Saturday 11th April 2026

It's not just the weekend, it's Derby-day weekend.

But before then there was the usual stuff.

Like getting up, feeding the cats, drinking coffee. And then going to the gym, though only I went as Jools was going for a walk and a bit of tidying.

Weekends at the gym are the best. Certainly at seven before families are up, and the pool just has lane swimming, and the gym is mostly empty. Meaning I can get a parking space, go up to the gym and find all machines are empty, so I get on the bike and peddle.

Once I am done, having done another forty minutes at a higher level again, I go to Tesco for supplies, just to top up the fridge and larder.

Again, at eight its empty, so I whizz round getting stuff we needed, and on the way out top up the tank at the garage, with prices up 3 pence a litre in a week.

Back home where, for a change, I make sausage sarnies once the shopping was put away. Beef sausages.

Sausages made of beef.

Were good, not good like butcher's bangers.

A shower, shave and change of clothing, meant I was all ready for the game at midday.

Norwich lost to Ipswich last time out: the first defeat to them in 18 years. Last time they did the double over us was in 1992-93, so we were defending a 33 year record.

Norwich were really not up the the task. Town were better in all departments, but also helped when the referee gave the softest of penalties in the tenth minute.

Despite having over 60% possession and 17 corners, Norwich really never threatened, and Town scored a second just before the break.

City were denied a clear penalty, and on top of that, Nunez should have been sent off after three poor tackles after coming in, but the ref kept his cards in his pockets.

So, that was that.

Then were the main batch of games on the radio from three, with me sitting on the sofa with Scully while listening to the radio.

Pizza for supper, between the end of the games at five, and Liverpool game v Fulham at half five.

More sitting on the sofa watching that, listening to Stuart spin some Northern Soul and 80s soul tunes in place of Craig.

Thus ended the day.

Friday 10th April 2026

Friday.

Its the end of the week. Again.

We don't know where the days and weeks go, but they fly by.

And yet here we are, in the second week of April, Spring, maybe, has arrived, nights are shorter than days, birds are on the wing, as are butterflies.

Jools, obviously, was up at five so she could be out of the house shortly after six for yoga. I went back to sleep, and was awoken once when Cleo jumped on my legs to make a nest, and second when Jools drove off in the car.

There was the bins to do, make coffee and then check on the world, which hasn't got any better.

I had a slow start before I would follow Jools in walking up Station Road into the village, with she going for her "Knit and Natter" group, and me off to the doctor's for a blood test.

It was a brighter, warmer day than expected, but the walk up the hill was fine, stopping to take shots of various wild flowers in bloom.

In the village, the post box has been upgraded to one of them modern scanning ones, and I had wondered how the knitted toppers would cope with the change, to find a knitted garland draped around the box.

Then up the back lane past the school to the surgery, and once checked in I find appointments were running slow.

I had an appointment for half ten, I got in at quarter past.

I found I have lost a further 6 Kg, not as much as I hoped, but progress is steady and I am feeling better than ever.

I was 79Kg when I joined the RAF some 36 years ago. I might not see those weights again, but that is 24 kilos gone since last summer, that's 52 pounds, or close enough. I was doubting I was losing any more, but I was, so I will keep on keeping on.

My blood was red, but reluctant to come out, so both arms were jabbed, the right three times. Maybe not enough for all tests, but we shall see.

The nurse is pleased with my progress, so I left the surgery light of foot and spirit, for the short walk to the village shop for an ice cream.

Which I ate sitting on the bench judging people's parking abilities.

Once the ice cream was gone, I walk back down the hill, then up the other side to home, where ten minutes later Jools joined me on the patio for a brew and some shortbread.

Through the afternoon we watch the last two episodes of Beatle Anthology, which detailed the final two albums and the break up of the band, and finally the part reform and the recording of Free as a Bird.

Even as things were falling apart, the four of them continued to make amazing music, quite the achievement. And legacy.

I do the music quiz and win. As I was quickest on the keyboard.

Yay me.

Before we drove Steve from next door and our former colleague from the LFB, Brian to the village for a charity pub quiz. Though was in the village hall rather than a pub.

It was a fun night, we do OK, finish sixth, but our knowledge of modern TV show themes ultimately let us down.

