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.

Health update

This will be, by accident, the third year I will have written such a post.

And this year, its altogether more positive.

I have lost something like 30kg in weight, which is the most important thing.

I have done this by eating less, or had been, then along came summer and holiday. But the straight and narrow beckons next weeks as the new month and autumn rolls round.

Drinking alcohol only on phys days, two meals a day, still going to the gym, and increasing what I do there. More walking.

In doing regular, near forty minutes on the bike, four times a week, its just not my weight that's improved.

My skin is no longer dry and flakey. My scalp no longer itches.

My feet no longer swell.

They no longer swell much at all, before the holiday they'd only swell on really hot days when I didn't go to the gym.

I can feel my legs and feet. The decline had been so slow that I hadn't noticed, but I can climb stairs, by choice, and walk without numbness or pins and needles all the time.

The ulcers on my shins are still there, but much improved. The skin on my calfs has repaired itself, but mostly they are returning to their natural colour. Some way to go, but much better.

I no longer struggle to get up from the sofa, I can put socks on without having to hold my breath. I no longer cough for hours at night as my lungs struggle with the pressure of my weight. I used to drink a bottle of Gaviscon a fortnight, but not any more.

Of course I am no longer out of breath all the time. And after exercise my recovery time is much reduced.

So, one last thing. At my last blood test, I had reduced my blood sugars to almost not being diabetic. Probably will be about the same next one, but I can and must do better.

Anyway, I feel a decade younger than last year, and as Jools put it, fit for retirement.

Monday 24th August 2026

The year is getting older, of course.

The sun rises to the east, but is now visible when it first rises away in the east, south east. Evenings are cooler, some days too. One day over the weekend we closed the front then back door to keep the chill out.

Of course, September might bring a return to warmer temperatures, but we are hoping for rain. Much more rain.

It seems that I am still delicious, as I was bitten aplenty when I went up Temple Ewell down on Sunday, so I was all itchy through Sunday night, but I slept on when Jools got up, not waking until half six, when it was all daylight.

It is three weeks or so since we came back from France, and I am working my way through the pictures taken over those 19 days. I am editing the church and other non tour shots, as well as at the same time editing botany and butterfly shots from the six days of the tour.

It keeps me busy.

And then there is Heritage Weekend to plan, churches to visit and so on. Lists made, postcodes found.

That also keeps me busy.

And there are locations and orchid species in West Australia to write down and store, so my trip next year is not in vain.

Keeps me busy, and is exciting.

I find time during the morning to walk to the end of the street to snap the Common toadflax on the other side of Station Road, it is one of my favourite native plants, and it always makes me smile to see it in flower.

When Jools returns from her chores, we have lunch, and I have a beer to go with the chicken salad. I didn't look at the strength of the DIPA, and found after emptying my glass it was 8.4%, which explains why I went for a lay down for an hour or so.

There is cheese and crackers for supper, then football, as Fulham hosted neighbours Chelsea, which ended in an entertaining 2-3 away win.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Of all the Beatles' albums, this was the one I worried about most.

It has, over the years, topped many best albums of all time polls and lists, and is cited to have begun the rock album genre.

The band had stopped playing live in 1966, as they felt their studio sound could not be replicated on stage, and thus not touring freed up lots of time, the recording of the album coming after the band took three months off to do their own things.

The title came from a misheard phrase: can you please pass the salt and pepper, as pass the Sgt. Pepper.

The album was preceeded by the double A single "Penny Lane" / "Strawberry Fields Forever", songs that looked back to their band's youth in Liverpool. That single may well be the pinacle of popular music, Penny Lane is majestic.

It sold buckets, topped the charts for months all round the world.

Could it ever live up to the hype?

Side 1:

1. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
2. "With a Little Help from My Friends"
3. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
4. "Getting Better"
5. "Fixing a Hole"
6. "She's Leaving Home"
7. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"

Side 2:

1. "Within You Without You"
2. "When I'm Sixty-Four"
3. "Lovely Rita"
4. "Good Morning Good Morning"
5. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"
6. "A Day in the Life"

The album begins with the title track, and sung by Paul in the vocal shredding style you might more associate with John on Twist and Shout. It's hard to know what to say about a song so well known, but the use of brass and other instrumentation, along with crowd sound effects make it something different. It then fades into the second track:

"With a Little Help from My Friends" has Ringo on vocals, and, to my ears, carries on the same or similar beat to the title track. Ringo doesn't have a good voice, and this is enjoyable, as well as very familiar. Its no surprise I prefer this to the Wet Wet Wet version from the 80s, even if that was for charity. It ends with a long piano chord.........

