How do you feel?

[bidkev]

How do you feel when you see the reports and you ain't been able to get out yourself, 'cause your deckie is working or sleeping off?

I'm having major dramas atm with the deckie as she works shifts as a a clinical nurse. She fills in for management and I know she'd do a wonderful job as a Nursing Unit Manager but she loves the "hands on" nursing which is shifts. She's refused several "head hunts" which would result in a Monday to friday 9 till 5 and I keep telling her that she doesn't need to run her arse ragged on a ward all day/night but she refuses to admit that she's getting older or that our lifestyle would be so much better if she could spend the weekends with me and the kids all fishing together

Shifts have their compensation (particularly when you're young) in that at least you get time to yourselves when the kids are at school, but I feel that somehow we're missing out...............Heath's video of his nipper catching, brought this home to me real hard.

She loves her job and I know that the ward would be poorer without her "hands on" approach, especially considering that she is the preceptor for new nurses to the ward, and I know that "quality of life" must also include job satisfation, but when and how do you intimate/prove that fishing is more important than work IYKWIM?

Anyone else with similar problems? How do you cope with them or do you just accept that some things just have to be??...............fishing ain't the be all and end all?

kev........just feeling like talking things through, 'cause she's just started 3 night shifts and it seems I've missed a chance to be offshore this weekend.

[fish_outta_water]

hi kingtin
fishing ain't the be all and end all? ...... how very dare you im surprised at you kingtin
as someone who migrates with the fish each year id have to disagree , but then maybe id see things different with a missus and kids and responsibilties
its always good to have the choice , dont think our grandfolks had an option , keep working or starve
tightlines

[Feral]

Dont worry kingtin, it wont be long before the kids are big enough to hold onto the rope at the ramp! then it will all be solved!

Seriously mate, it is so rare for someone to have a job they love, ya gotta just grin and put up with it. The alternative is having your missus out fishing with you, but she will be all whingy and whiny about how she hates her new desk job, which by the way would be all your fault, as she had to give up her "wonderful" job just for you!

[choppa]

kev,,,,,,,,,,i saw the time that you posted this thread first,, and thought the good lady must be at work,,,,

you've got a catch 22 here mate,,, if you force the issue,, your in s#%t,, as feral points out,, and if she sticks at it,, you miss out on quality family time on the water,,,

but i bet the times you do throw the boat in,, it make up for it!!!!!!!!

i noticed though that when i called in a few weeks back she ad some fish on the table for her lunch at work that day,,,,,,,,,

you could always tell her that you've got none left,, and need her to assist in restocking the freezer

by the way,, thanks for your input/ideas on the ""secret"" matter,, he postd a report in saltwater yesterday,,,,,,,,,

choppa

[Poodroo]

If she needs to sleep after doing nightshifts then take the other family members out on the water and get another temporary deckie from Ausfish as I am sure there are many who would jump at the opportunity to go out with you. Deckies like myself can't always get out there due to the long list of people who want to go out. Getting quite keen to become a boat owner just so that I can get out to scratch the itch whenever I want to.


Poodroo

[finga64]

One of lifes biggest challenges is to have a job you truely enjoy doing.
Your wife is a very fortunate lady in finding her passion.
Leave it be for the time been and one day, when you least expect it, things change.
Point out to your wife the difference she could make in the admin. role and still may be able to stroll the wards to keep an eye on things.
Get a tinny and take the kids for a throw. Mrs Kev. may appreciate a few hours of R&R during the day (especailly after a week of night shift). You get to spend quality time with the kids, the kids get out into some sunshine...win, win situation.

[el_carpo]

Do you have any good shore fishing spots nearby that you can try? A place you can pop out to for a few hours of fishing? I know lots of people who carry a spare rod and reel and a few lures in the trunk of their car just so they can stop at a lake or river on the way home from work for a quick fishing fix.

The kids would probably enjoy shore fishing as well. Almost all the fishing I did (and still do) is from shore. Never bothered me.

I know it can't compare to getting out in the boat for a weekend, but it beats nothing.

[theoldlegend]

Kev,

You're fortunate to have a wife that takes pride in her work and obviously cares for people so much that she prefers the hands on approach. Sure, she could take the other approach and do the 9 to 5 stuff, but that's not in her makeup by the sound of it.

Yeah, at times it's a bummer, but it makes that time together just that little bet more special. Sorry I can't offer much more than that.

Oh, and Choppa, I did notice that little paragraph in italics.

