh~

one of these days....

and Hels - love the purple glasses!

Emma that is a cruel photo - exactly why i hate having my photo taken.


Andre did offer the waitress some meat

Yet another wonderful day meeting up with everyone (-: Susan and I both enjoyed ourselves immensely. All to be expected given a trip to Emma's shop but the company made it even better.

It was a little odd to wander into the shop and meet Helen away from the loach section, but it was easy to see why with all stunning fish on display. Lovely panda garras and i spotted the stunning Microrasbora erythromicron as we were gossiping. It's actually quite a problem in the store to recall all the fish on offer, the eye gets drawn to the exceptional fish glossing over the more common offerings regardless of there excellent condition. There must have been some 12 tanks of platties just behind us, all in top condition and with an incredible selection of colours but one dancing panda garra the eye is just drawn away!

Soon Emma joined us and we wandered round to the loach section where Jayne nervously approached and asked "Are you the loach people?" scarily close the words i used on my first visit. At that point a dragged out my camera and started annoying the fish. Chatter varied between fish, when Andre would arrive, life, how lost Andre was now, taking pictures of fish, did we need to send out a search party for Andre and just how many tanks it would take to satisfy MTS with unlimited budget. At some point in all that the subject of a whale and clarinet duet came up.

Finally Andre arrived!

One pub lunch later and we are eagerly prepared for the Marge show, naturally a little warm up was required so focus was first on Emma's revised river tank which looks stunning. A few fry were visible to start then the food went in and slowly the larger sewellia came to the front to have a munch. Lovely to see them all. Suitably prepared we settled to watch the huge 1000 litre entertainment centre that is the clown loach tank. The new barbs were shoaling in the upper levels of the tank with not a clown to be seen. In went the food and the barbs descended to feast, a few small (5") clowns emerged and fooled around but of the big ones there was little to be seen. As the food was reduced more clowns came forward but no more than a flash of tail from Marge. It took all of the other loaches dancing up and down the length of the tank to finally encourage Marge out but it was well worth the wait. Fantastic as ever.

With the show over it was back to the store for coffee (in appropriate mugs), doughnuts and cake. After a whole lot more chatting Susan and I chose some lovely red line (well some of them are more gold line) rasboras and it was sadly time to leave.

I will be posting pictures later but i need to clean them up a bit first and was just too exhausted to manage it last night after introducing the rasboras to the tank.

It was lovely to meet everyone, my tanks to Andre for the the Biltong, interesting stuff (-: to Emma for being the perfect host (again!), to Steve for the astounding price on the rasboras, to Helen for the ginger cake and to Jayne for her company (-:

I hope to see you all again soon,
LES..

I wish so much that I could have made it this time. A visit is long overdue and I will do my very best to get to the next meet! Looks like you folks had a good day out.

Looks like you guys had a brilliant day! Wish i could have been there!!

yes it sounded like you had a great day, i'd love to have come and met up with you all but i don't drive and i'd have got lost if i'd gone by train, i even get lost in my home town so what chance would i stand.
i'd have felt like a stranded whale.
that pub looked good i always find it hard to think of fish once i hit the boozer .
one day though.

mick

Looks like everyone had a brilliant day, I was gutted to have missed it

I had planned on making a decision one way or the other on Wednesday night and was 99% coming until I got behind a wagon in my new car and it threw a bolt up and put a very nasty crack in the windscreen which had to be sorted and the earliest appointment I could get was Thursday morning

I will defo be at the next one (I cant wait to give the credit card some hammer again )

Jealously can be my middle name!!!

I really do wish i could of been there! I've been having a rest from many matters involving fish this year (personal reasons) but we will meet again......dunno...when....but... we'll meeeet again.......i'm sure...

Graeme.