Saturday 3rd May 2025

And so the weekend.

Not just any weekend, but a Bank Holiday.

And yet, it not a jot to us, as every day is a holiday.

As I had gone to Twsco on Friday, no need to goon Saturday, instead after coffee we get in the car to do some orchiding.

Yocklett's Bank is one of my favourite reserves, and getting there early before anyone else is about pays off.

The roads are quiet, even to and rom the prt, so we drive out of town to Folkestone, then up Stone Street.

We park in the usual place, then walk up the path, up to the orchid grove, now down to just three spikes, a pattern I see in other orchid species further on.

On the other side of the track, a wildflower meadow has been created from cleared trees, though since my last visit, willow wands and other branches have been put down thus to prevent access.

Elsewhere, more woodland has been cleared, which is now turning to lush grass, but the woodland species, not just orchids, are struggling. I think it might be the last season for Herb Paris, as the few plants are now in full sun.

There used to be dozens of Early Purples, now sin single figures, we did not go to the upper meadow and beyond to the path being closed due to Ash die back.

Numbers of Lady Orchids are down too, just seven spikes on the east side of the reserve.

Fly are doing well, especially at the lowest point in the reserve, where dozens of spikes were seen.

Just a single Greater Butterfly now seen on the path up the down, and the "green" Fly was nowhere to be seen, as the whole are is now badly overgrown.

We turn round and walk back to the car, getting hot and bothered now the sun was well up, with it being ten in the morning.

We reach the car, and drive back up the lane, onto Stone Street and then back to Dover and home.

We have breakfast, and then a toasted saffron bun, as we had worked up an appetite, so brews all round too.

You will be glad to hear that it was the occasion of the final round of games in the Football League, and as Norwich won't make the play-offs, was City's last game.

A home match against already relegated Cardiff, two goals up and with Cardiff having had a defender sent off after 16 minutes, it would have been a walk in the park.

3-0 at half time, but in the second half, Norwich take their foot off the accelerator, and allow Cardiff to score twice, both from mistakes, before scoring a 4th themselves.

The season in a nutshell: easy on the eye and exciting with the wind at their bags, but all to happy to relax and make mistakes.

When we were away, City's manager was fired, so someone new needs to be found, and then the chaos of the transfer window to look forward too.

We have steak and ale pie, roast taters and gravy along with steamed veggies for dinner.

Which went down well.

However, come half seven, we were both pooped, and so went to bed, well before sunset.