What is wonderful though is the profusion of butterflies and other insects to be seen during these salad days. And it is to butterflies that I turn to for the main event of the week. Due to Kent’s location so close to France, when the wind blows in the right direction we sometimes get unusual visiors of the insect variety. And so it was this week when news of the sighting very near to where we live of the sighting and photographing of one such migrant visitor, a Long Tailed Blue. In fact several of them were spotted on Kingsdown leas, and so after work on Wednesday we met up with our friend Gary for the walk along the cliff path, past the golf course to the Leas and hopefully see one of the little buggers.
When we arrived at The Leas, we saw a lot of their food plant, Everlasting Pea, and trampled grass around one particular clump, marking this was the spot. We saw none. Some others came to join us, and we swapped notes and despite a good half hour searching, we saw just a few Chalkhills sheltering in the long grass. After a few snaps we headed back to the car park and home.
I decided to go for a walk before work on Thursday and as I guessed my feet took me to Kingsdown: at first glance there was little butterfly action, but as the mist cleared dozens of fluttering action could be seen, most numerous were male and female Chalkhills, mostly clinging to stems of long grass, but flying about in the sheltered spots. As well as the Chalkhills, I saw several Common Blues and a couple of Small Coppers (another Blue), but no Long Tailed. Also in abundance were Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Marbled Whites Large Whites, various Skippers and a few Wall Browns too.
In time several other folks came along, also looking for the Long Tailed Blue. So we walked up and down The Leas, always ending back at the spot we saw the night before with the flattened grass. And just as we gave up hope, a shout went up, and there on a high branch was a single female. I got there as she flew off, only for her to land on a lower branch. I snapped her a few times, and again when she landed lower still, but I was still some distance away. However, I had seen one. The guy I met from the NT said eggs have been seen on the leaves of the Everlasting Peas, and so we might have a resident colony next year, which would be a great thing. I did look round as I was trying to get a shot of the Long Tailed Blue, to see I was one of seven photographers crowding round trying to get a shot of this single small butterfly. I am sure we got some odd looks.
I set off back, and as I turned off the cliff path to walk beside the golf course, thereby cutting about ten minutes off my walk back, my lower left leg disappeared into a rabbit hole right up to my knee. I was lucky that I wasn’t running as it would have resulted in a broken bone or two for sure. As it was I bent my big toe all the way up, which although did not hurt straight away, by the time I got back was smarting. It was throbbing all the more after I got up from a nice refreshing cuppa. Bugger.
But, it is not broken, which is just as well. It is the same foot/ankle that has been swelling and just below the infection I still have despite ten days on antibiotics. You really could not make this stuff up……
Wednesday evening was spent watching the 111th meeting between England and Scotland in one of those pointless pre-season friendly at Wembley. There are important world cup qualifiers coming up next month, but whether the managers can learn anything new about the players in the respective squads is a pertinent question. As it was, nothing surprising happened: England gave the ball away on a regular basis, Stevie G being the biggest culprit: those 70 yard Hollywood passes give the ball away almost every time. Scotland were very keen, like an overactive puppy and took the lead twice, but lost after teenage striker Ricky Lambert, 31, scored with his first touch ( and nearly his last one suspects). Some 38 months on from the disaster that was Bloemfontein, nothing really has changed: the squad still contain over half the failures from that team,a nd the ones coming through just are not good enough. Such a stark contrast after what has been a glorious 12 months in British sport that this, the most popular of sports is on its uppers.
It is day four of Bowie’s incarceration, and he has moved on from trying to burrow up or head butt the bars to acceptance: Jools lets him out most evenings, but the effect on our other cats is clear, as Scully made her way upstairs for the first time in weeks to sleep in the spare room, and Molly is happy enough come and sit with us when we sit on the patio, although she has yet to return to upstairs. It is clear that this is only a short-term fix, and how long it can carry on is a very good question……
And as is usual for this time of year, here are my thoughts on the forthcoming football season as tomorrow is the first weekend of the 22nd Premier League season.
It may have escaped some people’s notice that the Football League began some two weeks ago, it is just those poor Premier League players that have had this extra two weeks off, during which time they have had to take on part time jobs to support their families. Or not.
So, the new season, and with many of the so called ‘top teams, or ‘big four’ having new managers this year, the big question is really, do we care? We like to pretend, and as a Norwich fan seeing as we have spent some £23,000,000 or so on players this year, there is a lot of hope. But for the rest it is a question of which rich man’s plaything beats another rich man’s plaything ahead of two other rich men’s’ playthings. Oh, you get the idea…
Huge amounts of money have been spent on players who have, apparently already been failures in the Premier League, but Big Sam knows best, eh? Whilst other teams, Manchester United and Arsenal have spent nothing or next to nothing and with the season starting tomorrow, it seems doubts in the press are already gathering.
The two biggest will he/wont’ he move questions of the summer have involved Waynnetta Rooney and Gareth Bale. Oh and the saga of Louis Suarez rumbles on and on as he tries to engineer a move from Liverpool, the club that has supported him without fail during the racism, the biting, the diving and so on. And on. And on. The fact he seems to want to go to Arsenal is a surprise given that he thinks he needs a new start; in which case somewhere not in England would be best as those shots of him biting just don’t seem to want to be forgotten. By anyone. Can’t think why….
The money from the TV has increased some 70% this year, but this means that players wages will increase something like 20% per year so more and more will go to them, or their agents. Or their agent’s agents.
I am not having Sky Sports again this year; nor am I being tempted by the all new BT sports deal which offers free coverage if you just sign up with their broadband package. Not for me, I remember the dealings with their Indian call centre and trying to explain that the hub had not arrived in the post, imagine trying to explain that the IP address was invalid or something. No way.
So, it is the radio for me, just Radio 5 as Talk Sport just talks blocks if I’m honest, and then wait for the highlights on BBC. Gives more time for photography that way.
So, who will win the league? Who cares, just as long as Norwich finish higher than 18th anything bordering on entertainment will be a bonus.
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