Sunday 30th August 2026

It rained most of Saturday night, and the possibility of doing anything outside come Sunday seemed remote.

And yet by six in the morning, the skies had cleared, the garden was drying, and the sun was preparing to rise.

All systems go!

First up was the cats and coffee, of course. Then, I did not really fancy going to the gym, but Jools suggested we should or do something else, so we went to the gym anyway.

The middle day of a three day Bank Holiday meant it was even quieter at the sports centre, and only a couple of others in the gym.

As I had other stuff planned, I did 300 k/calories and finished, Jools did a few minutes more, and we were done.

Back home where I went straight for a shower, then changed, before the internet seduced me and stole all my time.

Fran was coming from Herne Bay, and Iain and friend were also coming on another final orchid hunt, but up the downs at Temple Ewell.

Last week I found two spikes, the expectation was that there would be more spikes a week later after more rain, but what if those were the only two, and had gone to seed?

Well, a walk is never wasted!

Iain arrives with his friend, Emily, a birding "widow", but she does love an orchid or two.

We climb into the Audi to drive to Priory to pick up Fran, then we happy four drive along London Road, past the old flat on Crabble Hill to Temple Ewell, parking behind the old pub as usual.

Emily hadn't been here before, but I had taken both Iain and Fran here previously. Fran several times.

We climbed the steps cut into the down, leading into the wood, then out to the lower meadow.

A quick diversion to the second meadow to look for, and find, Adonis blues basking in the still morning sunshine, then back to the path up the down, and through the woods.

Into open ground, and the path curves upwards, apparently into the sky. It looks steep, but my healthy lifestyle means it was an easier climb than ever as we went higher.

I spotted the first two ALTs beside the path, so the main task was achieved before we got to the main slope.

Photographs were taken before we walked to the gate, through that and along the fenceline, before dropping down through the long grass.

Butterflies scattered from our footsteps, but no orchids seen. Until Iain sees one, then a second, before more an more were spotted.

I guess in excess of thirty, maybe more seen, one spike being a good six inches tall, with a perfect tight spiral of green-tinged white flowers.

We walked back up the down, then into the next paddock to look for Autumn gentians, as I had seen none the previous week.

It seemed a fool's errand, until i spotted a tiny spike, topped with a lilac coloured flower.

Bingo.

I thought we'd find more, so didn't take a shot, so was disappointed when where the plants were usually at their densest, there were none.

So began the hunt for that first plant, so then it was when I saw about half a dozen more, getting shots.

But time was getting on, so we walked back to the car, down the down, then dropping Fran back off at the station, then home, as I had to be at Shepherdswell at half twelve to meet Andy off the train.

Time for a drink of iced squash, and off again in the car, along the A2, through heavy traffic from the port, turning off as the dual carriageway began, into the village by way of the narrow lane, playing chicken with cars coming the other way.

Jools would meet us at Eythorne, the other end of the short preserved railway, and I waited for their arrival on the train from Faversham.

Once Andy Nydia got off the train, we hurried to the ticket office to catch to twenty to train.

The class 142 was over half full for the ten minute trip, and engines roared, and the train rocked and rolled over the jointed track, over one level crossing and through Golgotha Tunnel to the terminus.

Jools was sitting at a table, so we rushed to beat the others from the train to the beer tent for fist drinks of this year's beer festival.

The beer was fine, if a little warm, but once I switched to mild it was better.

There was a food stall that did average "gourmet" burgers, but at a tenner with a portion of fries, was OK.

Once the half two train arrived, full of thirsty passengers, it got really busy, so we all decided to leave, with a return trip in three minutes for our friends, and Jools driving us back home through Eythorne village to the Sandwich road, then a 360 turn at the roundabout back to Dover and home.

There were four game on TV, but also the cycling on as well. What would I choose?

Well, there's football every weekend, so I watched the cycling, ignoring the football for a couple of hours, as the tour raced through arid hills around Valencia, before one last 22km mountain climb at the end.

It was half seven once it ended, and they can all enjoy their rest day on Monday.

I wrote, edited shots and rush to do the things I take half a day to do usually.