Thanks again,

TOL

[ShaneC]

I have the opposite problem. the wifey doesn't like the rough stuff one bit, but really enjoys going up the river crabbing and fishing, it took me 10 years to turn her!! Maybe its the fact that our little fella loves it so much that makes it enjoyable for both of us. Prob is, work commitments keep me away. It sucks, but at the end of the day bills have to paid and unfortunately my work keeps me a long way from home for most of the year. But, I do get four months holidays a year, so I guess that kinda makes up for it

Still, seeing the reports of the macks starting to arrive in the bay, even though last year we were catching good schoolies in September, still gets the itch up when you know the Spaniards are only a few weeks away. Four weeks til hols... giddy up!!! Maybe then I will get a drive of the new Lux, if the wife hasn't turned into a soccer mum and retired the camry for it!!!

Keep catching them, but leave a couple for me...

Shane

[thehoodedwarriors]

Hey Kingtin,

My other half Brett is happy to be your "fill in" deckie if you need one - PM Fat_Chilli for a reference.

We are based as Hattonvale past ipswich but as long as you give him a couple of hours notice he is happy to scrub decks.

Brett is a Mad Keen fisherman but at the moment doesn't have a boat. He is also a Prison Officer so he works shifts but only works 7 days a fortnight.

And! I might add will fish all night and then off to work ... fishing is the be all and end all for Brett.

He has all his own gear (a trunk full!! - Plano 7771 and 7 rod and reel combos). So if you are in need of a deckie at short notice he is happy to oblige.

PM me if you need it

kind regards and may your rod bend often
nichole

[Glenn_Woods]

Hi Kingtin. I have a similar problem. My fishing offsider is also a shift operator like myself. Except his roster "4 on 4 off" and mine is "5 on 4 off 4 on 5 off" Sounds confusing ay . Then you throw the weather in on top and a couple of missus and kids Some times it's like all the planets have to line up before i can get out . Your lucky that you have a lady who likes fishing. I wish mine did.

Looks like the planets are lining up on Wednesday.

Woodsy

[tunaman]

[bidkev]

Sorry about that folks, sounds like I was haveing a whinge but for once, I wasn't

I was just curious to know how things conspire against others having a fish and just how important it was to them, and whether they get jealous when they are "grounded" and see reports from those who have managed to get out fishing.

I had taken a sleeping tablet last night and then didn't go to bed so it all came out a bit garbled.........I suppose the 4 litres of chateau de cardboard box didn't help either........and no, I didn't drink it all.....there's at least a glass left.........or there was until I finished it off 5 minutes ago

I thank those who offered their services as deckies, but it isn't really the fact that I am short of help, but the fact that if the deckie is working then I'm stuck with the kids and a long day offshore is too much for a couple of 'em without the deckie to keep 'em in line .

So come on, forget about me and just how important is fishing to you? Do you regret being "tied" by family circumstance..........not to mention the weather Can we put fishing in perspective and open our hearts to explain just *how* important it is to us? Can we be honest and not admit/deny that sometimes we have fleeting regrets about being "tied down"?

Personally, I look forward to the day when the kids are old enough to be left on their own and fishing for me would simply be a matter of waking up, looking at the weather, and saying, "that's it, I'm off".

Don't get me wrong, I love 'em dearly but by fathering later in life, I sometimes think that the fishing life is slipping me by............58 yr old...........optimistically another 10 yrs ahead of me handling a rig that big..........an 80 grand boat..........cost effectively 8 grand a year..........if I get out once a fortnight, and without pulling out a calculator. I reckon she'll stand me at around 308 bucks a trip just to own her. To be honest though, I still thinks it's worth every penny just to see the looks on their faces if they catch a good 'un.........or if I run her hard into the side of a pontoon

kev

[Glenn_Woods]

Mate, I can't wait for my lad to be my anchor boy. He's just turned 6, so it's not to far away. They say people who luv gardening live a long life. Well i recon the same for fishing. And if im right, I should see 100 .


Woodsy

[Scalem]

Kingtin

That's surely a sad circumstance you are describing, and I wish I could offer some advice, but I can't, except to empathize with you. I recently had the same experience when my wife had to go in to work on a Saturday, otherwise payroll adjustments would not have completed, and 1500 staff would not have had their bonuses that were due. This happened on the very day that Ausfishers coordinated the demonstration against exclusion zones in the lead up to elections, and I had to stay home with the kids when I really wanted to be a part of the rally. > So I also try and get the wife and kids out on the water, with little success - only the occasional trip in smooth water where they get out and stretch the legs at tipplers. I have recently had 3 saturdays fishing in a row. The weekend in the middle I wanted to be a family time together. I was told I could do anything I wanted to do, so long as it didn't conflict with the kids plans. One had a sleep over planned at our house, the other had a birthday party to go to. But it is not all that bad or melodramatic, Dad just takes a back seat and spends time in other ways but fishing. Life deals some cruel blows!! But we live with it!!

Scalem