Saturday 20th August 2016

And here is the weekend once again, coming along to tempt us with the delights we can't have during the week; like going out snapping, and orchid hunting. Although, we could have gone looking for the Violtet Helleborines once again, but another trip to the north of the county seemed a little extravagant, so I decided that we should wait for another year.

However, plenty to do round here, like checking on the work on Shakespeare Beach if nothing else.

We woke up and the sun was shining, but with the promise of a storm later in the day. But looking out of the bedroom window, I saw a field of bales away on the other side of the dip, away towards Westcliffe. I think I should be out taking photos of that, so I get dressed and drive over there so to make sure I get the best of the light.

I park just shy of Westcliffe, and in front of me there are some bales in front of me, so I get snapping when the sun comes out from behind the clouds. I'm sure I get looks form people passing, but judging by the tampled grass into the field, I wasn't the only one to have photographed this scene.

With shots taken on the nifty fifty and the wide angle, I drive home for more coffee and breakfast.

Jools wants to know what the plan is, and I don't really know. I mean we could drive for an hour up to north Kent on another wild orchid hunt and not find anything. But I feel we have already done that three times this eason, and I don't really want to spend another twenty quid when we don't need to. Anyway, there's stuff to do here.

Like what? Like checking on the sea wall, and then picking up two new camera lenses.....

So, at nine I go out to drive down town to get a huge bunch of cash out of the bank, then go up to Aycliffe to park and then walk up the cliff path to check on progress. And with the sun shining brightly between the clouds, the shots should be OK too.

And wow! Both tracks have now been relaid, new signals installed and all bar the footbridge and the third rail seem now to be done and it should be good to go. All in eight months. Really great work by Network Rail and their Orange Army. It does mean that there will just be one or two more trips up the cliff now, and it will be over. And we will be able to travel from Martin Mill to St Pancras again.

From there, I drive through town up to Connaught Barracks, as was, now a private housing estate, where a friend was selling two lenses; a 50mm f1.4 and a 30mm f1.4. Shane and I had not met for seven years or something, when I last bought a lens from him. So we caught up, chatted about life and photography and all that shit. I buy the lenses and then retire home to review the shots from the morning.

We have fish cake rolls for dinner; we know how to, ahem, roll in the house. And with the wind howling around the house, and the clock ticking towards midday and high tide, I take my camera and the new nifty fifty down onto Samphire Hoe to snap some waves as the sea broke on the beach beneath the cliffs.

Down on the Hoe the sun was out, but with the wind in the west, it made for a fun walk beside the sea wall, even if walking on the sea wall was banned because it was dangerous. Anyway, a few other people were out, including a couple in huge trousers. Like MC Hammer and his wife. And MC's pants were halfway down his butt-ocks making it hard for him to walk. We did habour hopes that the wind would lift them both up like kites. But that didn't happen.

At the end of The Hoe, the waves breaking almost to the foot of the cliffs meant we stood there and just watched. Not huge waves, but looking odd in dazzling bright sunshine.

We walk back, and take the Alkham Valley road back to avoid the build up of port traffic we had seen on the way out. We get back in time for football on the radio, which was nice. Liverpool lose to Burnley, which was something of a shock. Anyway, I review shots, edit and write blogs. All is well with the world.

I cook breaded pork for dinner, along with fresh Kentish sweetcorn and lentil dahl. Man that is good tasty food.

That night we watch Olympic Tae Kwan do with the sound down, which makes it hard to follow, but fun. And looked like some kind of strange dance.