Tuesday 1st April 2025

Being retired means going orchiding when you feel like it.

Not just orchiding, of course. But going to the gym, doing the garden or whatever.

Although I knew it was unlikely to see any orchids in flower, a walk in the woods is never wasted.

So, after another lay in to half seven, then up for coffee and breakfast before we go out just before ten.

I drop Jools off in Lydden so she could visit a friend, and I could drive to the orchid fields of east Kent.

Onto the A2 then down through Bridge, and again through the woods and fruit farms to Hardres, down Stone Street before turning off.

Don the narrowest of narrow lanes, there is a small parking space, allowing room for a couple of cars, and access to one of the gates into the reserve of Yockletts.

I know the reserve well, the long slow climb in the open gallop to the lower meadow, where I pause to take in the scene and look for Green Hairstreaks, which have been reported elsewhere on the wing.

But not here. Last year's grass is faded green, and little sign of this year's.

Down then to the area round a fallen tree where the Fly Orchids grow thick. There was a good half dozen well developed spikes. None now or before the weekend will flower.

Up the slope to the top track so I could check on the two large Lady Orchid rosettes, well developed again, but with no spikes.

Everywhere is a carpet of amemonies, bluebells and primroses, its glorious. And although no butterflies were seen, the air is full of birdsong.

Over The Gogway, and pausing to snap the Townhall Clock plants, now struggling in open sunlight now the trees and scrub has been cut back, then up the slope to the upper meadow.

Numbers of orchids are well down. Only Early Purple were in the bluebell wood, Fly were only visible where numbers are hight, and Lady Orchids were restricted to a few places.

Yes, its early, but there should be more rosettes than these.

I stop at the upper meadow after the climb, usually butterflies sweep by frequently. But not today.

But Dark-boarded Bee-flies are everywhere, though skittish, I do get a couple of series of shots.

The rest of the reserve is closed due to Ash die back, so I turn back down the slope, over the lane and back up through the woods to the car.

Nearing the car, I disturb a Peacock sunning itself on the path, and that in turn disturbed a Small Tortoiseshell, the first I have seen for 21 months, rses into the air, then comes back down and settles to bask.

I get shots.

It was then a hundred yards back to the car, and time to go to pick Jools up as she walked along the main road from Lydden to Temple Ewell.

We thought we would go out for lunch, and after a few suggestions, we went to The Plough in Ripple where we hoped to have a sandwich or Ploughmans.

But things have changed, the Ripple Steam Brewery has closed, so the pub is no longer a taphouse, nor does it do food. So, we made do with a beer and some crisps and pork scratchings.

Back home for lunch and a refreshing brew, before an afternoon of gardening and Bangers and Cash while the sun headed west and there was a strong chill in air, chill enough to warrant putting the heating on.

We had dirty burgers and beer for supper, while the house warmed up. Easy to forget that despite it looking and feeling like spring, it can still snow this time of the year.

Football in the evening, with Man Utd being the fall guys yet again.

Some news

So, in little over three days, we fly out of Heathrow for India on quite an adventure.

We have three days in the Delhi and Agra ares, and then fly off on several safaris at three reserves looking for tigers and other exotic wildlife.

THe itinary is as follows:

09 April (Wednesday) 2025: Delhi to Nagpur and drive to Tadoba (PM Safari) (Flight: 0710 - 0840 hrs)
10 April (Thursday) 2025: Tadoba NP (AM & PM Safaris)
11 April (Friday) 2025: Tadoba to Pench (AM Safari)
12 April (Saturday) 2025: Pench (AM & PM Safaris)
13 April (Sunday) 2025: Pench (AM & PM Safaris)
14 April (Monday) 2025: Pench (AM & PM Safaris)
15 April (Tuesday) 2025: Pench to Bandhavgarh (Long drive)
16 April (Wednesday) 2025: Bandhavgarh (AM Safari)
17 April (Thursday) 2025: Bandhavgarh (AM & PM Safaris)
18 April (Friday) 2025: Bandhavgarh (AM & PM Safaris)
19 April (Saturday) 2025: Bandhavgarh (AM & PM Safaris)
20 April (Sunday) 2025: Bandhavgarh to Jabalpur and fly back to Delhi (Flight: 1545 - 1715 hrs)
21 April (Monday) 2025: Delhi to Sat Tal
22 April (Tuesday) 2024: Sat Tal
23 April (Wednesday) 2024: Sat Tal to Pangot
24 April (Thursday) 2025: Pangot
25 April (Friday) 2025: Pangot to Corbett via Corbett Falls
26 April (Saturday) 2025: Corbett (AM and PM Safaris)
27 April (Sunday) 2025: Corbett (AM and PM Safaris)
28 April (Monday) 2025: Corbett to Delhi