We drank beer, ate snacks and laughed a lot, and had much to ponder as Brian told us of his battles with cancer over the winter, which he seems to have won.

Back home for ten, pooped and tipsy-fart. We soon go to bed.

Thursday 9th April 2026

Thursday.

And despite it being yesterday, I am struggling to remember what I did.

But here goes.

As it was a Thursday, there was the getting up early, drinking coffee and going to the sports centre for six, so to burn some calories.

It was another warm, sunny morning, though if the forecast was to be believed, it would cool down in the afternoon. So warm that not only did we have the back door open, but we had windows all around the house open.

Outside, birds sang, cats slept and the world cantinued to spin.

Jools went out to the tip and Tesco, so my main task was to create a "flag", to protect the Early Spider Orchid along the street. I saw the owner of the house the day before, so got his permission. He apologised for its mowing last year as he forgot it was there.

I sat outside to read, Sully joined me, and indeed it remained warm, though the breeze did increase.

After lunch it clouded over and turned downright chilly. So, windows were closed, though for the third day in a row, no heating was put on.

Jools watched more of The Testaments, while I went to the back room upstairs to read an old copy of the NME. Not that old, 24 years, but a lifetime away.

Digital piracy had just begun, with the new Oasis album leaked online. You probably couldn't give it away these days.

We finish the cheese and crackers for supper, then watch another episode of Beatles Anthology, where, one Brian died, you could see the band falling apart.

The music, however, remained incredible.

No football on TV, so to bed at nine and to sleep.

Wednesday 8th April 2026

Its the middle of the week. And so time for a lie in. Even if my body and brain have me awake at half five anyway.

It is to be the warmest day of the year. Tuesday wasn't just the warmest day of the year, in Anglesey, but the 25 degrees was the highest April temperatures since records began.

I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, and we should all keep drilling for oil so the executives can make more billions, who care about a planet, anyways?

The orchid season is now three to four weeks earlier than it was a decade or so back, meaning pollinators might not yet have hatched to do their pollinating jobs, meaning plants will not get pollinated, new generations of plants will fail, and those who eat plants, or whose food chain relies on plants might starve.

But plants.

It was mighty warm at Jelltex Towers, Jools went off to her fitness class at half seven, so I stayed here and drank coffee, had breakfast, then began chores. Like watering the plants, checking the ponds, filling the feeders.

And then going out for a walk.

Reading my old blogs, I see I used to walk most days, and most times up to Windy Ridge. And I hadn't been there for months.

So I put on my boots, grabbed my camera and set off.

Off over the fields to Fleet House, pausing to take shots of the track and the view to Kingsdown Leas, before turning down by the farm and up to the not-so-new bench just before the top of the down.

I sat there for half an hour, enjoying the peace, broken only by the calls of skylarks and buzzards.

Along Green Lane beside the edge of the wood, and where there were about a dozen Brimstones, one of which settled long enough for me to get a shot. I also saw a Speckled wood, a Small tortoiseshell and a Peacock, though they didn't settle.

The new owners of Windy Ridge farm have a new dog. Very barky.

It barked as I walked along the lane, when I stopped to take shots, and carried on as I walked past the farm and to the top of the track leading back down to Collingwood.

I turn for home, seeing more Lesser celandines than I have seen before along Green Lane, now spreading further and further east.

When I got home, Jools was back, so we had a glass of squash and sat on the patio until the heat forced me inside.

Yes, heat.

It had gone beyond warm, which as nice as it is, means that the only place to see out the day should be the chilled interior of a nice country pub somewhere, or one at the seaside.

We can't go far, or one of us has to stay home as there's a delivery of wine coming. My only concern it arrives before dinner time so I can test one of the bottles.

Lunch is that old standard, pork pie. Bought last week before breakfast when everything looks delicious and is swiped into the trolley.

We watch more Beatles. And its clear things are going downhill, especially after the trip to Indonesia and pissing of Imelda.

Penny Lane is still the greatest moment in popular music, an to hear it again with the band on the actual Penny Lane for the promotional film, is a joyous thing.

They even managed to squeeze in a sexual act into the lyric, and the BBC missed it.

