Monday 17th August 2026

I have looked through my blogs, and I am pretty certain that the last time it rained was on the 11th June.

I mention this as the colour of Kent, England and most of western Europe is burnt brown.

And on Sunday night, actual rain was forecast.

I got up at two to use the bathroom, and as I climbed back into bed, I could hear the large raindrops banging down on the carport roof.

It only last ten minutes, but I am pretty sure that it rained again before dawn. So when we got up, the ground was still damp, but drying out quickly, so I thought I had better take shots to record the fact.

Obviously, its not enough. We need weeks and months of rain, even then it will be too late for many plant species and insects that rely on them.

A long delayed task was to paint the outside sills of the living room and front and side bedrooms.

So, me being a man of action now, I would get all DIYy.

I had to get the fungicide solution, then the masonry paint. But I was getting ahead of myself.

First, the lichen.

Its not that we don't like it, we do. But the dirty sills spoil the house, so I would fix that.

I got a brush, a container for the solution, then got scrubbing, and managed to get as much over me as on the sills.

But after an hours or so, it looked better. So I did the two lower ones again, then got some clean water to get the excess off.

I would paint on the morrow.

Having done some actual work, it turned out that we both didn't feel inclined to do much more. The sun dried out the ground, and you wouldn't have know there'd ever been rain.

There might be more wet stuff later in the week. Maybe thunder too. We shall see.

Jools went to Canterbury, so leaving me behind to do the DIY, then sit in the garden with Mulder and Scully, as the day warmed up, until it warmed up too much to sit outside.

Jools returned at lunchtime, so we had chicken salad and a beer.

Which wasn't very clever. So we had to try to stay awake through the afternoon and into the early evening.

Jools and Jen's plans to go to Oz next year are well advanced, and Jools' good planning getting alternative quotes has already saved them £1500.

My plans for my trip to Perth are at an early stage, but I am dazzled on a daily basis by shots in the West Australia orchid group on Faceache.

For the evening there was football. Welsh football. Cardiff v Wrexham, which ended an entertaining 1-1 draw.

There's lovely.

A bolt out of the blue

So, a brief update as to our future plans for travel.

I say this as when we saw Jen last week, she asked if Jools could do her a favour? Go to Australia with her for six weeks in a motorhome.

This was the literal bolt out of the blue, but then it opened up another possibility for me, as I would stay behind to cat sit, thus save close to two grand in cattery fees, then I could go to the orchid capital of the world: Perth.

I would be going later, at the end of July, and have been planning, roughly some things to do. I have friends who will show me some of the orchid sites, and others I can find out myself, perhaps.

News as I get it.

Before then we are off to Sardinia on another orchid trip with our friends, that's in "April" sometime.

And in February we are also off to Tenerife for a few days where we hope to see their four endemic orchid species.

In a break from the orchids, in October I will be joining a church tour of Northamptonshie with a friend and church expert, John.

Our long planned trips to Mexica and New Zealand get pushed back to 2028.

Sunday 16th August 2026

Every day we get a little bit closer to normal.

We had to scrap phys on Saturday, so there was no doubt we would be going to the gym on Sunday.

As I am still delicious, some bitey thing feasted on me Friday night or on Saturday, so my legs itched again to buggary. As my dear old Dad would say.

We were at the sports centre a minute after seven, and the car park had only a handful of other cars, despite the pool being open.

We went upstairs and did another thirty five minutes, more than enough time to get hot and sweaty.

After the session we came back via the Co-Op in Whitfield as we needed fresh corn.

I had thought I got out two large lamb steaks for lunch, but turns out they were steaks! Ribeyes, and of quite a size. But had also got two punnets of tagine out too, and there was mushrooms as well as the corn.

I seasoned the steak, then went for a shower and shave, so that by one, it was time to start cooking.

Corn boiled first then kept on a simmer on one of the back burners, same with the tagine, before cooking the mushrooms with some garlic and the steak having two and a half minutes each side.

A pleasant change not to have chips or any other potato carbs, and we roadtested the new pink fizz, which was pretty good too.

We really didn't feel like washing up, but did before the afternoon snooze hit. I was watching for Championship football: Watford beat the dirty cheating Saints 2-1, then Burnley and West Ham shared four goals. And both were pretty good games.

The day was also notable for a two hour power cut in the morning, meaning no internet, no calls, and our local 5G transmitter was taken out too.

We had to talk to each other.....

We watch a film in the evening. Normal which looked good on the trailer, and was OK. Lots of bizare deaths and very dark humour.

Saturday 15th August 2026

Sometimes, there is just too much to do.

So, with phys, shopping. a shower, and having to be out before nine. Something had to give, and as we need to eat, it was phys.

We were going to meet a friend in Canterbury, so the rest had to be done, so we could get to the city and nab a parking space.

I went to Tesco after the first coffee of the day. The only coffee of the day.

It was already cooler, though sleep was tough overnight, but a breeze had risen, so took the edge off the day.

