Friday 1st May 2015

Thursday.

Last day in April.

At the turn of the year, reaching the end of the April seemed like a marathon. See, I know the first four months of the year, and beyond, would involve a lot of travelling, little time at home, and be very, very busy. So reaching this point in the year is a major achievement for me to be honest, and I am feeling rather smug. And maybe rightly so, I think so anyway.

However, Thursday was the day I set aside to undertake the evil business that is the travel report. As I have been travelling, and as I have no desk, no access to a scanner and printer, the travel claims have been piling up. To the point I had a carrier bag full of the bloody things. And, although it was going to be a nightmare, I had to tackle it at some point. And after clearing it we the Ramsgate office that there would be a desk, Jools and I made plans to her alternative travel and return from work.

I dropped her off in Dover where, she hoped, a colleague would pick her up, if she remembered. And I drove back out of town, past the Duke of York and then to the Sandwich road. It was a glorious day, sunshiney, but cool. And all I had to look forward to was a day screaming at a scanner. And maybe, if I asked nicely it would e mail the scans to me. Or not.

Once passed Sandwich, and heading through Richborough, I must have passed the border into Thanet, as there were, or had been, three large Billboards blazoned with posters for UKIP. It is that dreadful colour combination, or Nigel's face that turns stomachs? I am thinking both. Two had at least been defaced, having been pretty much ripped down, or it could have been the wind. Yes, Nigel even Mother Natures doesn't like you! I drive on...

The traffic was light enough, and for the most part it was enjoyable. There was the usual grand prix start at the traffic lights on the way into Ramsgate, then I turn off and drive through the now pretty pointless tunnel to the harbour and the office. Pulling up I see the building work is not quite completed. It would be fair to say that there is several week, if not months of work ahead. Inside most of the rooms were sealed off as work progressed. I went to see Helen and as Graham had resigned I could use his office. But, she warned, it might get noisy with the building work being carried out.

I set up the computer, got out the receipts, printed out the forms for each claim and then tried to match receipts with trips. Sigh.

An hour or so later, I was due to meet my old boss, Ian, for breakfast, so I pause the nightmare job, and go to wait in reception for him to arrive. He is bang on time, but then there is TSP on offer. TSP being Thinly Sliced Pork, or bacon to you. We walk down past the harbour, the sun was shining and it was warm. It was a grand sight. We went to the cafe above the arches with fine views back towards the harbour, ordered two fat boy breakfasts, and chewed the fat. It has been months since we saw each other, and much has changed, for both of us, me you know, but for Ian, he is back working offshore. And it has been 5 years since he sat across a desk and asked me why I wanted to work with NCRs. He gave me the job, and I have been doing much the same thing since.

Sausage, bacon, egg, beans, toast and a huge mug of tea. Lovely. All with the fine view over the harbour just a glance away. However, time was getting on and those receipts were not going to scan themselves. We walked back, and I bid him farewell, and went back into the office, and got down to sorting the receipts out, then scanning everything. At the end with the lump of trips done between the end of November and the end of March, I just scanned them one after each other. It will be impossible to sort out, but then it was impossible for me to sort out either. My last four trips I at least send in batches relating to trips. At half two all was done.

I catch up on some mails, before, at three calling it a day and devoting the final three hours of the day to orchids. This would involve driving over to Wingham, Barham and then onto Lower Hardres. It took about 45 minutes, but between arriving and having to leave to pick up Jools at six from Dover, I had an hour or so on site. Clouds were filling the sky, but there should still be some good light, and a walk would be great in itslef, but if I was lucky I might see a Fly Orchid or so.

I park up, change my shoes, grab my gear and walk into the reserve: the sun was shining, the air was filled with bird song and I had beaten the beast that was the travel report. The track was scattered with primroses and other spring plants, after a while Common Twayblade Rosettes began to appear, and my eye caught sight of a Brimstone BUtterfly in the branches above. After 3 years, I still have not snapped one.



Up the hill, and under the trees were the bluebells and a fair scattering of Early Purple Orchids. I searched for some white ones, but finding none, I went on looking on either side of the path for the Flys. I walk to the open meadow, at first I see nothing, then I see a few butterflies, an amazingly, a Brimstone settles on a bluebell right in front of me. I stoop to get a few shots, then as I am getting down onto the ground, it spots me a flies away. BUT I GET MY SHOT!

I also manage to snap a Comma



A Green Hairstreak.



And then I see the fist of the Flys. It is almost open, but not quite. I snap it anyway, and begin the slow walk back.



I see many more spikes, and then, just as I know I am leaving the area where they are found, a flash of purple in a beam of sunlight catches my eye. I smale, as down below, just above the thick growth of spring, is a single Fly, open. I get down and snap it from all angles. I mean I snap it like crazy. Light is perfect, as is the orchid.



Happy with a good hour's work, I walk back to the car and drive back up the down, through the wood where the carpet of Ramsons is tumbling down the banks like a waterfall, and the air is heavy with the smell of garlic.

Jools is on time at quarter to six, we take the cliff road home, the sky is heavy with clouds, but the low sun is shining under them, casting stunning light, and as rain falls, the strongest of rainbows is over the road ahead. I should have stopped to take a snap, but drove home.

We were both tired and hungry: i woke at half two that morning, and was now shattered. But at least with pasta salad and cold breaded aubergine, the preparation for dinner would take no more than a couple of minutes.

I watched TOTP, Saxon and Judas Priest were on, which was rather a surprise, by then I was shattered, I switched the computer off and went up to bed.