Monday 27th May 2024

Late Spring Bank Holiday (whitsun).

Would have been Mum's 80th birthday.

I don't miss her, but May used to be the month wth most of the family's birthdays, and hers was the last of the month.

And now they're all gone. Mum. Dad. Grandad. 2nd wife. Her son.

Life, however, goes on.

This year's submission for the hybrid between the LSO and Bee, Ophrys x albertiana.

I was up and out before eight, as rain was forecasted from mid-morning, so had to make the best of it.

This is a little known population, with several interesting spikes, though still early in the season to be really spectacular.

We shall be back in two weeks or so with something special or two.

I promise.

So, I drove through the town, thus avoiding the port because of the jams from the weekend. I mean they probably were gone, but just in case then out along the A20, to Folkestone, then into the countryside.

I park down a quiet lane, my car jammed against the fence at a parking place, get my camera, walking pole and knee brace out, a few minutes faffing and I'm ready.

I failed to mention the clear skies promised were not above me, but to the north, and was raining.

Hard.

I began the climb through the wood, then up the twisting path as the down rose up, and out into open country. I was met by a pair of Common Spotted Orchids, and I could see more up the down.

Now, I had thought long and hard about going out, was it worth knacking up my knee for? But then, I don't want to end up like Mum, housebound, so decided to go out anyway. In fact, my knee behaved itself, and I felt no adverse effects until into the night, for which there are drugs.

Anyway, after five minutes I find the first pair of Late Spiders, I could see no flattened grass indicating I might be the first to visit the site this season.

Further up I found more and more, but only a couple with more than one flower out, but I guess I found 60 spikes, but then I'm crap at guessing.

As I climbed higher, the sun came out and became a rather morning, what with Late Spiders, Twayblades, CSO and Fragrants all open or about to.

I began to cage the Late Spiders, but there was soon too many for the small supply of wire cages, and so gave up, just went round inspecting every spike to see if there was anything unusual.

I found one suspect hybrid with a Bee, but that was it.

So, made my way down the down, back to the car and home. Where I had an accident, a guy in a faux Jeep saw me coming, went past a passing place and we struck mirrors, his came off and rolled along the ground, mine didn't.

I made good my escape and drove on.

Back to Folkestone and then home, even going up Jubilee Way where there was hardly any traffic.

Back home, Jools's cold was now a cough, and she ached from it.

So I made dinner.

Lunch.

Pan fried asparagus in butter, fresh bread and wine. Two lots of asparagus too. Was delicious.

Tried not to sleep through the afternoon. I caught up with the last day of the Prem season before baking pizza for supper.

A quiet kind of day, one of much-needed rest for Jools.

In bed at eight to read.

Phew.