Monday 29th August 2016

It was one of those Bank Holidays you dream of; long sunny spells, warm breeze, and only a few chores to do. And yes, the day passed with neither of us really achieving too much. But then after the best part of four weeks away, and then chasing orchids, sometimes its good to just be. Be at home in this case.

There is the usual football to catch up on first thing, although there was only the one game from Sunday worth catching up with, so, I do sit on the sofa and watch the football and the gangs of starlings that come to strip the bird tables at regular intervals.

At about ten, I can't sure of the exact timings as I wasn't taking notes, we go over to B&Q for some do it ourselves stuff. We have a fancy-shaped lamp shade that we have without actually using it as a lamp shade, it is an object d'art, it sits on the windowsill in the kitchen, and the yellow fabric has faded, so I have the idea of spray painting it to jazz it up a bit. And then we needed a new rubber hammer, don't ask, and then Jools wanted a power screwdriver, also don't ask. So, some £45 lighter, we return and I go onto the decking to spray the shade.

And it goes well until the can of pant jams, and the accelerant just vents with only half the shade yellow and all glittery. But what I did do looks fine. Half a good job done, then. Jools roadtests the power screwdriver once it is charged and seems happy enough, but she doesn't try the rummer hammer on me, well, not yet.

The morning has passed, and we feel we should do something with the day, so we walk along the road to the track over the fields. I know you know this route by now, but to walk it through every season, year after year, is to feel connected with the land. Hope that makes sense.

All the crops have been harvested, at least all round the village anyway. Some fields are now being ploughed ready for the sowing of a winter crop. But most of all it has the feeling of being dessicated, as it seems weeks since we had any rain.

At the copse there was butterflies; Large Whites, Common Blues and a single Brown Argus. I snap them before we go to see the piglets who, lets be honest here, are now pigs and are very demanding, and squeal loudly as we approach, it seems they were expecting food, but sadly we had none. The follow us along the track and back, asking for food.

Back home we have a cooling drink and lunch. Its how we roll. There is music on the radio, pictures to be edited and some of them are even more of the Japan trip. In fact, I have gone back to update all the blogs from the trip and add more shots to most of them. I hope they might make more sense now. A long shot I know.

And so the day fades, we cook breaded aubergine to go with the pasta salad I made earlier. There are hot and crispy and delicious. Even more so with some red, red wine.

I go upstairs for a shower, and before I take the plunge, I take a look out of the window and marvel at the scene: to the right I can see over the rolling countryside to Kingsdown, the turbine at Fleet House barely turns in the evening air. To the right, the big field the other side of Station Road, dozens of bales still lay uncollected, with the towers of RAF Swingfield stading in the evening air. And in front, a few scattered bonfires are lit, burning the faded summer growth and the smoke rising barley stirred by the wind before it fades to nothing. This is the very end of high summer, the hedgerows have fruit ripening, whilst gardens are beginning to turn to reds and golds, the colour of autumn. And of course it is the end of the orchid season, our local colony of ALTs nestle in the shadow of the monument which I would be able to see if the trees between me and it were not so full of leaves.

Once showered and smelling all lovely, we sit on the patio whilst the day fades. Swallows and swifts already seem to be gathering, but the bats still come to feat on small flying insects. As it near to the new moon, when darkness falls, the sky is full of stars and the Milky Way visible. I finish off the wine and we take to bed, the three day weekend over, and now no more until Christmas Day, now less than four months away.