Monday 31st August 2026

The last day of summer.

Perhaps.

According to the Met Office, 1st September is the first day of Autumn. They may be right.

As it is, its now dark by half eight, earlier if cloudy, and the sun rises after six.

Alongside Whitfield Hill, the Horse chestnuts have given up for another year, and their leaves are already a golden brown. The harvest is in, fields have been harrowed and some manure spread.

Autumn is coming, if its not already here.

It was also Bank Holiday Monday, the last before Christmas Day, and we had nothing planned.

There was no cycling, as it was a rest day, and only one Premier League game, and that was at eight in the evening, so we had a whole day to fill.

Truth is I had some tasks to do, something I will share with you at the end of the week, but digging out documents and information I thought I'd never need again.

Life changes, as it does.

So, after a lay in until nearly seven. Get up, get dressed and have coffee. Outside it was a chilly morning, but with the bird feeders back out, the hedge and bushes were alive with Great tits, Blue tits, Dunnocks and House sparrows, while on the wires, swallows are massing to fly south for another year.

Jools watches films, and I take my phone upstairs to listen to podcasts, sitting in the back room. Only disturbed when Mulder comes up for attention, or maybe steal my seat.

The day is quiet, apart form the couple two doors down, whose grandkids come here to scream with delight, and their mother berates them. Schools should go back this week, and apart from the powered gardening equipment, it will be quiet.

I also sit on the patio, re-reading Jon's Orchid Summer book. His prose are a delight, as is the subject matter, and I myself played two small parts in the events it details.

So it goes.

Come the evening, there is football chat on the radio: how made the transfers have been this summer, and how much madder it would be on the last day of the window on Tuesday. Then Arsenal played at Villa, winning 1-0 in a tight game.

Time for bed, worn out after doing nothing, and taking all day to do it.

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.

Saturday 29th August 2026

Its the bank holiday weekend.

The last one before Christmas, though in fairness, every weekend is a bank holiday now.

Being the weekend, it meant going to the gym first thing, so up just before six, sort the cats out and drink coffee.

The gym is at least quiet at weekends, so we park easily, walk to the entrance and up the stairs to our twin instruments of torture.

I do 35 minutes again, as I was cooking and I really wasn't into it. Being a holiday weekend, there was no new pods to listen to, so I grumbled as I peddled.

Then to Tesco where renovations are nearly done, with just the new freezers to be plugged in, but more aisles have moved and were hiding their wares.

We get all the stuff off the list, and back home for half eight, it was getting darker, not lighter, and the plan to meet up with friends at the East Kent Light Railway beer festival was looking increasingly like a bad idea.

As heavier rain was expected, I called Andy and we agreed to delay it 24 hours, meaning I suddenly had hours free.

And with the rain beginning to fall, I made a huge pot of Boston beans, taking nearly and hour to prepare the ingredients, and then combining in a big pot and cooking in the oven for four hours.

And then it was time for football: Middlesborough v unbeaten WBA, which ended 3-1 home win, then listen to the main games on the radio whilst watching the cycling with the commentary turned down.

Norwich were 2-0 up within two minutes of the start against Burnley, and romped to the first league win of the season, 4-1.

In the cycling, it was all gearing up for a sprint finish, but had been marred by three small crashes. Then forty kilometres out, leader and legend, Tadej Pogačar, swerved, crashed into a rider next to him, then went over the handlebars, breaking his collarbone and suffering concusion.

His race was run.

Wow.

Jen came round for supper. I defrosted and warmed up some ragu, boiled pasta and once dished placed crispy guanciale on top.

It was magnificent.

We talked, laughed, and drank wine.

Friday 28th August 2026

Friday.

After two early mornings in three days getting up at ten past five, to be able to lay in is a real luxury.

Of course it is my choice to go to the gym at six, but it works for me, and gets me down there, pumping lard.

I wake up as Jools was leaving for her yoga class, so I get up, make a coffee, and after drinking it put the bins out.

I put the new bird feeders out I bought. Did you know its possible to spend upwards of £60 on a single bird feeder?

Bugger that, I spent nineteen quid and bought three, and a block of seed encrusted fat. So put those out, and within half an hour a Great tit was chirping about how great it was.

Job done.

Jools comes back. We have breakfast, and then she's off again, off to knit and natter, collecting her group of old ladies on the way to the library.

I stay at home and re-read Jon's book on orchids, sitting outside on the patio as the clouds clear and the sun comes out.

For the afternoon there is more cycling from Spain, four hours of it. I take up position on the sofa with Scully and the afternoon slips by.

There was no quiz, due to summer holidays, so we have dinner of fish cakes and Boston beans, the last tub of them, so ingredients were added to tomorrow's shopping list.

After watching the football, the full moon shone low over the southern horizon, so I take a shot of it and the shelter lights.

Thursday 27th August 2026

Thursday began like it was the end of the world.

The sky began pink, then went dark pink and then to red.

Angry red.

The actual light was red. Like the earth was on fire, which in some places, it is.

