Sunday 26th April 2020

Norwich are still in the FA Cup and have not been relegated yet.

We would have taken that at the start of the season!

In other news, I have lost some weight. Not a lot, but some. T shirts that were tight are no longer. So, it gives me encouragement to carry on, even though some days my heart isn't in it.

So, onwards and upwards, and carry on pumping the lard.

And so, to Sunday, and what to do? The original plan was to repeat the previous week's walk from the NT place back home, but that is more of the same. So, what to do different?

Well, I wanted to see another species of orchid, and on my radar was the Green Wing. My friend, Mark, told me of a new colony near to Whitstable, but that would be over half an hour's drive to see them. And as locals had been rightly complaining about the number of visitors during what is supposed to be a lockdown, I thought something else would be needed.

The nearest colony to us is on the golf course next to the Sandwich Bay Estate, but surely that would be out of bounds to traffic/ But then I remembered there is a public right of way along the beach. So, why not drive the ten minutes into Deal, park the car at the north end and walk to the estate along the beach?

Why not indeed.

What time to leave the house? After seven.

So, a plan. The plan.

We get up, have coffee but no breakfast. Put our boots on and load the Audi, and I drive us to Deal, past the castle, the car park and along the sea fron the the remains of old Sandown Castle.

We park on the main road, I gather my cameras, and despite being just seven degrees, I wear no coat, as I hope it will warm up later.

Which it does.

The Kent coast has changed over the centuries, Sandwich used to be a sheltered port on the Wantsum Channel, which separated the mainland of Kent from the Isle of Sheppy. A huge storm in 1287 changed the coastline, and ports silted up, former islands became joined, and the Stour now ran next to the town to where it ran into the sea in Pegwell Bay.

Now, north from Deal there is a wide stone and earthen bank protecting the country beyond from the sea. This wide flat topped bank made for easy walking, for which my back was grateful. And of course the easy going and good conditions meant I could take my time and look for any interesting plants and insects that might catch my eye.

I see much to like and snap, photos included here:

Field Mouse Ear.

Beach Daisy.

Rosy Garlic.

Common Ramping-fumitory.

Tree Mallow.

By then we had reached the Sandwich Bay Estate, which is, for some reason, a private estate, which costs the casual visitor (in a car) seven quid to visit. On the positive side it does mean tha the rare plants that grow there are well protected, but then the land is, and here I was going to say owned by some chinless minor member of the aristocracy, but it seems one of those sold it to an Australian millionaire at the end of the war, but the estate is now owned by a provate company on behalf of the residents.

Tool fees help in the maintenance of the estate, which is pretty something I guess. So, I have learned something, and will not be so unwilling to pay the toll in the future.

Anyway, past the Yacht Club, the past the huge houses that make up the estate, and then to the Prince's Golf Course, where usually botany is a dangerous activity, having to dodge the golf balls and irate golfers as we get in their way. What this year, everyone is locked down and gold is forbidden. I could wander hither and thither.

As much as I wanted.

Which was nice.

There is a footpath across the fairway that runs beside the coast road, and just a few yards in is the colony of Green Winged Orchids. Because of the irate golfers I usually go to Marden to get my GWO fix for the last few years, so returning here it is amazing how stunted these coast orchids are. At first you see what appears to be a purple smear on the grass, then the tiny spikes make themselves clear.

Most were just purple, but one or two were a paler pink in colour.

I take a few shots, I have snapped loads of them over the years, but what I really wanted to snap was a pure white var. alba, I thought there were none, then, just as I was walking to the gate to start the long walk home, I spot a single small white orchid.

Bingo!

And so to walk back to the car. At least we had a tail wind.

We could see the start of deal in the mist in the distance, it seemed miles away. But one foot after another, we walk back, I see more and more plats, snapping them as we went.

And, as we pass more and more walkers, most with dogs, we were a few hundred yards from Sandown Castle and nearly back at the car.

Yay.

We climb in the car, drive through the housing estate to double back to the seafront road, past the pier and to home, with the roads still pretty quiet.

Once home I cook bacon sarnies and make huge brews for a belated breakfast, it was eleven, so brunch.

It was a glorious morning, clearly the warmest day of the year, and for me, dressed in black, too hot to sit outside for too long.

I make asparagus cooked in butter with fresh buttered bread. The bread was fresh when we bought it two days previously.

That's my excuse.

It was a warm, nearly hot afternoon. Jools sat in the garden, and I sat in the cool of the house, fighting off the snoozing as I had supped a Leffe Blond with lunch.

And so to the evening, and dinner was, for the first time this year, pan-fried breaded aubergine. Two medium aubergines make enough yummy golden food for dinner and have enough for both our lunches on Monday.

And that was it, really. I edit shots, listen to the radio and post shots of flowers on Twitter. Situation normal.

Outside the day fades, and tomorrow is Monday. Apparently.