Wednesday 29th May 2014

Saturday.

You know, despite being home and the weather outside, whilst not being perfect weather, was good enough for getting out and doing stuff. Stuff connected mainly to do with photography. And yet, what with the hectic week heading to Sweden, working, coming back and all the other stuff meant that what I really wanted to do all day was pretty much nothing.

And so, after heading to Tesco for those all so essential things like food and drink. Back home, put it all away in the fridge and pantry. Croissants and coffee for breakfast. And then down to some serious nothing. I made sure the radio was listened to all morning, that task carried out we had lunch. And then. And then? Well, maybe we listened to some music. That sounds right, then I listened to the play off final on the radio. Yes that was it, but as I had had a beer, no, two glass of el plonko at lunch, I may have snoozed for some time during the game.

I cooked something for dinner. I have no idea what, but I am pretty sure no sharp objects were involved, me without doubt being the least sharpest object in the kitchen…….

Sunday.

It is the modern way, that thanks to the websites I am a member of, I get requests mostly in the line of, where did you find that orchid? All a variation on that, really. Truth is the orchid brings out the obsessive in us and soon we are driven to extremes to get out orchid fix. The Late Spider is one of Britain’s rarest orchids, it grows in just East Kent in three sites. And these sites are small, and the chalk downs on which these sites are found are large and can take hours to find. If at all.



So a friend said if he came over from Brighton could I show him one of the sites? Obviously yes, as it gives me the chance to take yet even more photographs of them, as if the several hundred I have are not enough. So, at half seven we are in a quiet market town nestling in the shadow of a large down, upon which, it is said, Lucifer makes is devilish butter. Probably.



John is there in his hairdressers car. Sorry, this is hard, but then if you drive a bright purple Rav 4 then it gets called a hairdresser’s car. Anyway, just as well as it is easy to spot lined up with the other parked cars. I stop and say hello and say, well, follow me. We drive partly up the down, then along under it’s feet, ending up at a certain bend in the road. Now, I did take a wrong turn at one point, and drove past it forcing us to turn round on the narrow country lane.



Just visible from the road are the wire cages used to make sure no hungry rabbits munch them up. It was cloudy, but the forecast was an improving one. So, we get the gear out and get snapping. The breeze blows the clouds along so we get sunny intervals in which to get our photos taken in, revealing orchids bejewelled with dew, all glistening in the sunshine.



We get our shots then move on to another well known site, where John had been just the once. As I have snapped hundreds of the Lady Orchids, I concentrated on the Butterfly Orchid, hoping to find a Lesser amongst the Greaters, but no luck that I could see. John announced that he had to leave for home, as his wife needed the car, but he had got the shots he wanted. I decided we should get some Monkey into the morning.



We drive over to another chalk bank, where the photographers were out in force, I go to look for the lonely Lady Orcid, but there is no sign. I gets to snap the Monkeys, which, if truth be told are a little disappointing this year, a little small and yet to open fully. But still, another stunningly rare orchid, although as we are spoilt in East Kent, we are used to seeing them, but I fire off another 50 shots or so at the best specimens. I lament to another photographer about not being able to find the Flys here, and he points out about half a dozen Flys within five yards.



I snap those, and more as my eye becomes accustomed to the small orchids, amazed at how many I missed despite walking right through them. Oh well.



Back at the car, preparing to head home for lunch, I get talking to another photographer who says he was going to look for Lesser Butterflies. I really wanted to go along when he offered the chance, but I know we should get back for lunch. Anyway, he revealed another easier to find location which we might like to seek out when we wanted. Jools said we could go in the afternoon, which seemed a good idea, and so a plan was hatched.

We had lunch, and after consulting some large scale maps, decided we could find the location, so we set off.

And so we decide that this forest track is the right one, rather than the dozen or so we passed on the way here. Leading up from the car is a wide bridleway, which seemed just so easy. Its gonna be harder than this, right?



Up we walked, a hundred yards or so, looking on either side. And then I spot the familiar shape of a Butterfly Orchid. Was it? I get the macro lens out and look real close. It looks right, I snap it. A lot.

I go hunting for others, although I know it is quite early in the season for them. In the end I found nothing, but Jools did find one more, which was in a pool of sunlight, I took more shots.



Walking back down the track, there were bluebells in great numbers on both side, but all had gone to seed. And then something caught my eye, looked white, could that be an orchid? Turns out it was, clearly a Helleborine, the shape of one I have never seen before. It was two feet high, with all the leaves at ground level, and a few white flowers at the top. Te leaves were very narrow indeed, and the description I thought fitting was sword-like. I snapped it and we walked back to the car.

I fired off a mail to my orchid obsessed friends only to find that if this is a sword-leaved helleborine, it would be the first one found in Kent, name in papers kind of thing. Well, name in orchid obsessed paper kind of thing anyway.

That night I cook roast chicken for dinner, and the day is slipping away from me again, and tomorrow, we are to time travel back to the 1950s and head to Suffolk to wish Mother a happy birthday.