The upgrading of Tesco is nearly complete, with many aisles moved, so shopping is a kind of hide and seek. But I get round in half an hour and managed to spend over £100 again.

Back home where I had a shower whilst Jools puts the shopping away, then we can have breakfast before leaving at nine. Or just gone.

Traffic was very light, both along the A2 and on New Dover Road into the city, but doubtless the city itself would be rammed.

It was.

We parked near St Augustine's, then walked into the city, where I spied a barber's with an empty chair. I needed a severe trim, and had an hour to kill, so went in and was shorn.

I felt like a woolly hat had been taken off.

I walked past Christchurch Gate, past the new Marlow and Westgate to Canterbury West, where I had ten minutes before Graham's train arrived.

He said the train, a 12 car Javelin, from St Pancras was like the Tube at rush hour, rammed with folks heading for Margate and Ramsgate mostly, but plenty got off at Canterbury with Graham.

We walked away from the city to St Dunstan's, so Graham could see and record the church in which Henry II changed into his hair shirt for his penitent visit to the Cathedral after Thomas Becket's murder, and is also the place where Thomas More's head was buried after his daughter obtained it from a spike on Old London Bridge.

It was buried in the vault of her husband, the Ropers.

From there we sought a drink, and settled on a place beside Westgate where I had a lemonade whilst Graham had tea. We chatted whilst the world went past. The air con in the restaurant was excellent, and I could have stayed all day.

But we were going to the cathedral, walking along lesser used lanes and alleyways until we came to he Buttercross and the Gate. I had tickets from a previous visit, so we could escape the queue for a ticket and get in quick.

Though in the Nave, the Altar was being set up as a DJ's booth or something. All chair removed, but the building had hundreds of visitors.

Graham took shots, while I showed him some nooks and crannies that he might have escaped on previous visits.

We also went down to the crypt, and to the Chapter House.

He got shots while I people watched, and even found some things and places I had yet to record in nearly 1,000 images taken over many visits.

That done, we left through the two gift shops, as is the way, then doubled back to our old friend, the Thomas Becket, for drinks and lunch.

Meddlesome Priest was back on the pumps, and very good it was too, as we had three pints each before lunch of burgers and fries arrived.

Graham had to get back to that London, we we walked with him back to the High Street, pointed him in the direction of Westgate, then we turned and walked the other way through the crowds back across the ring road to the car.

Wisely, Jools drove us home, arriving back at twenty past three. Time enough to catch most of the Norwich game on the tellybox, though I needn't have bothered.

Despite playing well, creating many chances, it just didn't click, and were caught with two sucker punches, literally for the first as the forward used his hand to score. A late goal was too little too late, and so lost 2-1.

Friday 14th August 2026

We had reached the end of the week, and my thoughts had turned to the final Kent orchid species of the year, the Autumn lady's tresses.

Drought conditions have meant that not one image of them had been posted in my FB group, but maybe my orchid eyes were better?

And with it being even hotter than Thursday, if we were going to climb the downs, then it had to be done early.

Which is why we left home at ten past six for the drive to Temple Ewell. At least the roads were quiet.

After parking, we walked up the steep steps into the wood, out into the lower meadow, now almost totally scrubbed over, although a bumper blackberry harvest is in store as the brambles were everywhere.

Up through the upper wood, out into open downland.

It was already very warm, though the views of the village below were grand.

Through the first paddock, past the fence, then down onto the lower slopes, where in a good year hundreds of spikes can be seen.

This is not a good year.

Maybe it'd take time to get my eyes in? We both search, first walking down through the least green part, almost down to the shrubs at the bottom. Then back up, zig-zagging as we went, but no ALTs seen.

There were a few Eyebrights, Harebells, a few Squinancywort, ground thistles, and many Small and Field scabious.

There were butterflies, but in the early heat they were already flighty, and I only got slightly close to two Adonis blues, snapping a male and female.

In the next paddock, under the fence, there usually are some ALT to be found, but none now.

I drew a blank.

Even worse, no Autumn gentians either. Not a single plant.

After 90 minutes, we sighed and gave up, walked back to the gate, then down to the car.

Getting back home just before eight, and before rush hour.

Our black bin was out, but we hadn't put this week's bag in it, so seeing the truck disappearing up Station Road meant it would have to wait two more weeks.

Back home it was too hot to do anything. Jools drove to the library, and I stayed inside, trying to stay cool, but it was hard.

I made lunch once Jools was back, chicken salad with steamed corn, we bot had squash as beer would have gone to our heads.

A snooze on the bed was called for, though I just laid there, and the hottest part of the day passed outside.

I guessed the answer in the music quiz, but my typing must have been slow as I was only 12th getting it right, so no points for me.

And then football returned, with Wolves playing Blackburn, which ended in an entertaining 2-2 draw, Wolves equalising through a disputed penalty.

So it goes.

Thursday 13th August 2026

Thursday.

And we have been home nearly a week. There is a little of the post-holiday blues setting in, so mundane things like going to the gym are ever more of a drag.

