Wednesday 13th June 2018

Wednesday. Another day working from home.

I wish I could say something different about such a day, but each day has the same pattern:

1. Get up some time between half five and six.

2. Jools has usually made coffee, so drink the first cup, and at the same time look at the internet.

3. Have breakfast

4. At eight, start work.

5. Do stuff until about half ten.

6. Have lunch.

7. Do more stuff until my will wanes.

8. Listen to the radio, write, edit shots. Something other than work.

9. Prepare dinner.

Only Wednesday, there was no dinner to prepare as we were go go out and eat.

And look for orchids.

All I had to do was wait for Jools to come home from work, get changed and we drive to Sandwich.

Sandwich Bay, is a private estate, owned by some minor member of the Royal Family of aristocracy. Or something. Anyway, they own the site, which is surrounded by three famous gold courses. But on the beach, in the dunes, there grows orchids.

Lizard orchids.

If you go to the estate at the weekend you are subject to a £7 toll, but of an evening, midweek evening, you usually get in for free.

On the estate, not sure how this works, but there are ground houses and mansions, on the lawns of some are the first of the orchids. Then down the toad that runs beside the dune you can see dozens and dozens of Lizard Orchid spikes.

We go to the bottom, near the entrance to one of the golf courses, where the biggest concentration of Lizard spikes, and if you look carefully there are a few Bee spikes mixed in with the Pyramidals too.

The light was perfect, if low, so some close up macros were tricky. But I get the shots I want, and look for pale versions of the Lizard, showing lack of chlorophyll.

After half an hour I have dozens of shots, if not hundreds, so we retire to the car and drive via the old coast road to Deal, where I find a place to park and we walk to the fish restaurant in Middle Street.

There aren't many sit down fish and chip restaurants in the area, but there is something about eating fish and chips straight from the fryer, all crispy and so hot the vinegar evaporates into a toxic cloud.

Perfect.

We make dinner disappear, pay and then walk back to the car in the late evening sunshine, casting long shadows on the promenade.

We were back home at half eight, enough time for a shower and an episode of The Expanse.

Phew.