Saturday 2nd July 2016

Saturday.

Despite having a list of things I want to do, I spend the first half an hour of Saturday, laying in bed with Scully asleep at my feet, listening to the birds in the front garden looking for food and making a fine old racket.

Jools had been shopping on Friday, so there was no hurry to get out, so I stretched out and closed my eyes, and in the quiet, Scully began to purr very loudly apparently happy with her lot in life.

Jools is already up, and I can smell the coffee brewing, so I decide to get up, Scully follows me, so we go downstairs to see what the day has to offer. Well, Jools is to test the water with her handmade beaded jewelry at a fair in town as part of the annual carnival, thus leaving me with about 5 hours free to do whatever I wanted. But the with the good weather only lasting until midday, it did mean deciding what was important.

Needless to say there would be orchids involved, but beyond that, I didn't know.

We had breakfast and another coffee, and did our stuff until it was nine and time to drop Jools off. At least at such a fairly early hour, the roads were empty, so I could driving into town drop her at the Co-Op before driving to my first destination. Which, as it turned out was just up the hill at Western Heights where there was a small colony of Small Blue butterflies and quite a colony of orchids. I have not been there for a couple of years, so, why not?

Why not indeed....

I park in the small area overlooking Elms Vale and the old Folkestone Road area, grab my camera and cross back over the road to the orchid-covered bank leading up the defences. I saw no butterflies, but then it was breezy, but there were orchids. Almost all Common Spotted but in all shapes, sized and patterns. I go round looking for any pure white ones, or those with very dark busy patterns, snapping away.

Crossing back over the road I find another area of orchids, more of the same, but on the level rather than on a 45 degree bank. Once again I go round to check on most of the spikes, snapping those I take a fancy to.

I drive up to the top of the hill where the St Martin's Battery used to be, but still has fine views over the Western Docks and along Townwall Street to the ferry terminal and that part of town with the St James redevelopment as well. So much to see.

The Hoverport is now being used to grind up the top level of the Prince of Wales Pier, which is to be part of the new freight handling part of the port, but which means that for many years the pier will be out of bounds, which is a shame. Two JCBs were busy breaking the concrete up ready for the next stage. I could see the old shelters and benches, soon to be history. Lets hope the Harbour Board know what they're doing.

Looking further along Townwall Street I could see where the old Bulitington Hosue used to stand, and is now just an area of development. It will be some time before we know if this will work in turning the town's fortunes round; I don't think that more shops is the answer, and the bland chain restaurants will threaten the local ones that already do good French and Italian food. But there will be a seven screen cinema, which will save us the drive to either Ashford or Broadstairs.

The final place to go in town was Shakespeare Cliff, as it has been about 8 weeks since I was last up there. A short drive to Aycliffe and then a walk under the main road and up the narrow path to the overview. And I can tell you that much work has been done, the first half of the new viaduct is down, and the concrete setting, the reinforcing steel is in place for the second half and now awaits the cement to be poured. Thoughts that the line may be open at Christmas, if not earlier is a good one, as I am really getting fed up with the buses between Dover and Folkestone now, adding an hour to the trip home.

Anyway, things are progressing, just a shame I missed so much of the work for my photographic record, but hey, life gets in the way, eh?

I decided that I should pay one last visit to Park Gate, to see if I could find more of the Musk Orchids. I mean a drive up the Elham Valley isn't the most unpleasant thing in the world, along the green and pleasant valley, through Etchinghill, Lyminge and Elham before turning off. I have the site to myself, and although I thought of snapping the Fragrants, I dont, and just walk to the third paddock to look for the tiny Musk, and am rewarded with about 20 spikes, one already turning brown for another year.

Sadly, I have my camera on the wrong setting, and so mess up 90% of the shots, but do rescue things when I realise, and capture the biggest, open spike in full sunshine, it looks wonderful.

And that is the season over here; the Fragrants and CSOs are also going over, and so I will not return for another 9 months or so. I don't go to the far end of the site to check on the CSOs, I already have 300 shots from Dover of those.

I walk back to the car, through the overlong grass, there is no other sound other than the wind through the tops of the grass, and my footsteps on the muddy ground.

The final job is to drive to Preston for some meat and football related chat. Just up the valley, over the A2 to Wingham and then along the country road to Preston. The boys are on good form, despite England being so rubbish, and so we discuss how Welsh we might be. I buy steaks, kebabs, stinky cheese and a beef joint.

The morning has come and gone, so I think I had better dash home to see if Jools was done. There was no message on the phone, so I put the meat away, make a brew and use the last of the two rolls from Friday for my lunch.

The agreement was for me to be at the car park at half three, so just after three I drive into town, surprised at the large black cloud over the town. After parking, I am about to walk over the Jools' stall, and the heavens open, lightning and thunder fill the air, and the rain hammers down. I help Jools and her friends take down the tent and pack up their stuff. Needless to say, once we had put everything away, the skies cleared and the sun shone down once again.

Sadlt, Jools sold one thing in the 5 hours she was down there, and that was to someone else on her stall. Seems that people don't want to pay for handmade jewelry. Which is really sad. The only remaining option is to go to a proper craft fair and hope the people there are more receptive.

Back home for a brew and a Tunnock's tea cake each. And the world seems much better.

There is, of course, football. Italy v Germany. Just a game of limited interest then? It is a juicy prospect, but really fails to live up to its billing, as two cagey teams cancel each other out. Germany edges it, but not by much. Germany take the lead with a well worked goal. But Italy pull level with a penalty in the last ten minutes. Extra time comes and goes, with no real chances; so we are left with penalties.

Six of the first ten are missed, then goes into sudden death, with Germany winning in the ten round of kicks, to complete their first victory over Italy.

Germany seems happy....