The strongest of starts continues with "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" with John on vocals. What elese can you say about a song so familiar, and yet distils most of the band's development to this point. It may be about drugs, probably is, but the lyrics, harmonies and sheer joy shines through. The end of the track brings the fist eight minutes and sixteen seconds of the record to a close.

"Getting Better" tells of the joy of finding love, and in the last verse the regret of past cruel actions. More harmoies, its a delight, it really is.

"Fixing a Hole" is next, with Paul on vocals. It starts with a slight meloncholy note, which it returns to in the outro, but between is another joyous slice of pop music, that other bands would if not kill for, then commit serious crime for. Probably.

Harp, then cello comes in to back Paul's vocal on "She's Leaving Home" where the verse tells the girl's story, and the chorus her parent's lament. The real girl in the story that was read in the papers had a strong link to the band from years before. A beautiful song, a work of art.

"Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" inspiration was taken from a vintage variety poster, and the song built around that. An amazing thing, really. It pops along before fading into an outro os distorted fairground organ, thus closing side 1.

"Within You Without You" must have sounded so exotic on first hearing upon the album's release. Sitars and other Indian and far Eastern instruments made a sound so unwesternlike, and yet with George's vocal deep in the mix it sounds wonderful. The different layers that go to make the record is quite headspinning.

"When I'm Sixty-Four" has an oboe, at least I think it is, and is more pop genius. Paul's clear vocals speak of a contented married life, or settled status, even if the choris hints at other things. Of course, for the band, married bliss would be hard to find, at least until the band had split. Masterful.

"Lovely Rita" has what could be described as a false start, then Paul comes in with the vocal. Another dazzling op song, built on a slip of an idea.

Starts with a cockrel crowing, before launching into a refrain of "good morning, good morning", the staple of many radio breakfast shows. Is it me, or does John's vocals always suggest something sinister, while Paul's is more whoolesome? Even if te song descibes a walk into the old town, past your old school, I felt that something bad was just about to happen. Hmmmmm.

Throwing in everything including the kitchen sink, the next to last track is "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)", lasts just over a minute and ends with the hope that you enjoyed the show. I did.

The ends with "A Day in the Life", with various verses taken from stories in newspapers during its writing. John on vocals, with minimal backing until the orchestra joins in with a wall of sound, then Paul starts with what could be a different song, and sounds upbeat compared to John. It ends with more orchestra, then a long piano chord before some gibberish, which if played backwards, demands you buy more cheese.

It is an incredible piece of work, one that holds together through its 13 tracks and forty minute running time. A band at the height of its, and any other's, powers. Along with its pop art sleeve by Peter Blake, links popular music with popular and modern art. England really did swing, and this was the swingiest. Mama Cass played a test pressing of this loud one morning, giving her neighbours the first play of, well, an amazing record, one that I would have to listen to again and again to hear all it's layers, twists.

Sunday 23rd August 2026

We have had some rain in the last week. And contacts on Blue Sky mentioned that where they were, that where a week back there had been no spikes, there were now at least some after rain.

Which is how I had decided to climb Temple Ewell down again Sunday morning, just seven days after drawing a blank. Or was it fourteen?

Time goes so quickly.

Jools had slept badly, so decided not to come to the gym at seven, nor climb the down straight after. So I grabbed my gym bag, the camera, and car keys and was off in the car.

The gym is always empty Sunday mornings, even during school holidays, so the car park was mostly full, and just two others in the gym once I had climbed the stairs.

I thought it was cool outside, but was soon hot enough to want to bail early. Twenty minutes slipped to thirty, then it was do 300 calories and that would do it, doubly so as I would be walking up the down in a few minutes.

I drove over to Temple Ewell, parked behind the old pub, got out the walking pole and camera, then set off.

A year ago this was climbing an Alpine peak, something to be avoided except when there was no other way. After a year of phys, its not that bad,, so I pressed in through the lower wood, around the edge of the large meadow, up through the second wood, and out onto the open downland highlands.

Along the track, through the gate, and once passed the fence, down the slope, looking all round for signs of a spike.

I told myself I was stupid for thinking anything would have grown since I was last here, but then there were hundreds of new Devil's bit scabious now waving in the air, where they weren't last time I was here.

I walked down, and was running out of short grazed grass, when I saw the first spike. That green twist with white and green flowers meant there was no mistake.

And it had grown some four inches since I was last there, and in fact the lower flowers were already going brown having been pollenated.

I walked back up, and found a second, only partially open spike, but that was it: two plants.

But it counts.

And counts as my 66th and final wild European orchid species of 2026.

I went into the lower paddock to look for Autumn gentians, but found no trace, not even after the rain, so after an hour's searching, I walked back down the down to the car park and hence home.

Back home for half nine, time for a fresh brew and breakfast. Jools was feeling better and busy in the garden.

