Friday 1st August 2025

And, like magic, its Friday again.

Jools is not yogaing for a month, so no early start for us, though we should have gone to the gym.

Should is a hint that it didn't go to plan, as Scully went missing when she was due for her insulin jab.

So, Jools stayed behind to find her, to make sure the jab took place 12 hours, or as close as possible to 12 hours, since the last one.

I went to Tesco. A pleasant experience at such an early hour, before the crowds arrive.

So, around and round I went, gathering supplies. Though, somehow I managed to forgot to get salad stuff, but I think we'll survive.

Back home before traffic to the port backed up all the way up Jubilee Way, have breakfast and tidy up, put shopping away.

Jools had her art group in the village library, so I took the car and went to Temple Ewell.

A couple of spikes of Autumn Lady's Tresses have flowered in Bournemouth, so I thought I would survey the down.

I parked behind the old George and Dragon, girded my loins for the climb through the woods and meadows up to the open grassland at the top.

I stopped several times to catch my breath and take in the view, before going through the gate at the tree line and the down opened up with views down to Temple Ewell village and along the main line to Lydden.

I walk up the the second meadow, then down through scrub to where the tiny orchids should be.

I searched and searched, and were they there, I am sure I would have found them. Not even a single tiny spike was seen. So, I will return next month.

What I did see was the other main target species, a Silver Spotted Skipper, resting in grass, but allowed me to get fairly close for shots. I also got shots of a male Chalkhill Blue, but saw no Adonis or Dark Green Fritillaries which have reported there.

I walked back across the down to the gate and down, where in the lowest meadow I encountered two photographers, one of which was familiar.

We swapped news of what we have seen, and I had to ask the guy his name. It was Andy with whom we had spent three and a half weeks in India in April.

D'oh!

I was able to ID a butterfly they had seen as being a Small Blue, which I didn't know were up there, and not this late in the season.

Back down to the car, then back home with traffic easing enough to let me get to the Deal Road and so to St Maggies.

We have lunch, while storms bubble up over Belgium, could we be getting some thunder action today instead?

No.

The storms fade as the afternoon passes.

The garden is a mass of butterfly and moth action at the moment, as we have seen Painted Ladies, Red Admirals, loads of Gatekeepers and a whole lotta Whites.

I snap some, as well as a Jersey Tiger which was nectaring, and just asking to be snapped.

The football season began at eight: Luton v Wimbledon on the telly box. We have Chorizo hash, and I drink the rest of the Chocolate stout as the big kick off gets the season under way.

A close game, won by the home team via a cracking own goal.