Saturday 2nd August 2025

It is the weekend once again, and the football season begins. At least for teams in Leagues 1 and 2, and some non-leagues, though some of those started last week. Its also the first week of the FA Cup!

We had little planned, just as well as Dover was pretty much gridlocked until well into the evening with port traffic. Jubilee Way as stationary up to the Duke of Yorks roundabout most of the morning, and the A20 jammed all the way back to Hawkinge in the morning, then eased through the afternoon. But was still showing red on the traffic radar until early evening.

The garden is now looking presentable, with Jools clearing dead or finished plants and shrubs, and the lawnmeadow now really ready for autumn.

Sitting on the patio, a bumblebee had fallen asleep in a flower of one of the shrubs, so was easy to take shots of.

Jools did more gardening, so I went for a walk to the post box, then along Collingwood into the countryside, before doubling back over the fields to our road.

Not far, but looking for plants and any moths and/or butterflies.

I did find a Lime Hamkmoth caterpillar struggling on the path, fending off a wasp, I put it in the nearest garden, and hope it survives.

Near Fleet House a young lady on a horse stops in front of me. Apparently, the horse won't go on until its nose is scratched.

I was pleased to do so.

Back over the fields, and I see a tiny female Common Blue butterfly, almost totally brown, the hindwing spots identifying it as a Common Blue rather than a Brown Argus.

Back home, then, and ready for a drink and a sit in the sun.

We have lunch early. I make a large pan of creamed spinach to go with fresh corn, Moroccan spiced rice and breaded chicken.

Lovely.

The bottle of tripel did mean I struggled to stay awake through the game on TV, but a coffee and a pain au raisin woke me up again.

The football plays out on the radio, really a stream of scores, names and muted crowd sounds. I am not that invested, sadly, in the bottom two leagues, but this was the first time I had listened to the "round the grounds" on Radio 5 since before we went to India, as the season was in its last weekend when we got back, and different leagues played on different days.

Funk and soul on the radio, dark by nine and then to bed.