Tuesday 26th May 2026

Tuesday.

And today was to be even hotter.

Not only was it, but was the warmest May and June day on record.

35 degrees at Kew and one of the airports.

It was as hot as I have known it, and yet life goes on.

Up at just gone five, and it was cool in the morning light, and after coffee I get ready to go to the gym.

Already the car said it was twenty two degrees, and the mercury was climbing.

I intended to do more than twenty five minutes, but to be honest, I was so hot and sweaty, I could hardly hold onto the handles. On twenty five minutes my legs stopped and I climbed off.

No worries as I would be climbing downs later hunting more orchids.

On the way home I went to Tesco to by a bottle of squash and so ice cream. Two triple packs of pistachio magnums.

I was tempted to have one when I got home, but didn't.

I would have had a shower, but I would get hot again climbing Park Gate, so I leave that for later.

I took Jools into town for her class, then back home, where I wasn't hungry for breakfast, but make a cuppa, and wait for Iain to come round.

This was to be another U3A site visit, and as it turned out the last one, due to lack of interest. But two other members would meet us there.

I drove Iain and myself to Elham, then up the narrow lane to the parking place.

Oddly for peak season, there were no other cars, and just one person on the down.

We walk through the gate and straight away I see a whole load of green.

I knew where some of the Monkey would be, so we climb to the top of the down, but find just two spikes already going to seed, showing more of the dirty pink colour.

Down the path, expecting to see other spikes on both sides, especially at the bottom near the gate, but there were but two tiny spikes, already browning off.

Into he second paddock, and up the middle track, and where I would expect thirty or forty spikes, there were none.

Just two down the bottom, one at least worth photographing.

The other two members arrived at half nine, we walked back to the entrance to meet them. They were keen photographers, and not really into the plants, just shots.

Which is fine, I guess.

Mother Nature decided, therefore, not to produce more than ten spikes for us of Monkey, and inn the third paddock, no Fly and a single stunted Greater butterfly.

Otherwise a couple of tiny Common Spotted had begun to open, and a few green spikes of Chalk fragrant.

And that was it.

At least there was a Cockchafer beetle I spotted, climbing up stalks of grass from which to launch its large body from.

We all got shots, but that was that.

Iain and I leave the photographers and drive through Stelling to Stone Street, turn down that to the motorway then to Hawkinge.

Our final call was to the Late Spider site high on the downs above Folkestone.

We park near the gate, then walk up to the compound. The fence was still off, but there was no need to climb it as the biggest and most impressive spike was a few inches from the fence, complete with three fine flowers on its short spike.

Another orchidist there said he had found a "purple" orchid, could I ID it?

I believe I could, and turned out to be a Pyramidal with three open flowers on the spike, and nearby a CSO we saw last week was also in flower.

He was happy.

We too were happy.

We walk back to the car, then drive back to the Alkham Valley road, through River, up Whitfield Hill and home.

Iain left for home, and Jools had just got back from town.

We had an ice cream.

Damn, it was hot.

We did nothing the rest of the afternoon. Just stay out of the sun, even if the heat was less here than on Monday.

Just.

Supper was Caprese with garlic bread. Over-ripe tomatoes, soft creamy cheese and crunch garlic bread.

And wine.

The afternoon turned to evening, the light turned to rosy-pink, though temperatures didn't fall until well after dark.

I played music, the Chic version of Diana Ross's Diana album, followed by The Black Crowes and finally Harry Connick Jr.

Thus confusing the neighbours.