But we were up at ten past five. The cats fed, Scully tested and jabbed, then coffee made, so that we could be out by five to six.

This is the start of a two day mini-heatwave, with temperatures expected to top thirty degrees both days, and as usual, the air conditioning in the gym doesn't reach to where our two bikes are.

But it is what it is, and we both get pedalling. The plan was to get close to forty minutes again, although I thought getting there on the second session back was ambitious.

In the end I did thirty five. as hot and bothered, and 60% of the pod listened to.

There is still enough food in the house, so no need to go shopping, except for some milk, which we'd pick up later.

Home again before seven, the top patio still in shade, and cool enough to sit outside for a while.

We both have showers through the morning, but as we had forgotten to put the afternoon tea date on the calendar, I made sausage sarnies for lunch. It was only after we had eaten both sarnies did Jools remember.

Afternoon tea is rather old fashioned, and was never a thing again until a decade or so ago, or not that I was aware. It has finger sandwiches, small portions of cake, a clotted cream and jam scone, as well as a pot of tea.

All served on a fancy set of mini-shelves. Sean and Ange had invited us, as Ange had won the meal for being super fit and winning at being able to plank the longest.

It was also her birthday, though she didn't tell us until we were back home.

As it was over thirty in the shade, the beach that was left at high tide, and parking in the surrounds was packed. And as we walked to the hotel, the sweet smell of sun lotion wafted by, bringing memories of childhood days spent on the beach.

We walked on, and found our friends sitting in the foyer, so we walk to the deserted chop room where tea was to be served.

We caught up, chatted and talk, as it always does between two ex-servicemen, to military matters and so we hijack the conversation.

But two hours pass.

Our parking is running out, so we say goodbye and we part on the prom, we walking to our respective cars, us to drive back onto Townwall Street then back home.

It were still hot.

And Friday would be hotter still.

Yay.

So, an ice cold beer was called for.

And then another.

Cats were fed, Scully jabbed and tested.

Life goes on.

No football again, but the Football League season starts Friday night, so there'll be football most nights.

A hot an humid night ahead, and sleep would be difficult. Again.

He's got (most of) the world in his pocket

We were away when the latest FIFA scandal hit, out the fallout from it hit. Many have written about it, so sorry to be the latest and probably last.

But here goes.

Giovanni Vincenzo "Gianni" Infantino was elected FIFA President in 2015 on an anti-corruption ticket.

The decisions to give the 2018 tournament to Russia and the 2022 to Qatar were not his. But he had the power to open investigations into how inproper those two votes were back in 2010.

He did not open an investigation into either.

In fact, he moved to Qatar in time for the 2022 tournament, and brushed aside concerns about slave labour and deaths during contruction of the stadiums, stating he knew what it was like to be marginalised, as he grew up with ginger hair.

FIFA is supposed to be apolitical, so there was more than surprise when he announced that Donald Judas Trump was the winner of the first, and probably only, FIFA Peace Prize in 2025. Norway has raised a case with FIFA's ethics committee in regards to this, as it clear breaks a FIFA statute.

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts, absolutely. So it is said.

In the run up to this year's World Cup in the US, Cristiano Ronaldo had his three match ban for a red card, given as he elboed an Irish player in the face, suspended.

The red card given to US forward, Folarin Balogun, was also suspended after Trump called on the FIFA President to ask it to be suspeded. The rules for the tournament stated, clearly, that a straight red card, or a red card for two yellows, would lead to a suspension. This was communicated to every team befvore they played each game, until after that decision.

Somali referee Omar Artan was banned from entering the US as he had a similar name to a person who had alleged links to a terrorist organisation. FIFA did not challenge this as would be expected. And the Iranian team had most of their officials and fans banned from entering the US, and the team itself could only enter the US on the day of the game and leave again as soon as their games were finished.

Again, FIFA did not challenge this, although there is clear reference to allowing free movement of fans, officials and players of participating countries in the legally binding contracts signed at the ceremony awarding the tornament.

In 2026, in an effort to raise $4.2 billion in development grants, Infantino proposed plans to sell a minority stake of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), without the apparent knoowledge or approval of the FIFA executive committee or any of the 211 National FAs. Pressure was put on national FAs by the President to agree to this so to be eligiable for $40million in funding from the sale in September, failure to approve would mean no money.

This was dropped after a worldwide backlash, though due to the unaudited money funnelled to the National FAs in the poorer parts of the world, he seems likely to remain in post with their support. But support is crumbling. A little.

Nothing has been said by FIFA's commercial partners, whose baulking a the corruption under Blatter caused him to resign mere weeks after winning a further term in office.

UEFA is to boycott FIFA competitons until major changes are made, and that threat remains in place.

As an auditor, the fact that the President clearing bypassed the rules for decision making and change management without the knowledge of most of the organisation should have made his position untenable, and should have been removed from office, if such a process was available to it.

What could follow is a battle between UEFA and FIFA for the control and ethics of the game, and how much of the rest of world football will stand beside the European body. A split in the game seems a distinct possibility.