Then return on the 29th April to London.

I dn't think I will have time to update the blog during this time, so you can look forward to much to read in May. I will try to write every day, and will take plenty of photos.

My Indian colleagues hadn't heard of any of the places we are going to, though a Google search will bring up lots of detail.

Anyway.

It's all happening!

Love Labour's lost.

Labout swept into power last July mainly on the twin policies of not being Conservative and not saying anything likely to upset to Daily Mail.

Nine months on, and to be frank, its all gone a little Tory.

Benfit cuts. Too many claiming sick pay. Immigration bleeding the country dry. Spending cuts.

And so on.

To the point the policy, like on immigrants and the effect they have on the public purse, and what was said a year ago, are now opposite.

Labour promised they would make Britain better. They haven't.

Taxes up. Spending down. War on benefits. Blaming bats and newts for lack of progress on housing.

Its all so disappointing and Tory, really.

Labour used to stand for something, now, its a different shade of blue.

I will not vote for them again, I think, after this nine months of disappointment, and things are now likely to get worse.

There is just four short years before the next election is called, and Labour should know that out-Faraging Farage doesn't work, just ask the Conservatives.

Monday 31st March 2025

The Bee-fly is a nice looking flying insect, with its long mouthparts, and hovering to nectar like a tiny helicopter. But it hides a dark secret: females lay their eggs into the burrows of solitary bees, and when the eggs hatch they enter the bee pupea and eat them alive.

Nice.

We have two Bee-fly species in Kent:the dark edged, which is more common, nd the Dotted, which is what we have had visiting our garden for the last three years, and appeared yeaterday for the 4th season.

But first, to Monday.

We went to the gym first thing.

I say forst thing, it was just after eight, I hadn't been up long, but Jools had stuff planned, so needed to be on her way to Folkestone by quarter past nine.

I dd a session on the bike, half an hour, at an increased pace, to the sound of Gary Numan.

Which was nice.

Also nice was the fact the place was almost empty, with a fresh influx after nine, just as we were leaving.

Jools dropped my off home and went out on her chores, while I went back inside, made a brew, then sat on the patio watching the birds on the feeders.

The morning passed quickly.

Jools brought home salad for lunch, then for the afternoon there was double bangers and cash.

We both watched, only just managing to stay awake.

We had pasta and ragu for dinner, with the leftover garlic bread and a bottle of fizz.

We still know how to live.

Then some radio for the evening, and webcams, before going to bed at just after nine.

Phew, rock and roll.

Sunday 30th March 2025

The time is come for us to hit the woods.

Into the woods in search of orchids, other plants and butterflies.

One of the earliest places for seeing Early Purple Ochids in flowers first is the appropriatly named Earley Wood near Petham.

So, with the sun shining, and cold despite it being half nine in the morning, but that was really to being the first day of British Summer Time (BST), and so was "really" half eight.

I got my timings mixed up thinking it would be an hour "later", not earlier.

A quit drive along the A2 to Bridge, through the village and through the woods and soft fruit farms to Stone Street before turning off and going through the picture perfect village of Petham.

Out the other side, through the woods scattered with large houses until there was the gate to the reserve.