For the afternoon there was a little churchcrawling, as I took my group to Blessed St. Mary of Walmer again, having arranged it to be open. Again. And calling the warden the day before to ensure he didn't forget.

I was even able to inform him, via Hasted, when the church's tower was taken down, as in 1800 it had already partially collapsed and contained but two bells.

The group loved the church; the Chancel arch, the Duke of Wellington link, but the glass is something left to be desired.

We were done by three, so I rushed home to pop the already boiled potatoes in the oven for dinner to go with the pie and steamed vegetables for dinner.

The evening contained no football on TV, just on the radio. So I laid on the bed, then in the bed as I followed Liverpool's match in Paris.

I woke up at ten to find they'd lost 2-0, and so it was time for more sleep.

Tuesday 7th April 2026

End of Easter Weekend, though us retirees carry on regardless.

It was a Tuesday, so the gym was back to being open at six, and as usual, Jools needed the car from half seven, so I was out of the house driving to Whitfield at five to six.

While all around, Nature provided for those who were awake, a most amazing dawn and sunrise, though that ended at quarter past six, as the sun rose. But by then I was in the gym, on the bike, peddaling.

Like Billio.

As my Grandad used to say.

I do forty minutes, once again putting off the long delayed go on the cross trainer, because I had to get some vegetables and butter from Tesco, so raced round there getting a small trolleyful of stuff, then back home for half eight, as Jools was making ready to leave.

Task for the day was to clean the patio of several years moss and other green things that had turned the one bright slabs a dull greeny brown colour.

For the task we had an ancient steam cleaner, which could be fifteen years old, or double that.

I waited to half nine before firing it up, and after some changing of nozzles, I got cleaning.

Two hours later, I had numb and sore forearms, but half the patio looked OK, from the upstairs it looked fine, though time had faded the slab's colour. It would do.

Jools would do more when she came home, and between us, most of the patio was if not clean, then cleaner than before we started.

I did stuff in the house, then began to prepared dinner, a quick meal of breaded cod, boiled new potatoes and the leftover creamed spinach.

Very nice.

The only cloud on the day was Scully first thing, who was acting strange, like she was blind, and had been to the toilet in the middle of the living room.

Nice.

When we tested her blood sugars it was just 3.7, so she was borderline hypoglycaemic, so we had to get food into her quick.

After a couple of hours her readings had reached seven, and she could see again, and was open to as much food as we wanted to give her.

That we worked out what was wrong, knew how to fix it, and to monitor it was good for us, and Scully.

Some footy on the telly in the evening, and Arsenal at Sporting on the radio.

Not a bad day, all in all.

Monday 6th April 2026

I have written many times on this blog about how the weather on UK bank holidays is usually rubbish, but this does not deter the average British family to go to the seaside, as if to lay eggs.

Or something.

Indeed, over the weekend there was snow and even blizzards in Scotland and Strom Dave blew through Ireland and Northern England as well as Scotland.

Down south, however, the weather gradually improved.

And on Bank Holiday Monday itself, there was light winds and endless sunshine forecast.

On top of that, I saw a post on Blue Sky that bluebells in Sussex were nearing their peak, which spurred me on to arrange a visit to Stockbury with Fran, to our favourite Kentish bluebell wood.

Heck, there wasn't even a gym visit first, as for me it was a rest day, though Jools did go swimming as I lay in bed until after she'd left.

Up for coffee and breakfast, and once Jools returned, got changed, we headed out along to Sandwich Road and Eastry by-pass to Sandwich and onto Thanet, before turning west to Herne Bay.

Traffic was light at ten in the morning, but would get worse, and we were going past Faversham to the junction with the A249, busy even at quiet times.

However, the drive was pleasant enough, and the new junction took us on the southbound carriageway before we turned off onto the minor road, and reversing into the blocked off junction running one side of the reserve.

It would appear that the reserve has no warden, so all sorts of warnings of dangerous fallen trees advised that the paths were closed. We knew better and took our chances.

We could see the carpet of blue from the road, and on the edge a single white Bluebell was found, on the main path through the reserve, before doubling back along the narrow track through Bluebell central.

There really is no finer sight at this time of year than a bluebell wood at peak bluebell, so I took shots and took the sight and smell in.

