Wednesday 24th June 2020

Six months to Christmas Eve.

Seriously.

Just sayin'.

And so begins the hottest period of weather this year. Thirty degrees expected on Wednesday, and maybe a couple higher on Thursday before it breaks in storms on Friday. So, for the time being we must sweat.

And although I did not feel like it, I did do a session on the cross trainer, and felt better for it. The experience is usually better than the dread of the thought of it.

So it goes.

I have a shower and am dressed and ready for the early meeting, which I attend whilst my glamourous assistant, Jools, makes breakfast and second coffee.

It was a usual working day with meetings, calls and the usual. Nothing much happened, only it got ever hotter in the house. One thing for sure, it would be even hotter in the garden, or walking the fields. Best stay inside.

The day passed uneventfully until half two when I had to go out for an appointment at the physio. My arm is still not right, so why not pay fifty quit for a Belgian lady to wrench it about to "balance" things?

Heck, it might even work. I hope.

Afterwards, we were going to go to Sandwich Bay to check on the Marsh Helleborines. But first:

We park in the car park, and I wait. I was called in, had to wear my mask, wash my hands when I got inside, then a quick review and then the pummeling.

Half an hour later, it was done, and at first, it felt great, as the knots and stress had been knocked out. But, soon stiffness returned, and I would have to try to use my left hand instead. I felt well enough to drive. I mean, being a man, it would be a pretty serious injury to stop me from driving! I digress.

We go along the Sandwich road, into Sandwich, then through the housing estate and random parking, to the road leading to the Bay estate. It was a glorious afternoon, hot, sunny and light winds. Perfect for orchiding, and maybe butterflying.

We walk back up the track, through the wildflower meadow, and once on the track to the orchids, there were butterflies everywhere. Most too flighty to be snapped, Marbled Whites were, but I snap a couple of Small Coppers, and chase Meadow Browns without getting a shot.

Into the paddock, and I could see the nodding white flowers of the marsh Helleborines. I could have waded into the middle of them, but there were a couple of spikes next to the path; they'd do. So I snap those instead, as most MH are pretty much the same.

But really, like at Marden with the Green Winged and the Lady at Bonsai, it is the spectacle of so many wonderful orchids, all waving in the wind looking stunning.

We walk back out, stopping to snap a few Southern Marsh, including a couple of pure white spikes near to the gate.

On the way back there were butterflies, Scarce Chasers, all to distract me from the fact we were hungry.

So, back home.

Traffic heavier than it has been for some months, and it not quite being the start of "rush hour", but we were home by five, time to cook dinner ready for the football at six, as Norwich were playing.

"Always a disappointing football match".

And this did not disappoint.

See what I did there?

Norwich were playing Everton, who we beat in the winter at their place, we had hopes of doing the double over them. But, it wasn't to be.

Norwich really never got going, but we level at half time, but nothing was coming off for us. Second half, Everton score from a corner, a mess of a goal, typical of our season, and as in the first 31 games we had not come back after going a goal down, why ruin a perfect record? We lose 1-0, and have scored the one goal in the last seven games, spread over five months.

I was watching in the i player, as it was being screened on the BBC. I watched maybe 40% of the second half, all too predicable. We are going down and there's no avoiding it now.

Oh well.

All that was left was to watch the Liverpool v Palace game, a fixture that derailed Liverpool 6 years back, not this year as they cruise to a 4-0 win.