Sunday 21st April 2019

Third day of the four day weekend.

And after a really good night's sleep, I was really keen to get out and do some snapping. Now that the orchid season is up and running, getting round every site is going to be challenging, as well as seeing anywhere new. Having thought I had seen a GWO on Friday, the only thing to do, really, was to go to the largest site for them in the whole county.

Marden is a hike over the far side of the county, near to Maidstone, then over the down the the plain beyond.

The M20 is still a mess, as Brexit is not killed yet, so the London-bound carriageway is half closed off still, and speed reduced to 50. So, it feels like a crawl in the early morning sunshine.

The meadow is set outside the village, nestling beside the main railway line, and is open just a few short weeks a year. It is so easy to drive right past it, as I nearly did, slamming on the brakes and reversing back. Just as well there was no one behind me!

I get the camera out, and we set off to walk through the deep, lush grass, sodden with a heavy dew, and making my feet wet in a few spaces.

No spikes seen in the first meadow, but in the second, a smattering of spikes, some in flower could be seen. It already looks great, but in two weeks will be a purple carpet.

I go round taking a few shots, but it seems the first colour variation are all pretty much the same ones, so, snap one and you have snapped them all.

After half an hour, I had done them justice, and we have had the meadows to ourselves, it was glorious.

I know the one place we could go to top that, if we had timed things right, but that would mean driving through the traffic nightmare that is Maidstone's one way system, But being only half nine in the morning, we got through without delays, get onto the M20, one junction down and then up to down to Stockbury.

Stockbury is a small wood set up from the main road, a narrow lane passes round the edge of it, with some executive houses on the other side facing the wood.

The wood itself stretches along the edge of the down, the top part is a bluebell wood, and the bottom is home to some of the earliest Lady Orchids in the county.

We walk up from where we parked the car, limbo'd under the gate, and was struck b the sight of an English wood carpeted by bluebells. I mean, if I'm being picky, not quite peak, but close. Very close.

Away from the main path, a track meanders through the thickest, bluest part, and is pretty darn photogenic.

And I cannot stress this enough, we have the wood to ourselves. Literally no one else is seen in our time here. Sunlight falls though the treetops, casting dappled shadows in the bluebells, while the air is filled with birdsong. Down the hill, traffic on the main road sounds busy, with people heading who knows where, and instead they could be standing in this bluebell wood.

We walk along the ridge, seeing a few scattered Early Purples mixed in with the bluebells, an amazing sight in the warm sunlight. I try to capture that in a shot or ten.

Down the slope and along level with the bottom road, and a few yards along we come to the first of the Lady Orchids, these not out, but futher on there are two with partially open slikes. I mean, one flower counts, right?

We walk back up the down and so back to the car.

We go back down the hill to the M20, and then back to Dover, at least the coastbound side has a 70mph limit, so we can put our foot down and cruise home.

We get home at half eleven, time for a brew before toasting a saffron bun for lunch, and then getting down to some planting of the annual climbers which Jools had grown from seeds. Good work, Jools.

Then there was footy to listen to, Everton v Man Utd, and much to everyone's surprise, Everton tear Man Utd to pieces in a four nil win.

I cook rack of lamb for dinner, with some new potatoes, stir fry vegetables and fresh asparagus.

It was a delight, even if I am the cook says so. But the meat, pink and tender nd the veg still crisp.

For the evening we go to Whitfield to pick up on the card school. Jen is back from Oz, and is tanned and relaxed.

We have a pleasant evening, Jen continues her winning streak, but then its just for pennies. Though Jen is winning lots of pennies.

And that is a it, a top drawer day.