We were up at five so we could do stuff before going to the gym, which we do. Cats tested, jabbed, red, and coffee made.

It is the last week of school holidays, I believe, and there are bleary-eyed kids being dragged to the pool still in their PJs, possibly for a gala soon.

The gym was quiet.

No it wasn't. It was loud, loud playing Euro-pop to no one as we all have headphones on, and the staff had yet to appear.

We get down to our session and peddle like crazy for thirty five minutes. Jools does forty, but I was cooked, so bail five minutes early and go outside to cool down.

Jools joined me five minutes later and we went home.

So began another day in retirement.

Once out of the gum, the sky was black with the promise of rain. A promise which was delivered a couple of minutes later as we drove back to St Maggies to vote.

By the time we got to the village hall, it was proper bouncing it down, and we got soaked running from the car to the entrance.

There were four of us waiting to vote at a minute past seven, voting for new local councillor as one had stepped down a few weeks back. The parties had taken this very seriously, with all parties dropping lies, I mean leaflets through our door. Some I chased up the drive giving them short shrift.

That done we drove home, and the rain eased, though there was thunder near Canterbury, here the skies cleared and the sun came out.

I collected the clippings from the lawnmeadow, bagged them up, and do other chores around the house, as well as writing, editing shots, and listening to podcasts, so that the morning slipped by.

We had an early lunch so that I could watch more cycling from Spain, waiting an hour after it started then watching it on delay, so I could zip forward through the ads.

The afternoon flew by.

We finished up the cheese and crackers for supper, and the evening, well, that slipped by too.

And we were both in bed by half eight, as it was already dark.

Wednesday 26th August 2026

Happy unbirthday!

Its Wednesday. Apparently.

There is no phys to do, so I can lay in bed until I want, then get up, drink coffee and check on the world thanks to my left wing Blue Sky view.

Blue Sky is not leftist, its just that you choose what you see and from whom, so what you do choose matches with your world view.

There is no algorithm to dictate that, just you. Which is why I interact mostly with people I met in those first few months on the platform, and fewer newer contacts.

But I digress.

Jools goes to fitness class, then has breakfast out, then stays in town to have a routine blood test.

I look at the lawnmeadow, ponder the recent rain, and decide that its time.

Time for a mow.

And being healthier, I don't need to use the traction motor, but run the mower up and down, side to side, without much effort.

But was sweaty afterwards.

I then rake the thatch into piles, but put off their collection until Thursday. As you do.

Once done, the lawnmeadow is brown and dead. Mostly, but I hope this harvest will generate fresh green growth.

It comes as a surprise to find there is more than one grand tour in cycling, so after doing as much internetting one can after lunch, I put on the tellybox and watch the latest stage of La Vuelta.

AKA, the Tour of Spain.

I watch after switching the coverage on, starting it from the beginning, and so able to fast forward through the talking into and all the ad breaks.

Much better.

The countryside of northern Spain is very similar to that of Southern France, where we should have been two months ago.

Maybe we should go back when its cooler? If only there was another eclipse in the near future.

There was football in the evening, on the tellybox. But was predictable, so I go to bed before it was over, so only found the results in the morning.

Tuesday 25th August 2026

It's my birthday. Again.

Didn't I have one last year about this time?

Jools asks was there anything I wanted to do for the day.

I replied that as most days I get to do what I want to anyways, I would just take it easy, as the last orchid species had been ticked off on Sunday.

It was a Tuesday, and that would normally have meant phys. You don't think I would do phys on my birthday, do you?

In fact, I did go to the gym, as there was a pod to listen to. So up at five, Jools wished me happy birthday, and gave me the cards from her and one from Jen.

And then off to the sports centre where there were many going to the pool, but a few of us going to pump lard.

I do thirty five minutes which isn't forty but nearer it than thirty one.

I cool down outside, then come back home so Jools can have the car. She makes me a brew, and I sit outside with Scully in the cool of the morning.

Jools leaves for her class, and will be gone all morning as she was going to meet up with the group she used to meet on Mondays for morning coffee.

I was home alone.

So after breakfast of toast. I have a shave and shower, and look spanking once dressed and smelt lovely too I expect.

Upon her return, Jools asked what the plan was. I suggested going to the Castle Street chippy and then the Hoptomist, that or going to a café for a slice of cake and pretend it was a birthday cake.

And in a surprise turn, we go back to the car and come home. I listen to more pods sitting on the patio, sipping French bier and eating peanuts.

Not exciting, but good enough, and Scully laid beside me and dozed.

For the evening we picked Jen up before driving into town, parking in Ladywell for the short walk to The Italian Kitchen, where we had a table booked.

Its a small place, but the former owner has bought it back, and doing some old favourites.

We feast on chilli and garlic prawns, and I followed that with spicy sausage with ear shaped pasta. And Jen and I shared a bottle of primitivo, which was very nice.

And that was that.

Jools drove us home, dropping Jen off on the way, getting back in time for the last ten minutes of the Cardiff v Norwich game, which we won 2-1, though in the League Cup. Not a good performance, but a win.