I went for a shower, changed and felt better. I instead prepared hash for lunch, chopping potatoes to have soak, then the vegetables and chorizo.

Potatoes boiled, let cool down, before frying the onions and peppers, then the chorizo, before finally cooking the potatoes until golden and crispy.

Then there was football, of course. Brighton (an Hove) swept to a 4-0 half time lead over then-man Villa, and from that there was no coming back. That was followed by Newcastle v Liverpool, where they remembered Kevin Keegan before kick off, then played attack v defence for 90 minutes in his honour.

Its what he would have wanted.

Supper was cheese and wine, with the wine being one of the bottles bought from Burgundy last month, and which cooked in the car as we headed south towards Spain. So, I thought it best to get it drunk.

No obvious drop in quality, 2022 was a very good Burgundian vintage.

Saturday 22nd August 20206

It am the weekend.

It is the end of summer. Or near the end, it has cooled down some, and even rained.

And after the wind down before the holiday, and then the wind back up upon our return, it was about time I did a full session again.

So up at six, sort the cats out, drink coffee and all ready to go.

In order not to overheat, I kept my RPM down to about 57, and that seemed to work, and with The Sound of Football podcast to listen to, the forty minutes flew by.

It was then off to Tesco to play hunt the essentials as the remodelling is still ongoing, but mostly done.

And then back home to put the shopping away, boil the kettle for brews, before breakfast.

We were all done by ten, and Jools had pointed out that we had three other unpainted windowsills. I had done two, so now it was time to do the three upstairs.

Without falling out the window!

I had washed with fungicide the day before, all I had to do was get the tin of paint upstairs without spilling any or tripping up, then paint two layers on each sill without falling out the windows, or letting any paint drop to the windows below.

Jools went out to avoid worrying about me having an accident.

In the end, each sill took about ten minutes, then an hour to allow to dry, before putting on a second coat. And the deed was done.

I pack away the paint, clean the brush and all is done. I have a pint of squash, then realise I was ready for the football at half twelve.

Norwich on the tellybox again, away at Millwall, and should have been a good game.

Sadly, Norwich played like strangers. Tired strangers, and never got going, 2-0 down at half time, they ship a third after half time, and were second best in every department. The worst performance in nearly a year!

In the Prem, Man Utd get our fought by Hull and go down 2-0, and after the main batch of games, Spurs lose 3-0 at Brentford is a typical Spursy performance.

So it goes.

Friday 21st August 2026

We woke to a little more rain. After all, every little helps!

I say we woke, I should say Jools was up at five, fed the cats, while I slept on, only waking when Jools drove out of the drive to her yoga class, I had somehow slumbered for ten hours.

I made coffee, put out the last of the bins, and looked at the state of the world on the interwebs.

Hmmmm.

The rain cleared, just as well as Andy was coming down from Faversham, as I was going to show him the remains of the Dover Mineral Railway, later the Dover Military Railway, which began at Martin Mill, then ran beside the main line towards Guston, but climbed instead of falling towards the tunnel, then sweeping round to cross the Deal road at Swingate before crossing to Langdon Hole, before descending down to the cliff face, where a large ledge was carved to allow the line to drop to near where Jubilee Way is now. This was to bring material for the new Harbour Arm, rather than bring it by sea.

There is little to see to the untrained eye, but on Google maps, the route is marked by hedges and embankments, and where is crossed the roads to Guston village and East Langdon, there is the abutments of two overbrdges that carried the line.

The cutting and bridge that took it under the Deal road have been mostly filled in, but we would investigate.

Jools brought the car back at eight, so we had a brew and breakfast. All ready for her to walk to the library at half nine for another knit and natter.

I went to Priory station to meet Andy, then take us to Martin Mill to show him the tiny signal box, and where the line branched off a little way up the line to Dover.

Then to see the remains of the two overbridges, and Andy explored what was left of the trackbed at the second bridge.

Next was to look at the remains of the underbridge on the Deal road. A friend took shots about a decade ago, and the bridge was intact. But now its all hidden behind vegetation, and too dense to risk exploring on foot in case you couldn't get back up.

We managed to park at Langdon Hole, at the dogwalkers layby, and were rewards with fine views down the trackbed to the Cliff Road, and the port, then to the Channel beyond, and France on the horizon.

Back to Chez Jelltex for a brew and a meet up with Jools, before we retired to the Chance Inn in Guston for a pint of Harvey's best and a chat with the barmaid.

Somehow, five hours had passed, and Andy had to get back hoe, so I dropped him back at Priory, then made my way back home to relax, then cook dinner.

Being a Friday there was the quiz. I came seventh, then settle down on the sofa with Scully to watch the first Premier League game: Arsenal v Coventry, which ended up an easy win for the Gunners.