Earley wood is now a familar place. You walk down a wide gallop to a crossroads, then down the track leading to fields where there are Early Purples on both sides. Or in this case, Early Purple rosettes.

THere are carpets of Wood Amenonies everywhere, in all directions, and because of the warming sunlight, all beginning to open.

Also a few hardy Bluebells, English ones, are beginning to ipen and their stalks drooping.

But no butterflies.

We walk to the track to theright, and make our way to where the clearing used to be, now taken over by Broom, and go no further. If the orchids at the top are not in flower, the ones further down in the glade won't be.

We turn round.

As I'm waiting for Jools, perched on the bench, I spy a Peacock butterfy, and set off full of the thrill of the chase.

In the end, its not the best shot of a Peacock I have taken, but it the first butterfly shot of the year for me.

And I am happy with that.

We go home via the Petham Garden Centre and splurge fifty (50) quid in five minutes, so leave quickly after paying, load the car and head south down Stone Street, back to the M20 and thence back home.

Time for breakfast. A late one. Then peel some potatoes, soak in water, which I change every half an hour for 90 minutes s to get rid of the startch, then boil to just before turning to powder, left to steam dry and go all floury, popped into red hot duck fat and set in the over for 90 minutes to become perfect roasties.

I prep the rest of the vegetables, then with half an hourleft for the spuds, set them to steam and put the steak and stilton pies in to cook too.

Lovely.

Dinner was served, and whilst I ate I watched the footy and we lestened to Desrt Island Discs, a fine way to spend the afternoon, before moving onto te sofa and watching the Bournemouth v Citeh game.

Somehow that was then half six, and still brilliant daylight outside. We had toasted hot cross buns for supper, before som #WildflowerHour-ing on Bluesky.

Ad Sunday was done, but every day is the weekend now, so no need to worry about Monday.

Getting away with it

I wrote about COVID most days throughout the pandemic, at times there was little else to do. And even then I doubted Johnson and Hancock's words even as they spoke.

Five years ago this week, Johnson was discharged from the ICU having been at death's door, or not. And yet only had to isolate for three days, not 14 like the rest of us, before going back home to his heavily pregnant wife.

I am going to read my posts for each day, and ponder the words I wrote back then, and whether I was right in those doubts and suspicions.

Dominic Raab was made "designated survivor" for Cabinet, though it was never explained what this was for or meant, remember this is a man as Mnister for Brexit failed to realise how important Dover was for cross-Channel trade.

We hope that the inquiry will reveal some of the failings so we won't make the same mistake, but I don't hear much of that now.

Tens of billions spaffed on crap PPE, written off by Sunak, and now benefits cuts for the sick and disabled.

I thought Labour said it was going to get this money back when they came to power.

Funny old world.

Saturday 29th March 2025

We were up at half six, and after coffee I go to Tesco for some gathering.

The store is empty at that time, making it almost pleasant. I was back out by eight and drving home.

I was home when I realised that having bought mozzerella and tomatoes, I had no basil, so after getting the bags out, leaving Jools to put them away, I go back to Tesco for some.

Back home at half eight, then.

And the springflowers, Snake's Head Fritillaries, and Pasqueflowers, making a wonderful sight near to the back door, meaning sitting inside in the shade was most unappealing.

Not much planned for the day, other than there was a partial solar eclipse from ten to twelve, so I would snap that.

Fruit for breakfast, quickly followed by bacon butties in fresh seeded crusty rolls.

Yummy.

By which time the show in the sky to the south had begun, a chunk had already been snaffled out of the sun by the moon.

So, we spent the next two hours looking up at the sun, as the Aten was eaten by the moon, degree by degree.

It peaked at just about eleven, though there was no visible change in light in the garden, and then the moon moved away from the sun, and excitement passed.

Lunch was the first Caprese of the year, though the tomatoes were as hard as apples, so not that enjoyable.

There was also wine and garlic bread, which might explain my struggles to stay awake through the afternoon and evening. I missed most of the later cup tie between Brighton at Forest, which dragged on for three hours with injuries, extra time andpenalties.