Only issue was the hum of traffic from the A249 a few hundred yards away.

We walked along the top path, enjoying more Bluebells and a couple of Early purple Orchids just opening, before negotiating the wooden steps down to the lower meadow where we would look for Lesser butterfly and Lady orchids.

The steps are poorly maintained, and care needed to be taken in going down them, but once down I found three Lesser butterfly rosettes, and further on dozens of Lay rosettes, including one that was putting up a spike.

All that was left was to find our way back to the car, the easiest was was through the sparse woodland to the upper track, then through the Bluebells again and down the road to where Jools was waiting.

As I had to be home at one, we took Fran back to Herne Bay, then back to Ramsgate and Sandwich to home, stopping off at a garage for milk and ice creams!

Back at half twelve, ready for the big game.

Yes, the Football League's 72 teams were to play twice in four days: on Friday and Monday, as we reach the business end of the season with just six games to play.

After drawing with Pompy on Friday, Norwich had a tricky away games at Millwall who rose to second after beating Middlesborough last time out, but Norwich had a raft of players back from injury, causing a who new problem for the coach.

Norwich dominated the game, created a hatful of chances in the first half, but failed to covert any. Millwall scored early in the second, then Norwich got back on top and scored twice late on to take all three points, so to rise to eighth in the table.

That was followed by Ipswich against Birmingham, which also ended 2-1, to Ipswich, though Town were poor, but climb above Millwall to retake second place.

And next up for both teams is the Old Farm Derby at Carrow Road Saturday lunchtime.

Eeeek.

Dinner was chorizo hash, just to use up the week-old peppers, but as always, was good, and a vegetable packed meal to end the weekend with.

Finally, we watched the 5th episode of Beatles Anthology, taking the story up to August 1966 as their last concert at Shay Stadium.

Sunday 5th April 2026

Easter Sunday.

Should we go to do pyhs, or take the day off and have Easter egg sandwiches?

We do phys.

I could have easily bailed, but Jools wanted to go, so we do.

It is now getting light again when the alarm goes off, and the sun rises at twenty past six, but rises so far away to the east now, its only just visible from the bathroom window.

We have coffee, get ready, and although I'm not keen we pack as though we'd go to Yocklett's straight from the gym.

Despite not feeling up to it, I do more calories than I have done previously, so after forty minutes am feeling top of the world. Ma.

We walk back down to the car, then to Tesco to fill up, before we drive along the Alkham Valley, now dry again as the Drellingore has stopped flowing above ground, then onto the M20 to the Hythe turning and up Stone Street.

It is early, not yet eight of course, so there were few folks about. I park on the edge of the reserve, and we go in after picking up our cameras.

More clearance has taken place over winter, opening more of the woodland on the lower levels, looks harsh, but already Lady's Smock are thriving with numbers of plants along the track easily four times that of previous years.

Sadly, no Early Purples seen up the slop to the lower meadow, but bluebells looking glorious in the morning light with sunbeams shining through the eaves of the trees.

I am not even out of breath when we reach the bench at the meadow, but I take a shot of my favourite view, before we walk down into the part with mature trees, hunting for Fly Orchids.

We find many spikes, one already having formed a head on the spike, flowering maybe a week away.

We also find several large Lady orchid rosettes, though none with a spike as yet,. but will be at their peak in two or three weeks.

Over the Gogway, and up the path where we find two Greater Butterfly rosettes, one with a spike forming, but having found Early Purples flowering the day before, we don't go up the steepest part to the upper meadow, instead walk back down, then along the lower track to the car.

The air was warming, and filled with birdsong, though being yet cool, no butterflies.

Upon reaching the car, my plan was to go to the bottom of Stone Street to the greasy spoon van for sausage sarnies, but the van wasn't there, so we drive to the junction, then along the motorway back home.

Inside, we have brews and breakfast, then listen to the radio for a couple of hours as Huey spins the best tunes.

We were not hungry, so we have a toasted saffron bun each and yet another brew, and with the radio burbling away, the afternoon passes by. Mostly with us trying to stay awake.

We have cheese and crackers for supper, while outside the shadows strengthen and the day fades to dark.

It might not sound much, but was a great day. Orchids, plants, a walk, and cheese.

Cheese.