Monday 19th July 2010

It’s Monday morning, and here I am at the coalface, working away; or rather waiting for those few Danes that are in work to return my mails. It’s a dull process, July is holiday month, and I imagine that the offices up in Denmark have tumbleweed blowing through them, as those who would normally work there hit the beaches of the med and go crazy. What it does mean to me is that a process that should take a day or an hour now drags on for weeks, waiting for a final confirmation mail as to whether we get our money or not. And still many are not forwarding cases on, and I have to figure out how to get round this blockage.

At least we had a fine weekend, lots of fine weather, no football, getting out to shoot some pictures, pub lunches and meeting good friends. All in all, just about the perfect weekend.



I left work real early on Friday; I was fed up not getting mail and surfing on Flickr, so I thought I would head home and get the weekend started. On the way home I headed to Tesco here in Ramsgate, got the supplies for the week. Tesco in Ramsgate is smaller, but less hectic than its big brother in Dover , and has most of the same stuff, and going there means not having to get up early on Saturday and shopping then.

I was home by half four, put all the shopping away and made chorizo hash with the left over peppers and some manky old spuds and the last of the paprika. It came out fine I have to say, washed down with a glass or two of red. Once home I baked a limoncello and grappa tart although it would not be ready to eat until the next day, I just felt the urge to be creative in the kitchen.

And then sit out in the garden watching the sun set and the moths and bats come out.

Saturday morning, after a late-ish start, we headed out in the car to the Isle of Sheppy and a walk though the marshes of Harty, and then to the Ferry Boat Inn for lunch and a beer. At least that was the plan.

We drove up the A2 and headed onto the island over the new bridge, and then it was a crawl over to Laysdown until we turned off over the marshes on the single track road towards Harty. As we drove along, a stoat ran across the road, we slowed as a family of partridges scurried along, and watched as a large bird of prey swooped on some unsuspecting mammal.



We parked up at the old church, and were soon surround by four peacocks, and several hens and cockerels; sadly, we had no food for them, and they wandered off to peck in the grass some more. And we put on our walking boots and headed off for the shoreline. As we walked down towards to nature reserve, we noticed hundreds of red dragonflies on the ground in front of us; as we stepped forward they would fly up and move a little in front of us. The continued all the way down the path. The hedgerow was filled with butterflies and more dragonflies; some not bothering to move and so we were able to snap them.



We walked onto the bank that marked to boundary between the salt flats on one side and the wetlands on the other. Wild birds flew in a panic as we walked along the bank, more butterflies and assorted insects warmed themselves on the hardy plants that thrive in the wind. We turned back, passing just one family, and headed to the pub. We sat in the garden and ordered a ploughmans and a beer, and enjoyed the meal watching the river slowly drift by.

We drove home and once there did some work in the garden, and then brew a nice pot of coffee and cut the limoncello and grappa tart and look at the wonder that is our garden, all full of colour and produce.



Sunday we drove out at half eight to pick up our friend, Bob, and then head out onto the Romney Marsh and to Greatstone on the coast where there was an open day at the sound mirrors. The sound mirrors were developed between the wars, large concrete parabolic structures to listen for approaching enemy aircraft. The three that are there some in small (30 ft), medium (40 ft) and giant (200 ft) sizes, and stand like some kind of alien technology rising out of the shingle. Sadly for their designer, as soon as they were up and running, aircraft speed increased, the spread of the town and radar rendered them obsolete and they were abandoned.



But they still stand, now protected, and a curiosity and well worth a visit and a photograph or two. We met up with more friends, and wandered around snapping at the scene, the mirrors and wildlife all around. We got to learn some of the history before we left, as more an more people arrived, so we decided it was getting near lunch and the three of us left and headed back to the car park.



It was a short drive to Brooklands, to the 14th century Woolpack in; we got a table that has been put up for the summer in the fireplace, it’s a big fireplace, and all three of us ordered steak and ale and stilton pie as well as drinks, and sat down to marvel at the scene. Jools and I had been in here before, but Bob hadn’t, and he enjoyed it. And doubly so as an old friend now works behind the bar, and they had not seen each other for 14 years.

The food was good, and we followed up the main course by fresh raspberries and cream, and then drove back over the marsh and along to coast to Bob’s, where we watched the video of his trip to Japan , and now we are dreaming of one day doing the same. We shall see, we shall see.

And that is the weekend, really. Nice and relaxing, some photographs and great weather.