Saturday 27th August 2016

As I thought, I woke feeling like my right shoulder had been hit by a freight train. But this should mean its going to get better, right? For a change, there was shopping to do first thing, so I decide to take my half dead arm and do the work at Tesco. I arrive to find that the handy scan and shop service is now only available after eight, which means having to stand in line at the till, then pack. I mean its so last century. It is fairly empty, and being summer there is a good range of fresh fruit from Britain and around Europe. Fresh apricots are always a treat, so I stock up on those.

It does mean having done the shop that we will have fresh croissants for breakfast once I am home and all the shopping put away.

With the sun out and light winds, I think I should go to the Dover Patrol to look at the tiny spikes of the Autumn Lady's Tresses. Although driving up Granville Road I did think how angry I would be if I found the site mowed again. Very angry indeed I decide, enough for a double tut. Anyway, no mowing down, and so several dozen, maybe 200 spikes showing, some over three inches high, and some showing a picture perfect twist.

I get down and get my shots; singles, pairs and triplets. These mark the end of the orchid season of course, and now will come the long wait until next spring when the madness will take me again. But, there could be time to look for one or two more.

There is an orchid, it's name alone with have orchid fanatics foaming at the mouth with just the thought of seeing one. This is the Ghost Orchid, it has not been seen for seven years in the UK, despite many more people looking for it now, and before then, it had been over two decades when the previous sighting happened. It has been found in two areas, Buckinghamshire and Shropshire, but in theory, it could grow anywhere suitable. But it only shows above ground to flower, and that flower may only last a day or so, and is tiny. There is no rosette, and the spike itself is waxy white and be very small.

So, a long shot to look for one in Kent, but if one were found, anywhere, national fame would follow very quickly. So, I thought a couple of the usual haunts sounded about right, and with breakfast eaten and the washing up done, I load the car with camera equipment and we set off.

We park near the usual spot at Barham, but not looking on climbing up to where the Lesser Butterfly are usually found, I park along the road to seach where a couple of months ago the ground was thick with Twayblades, Lady and Fly. Now, there is nothing, well, nothing orchidy for sure. But I look anyway. I find the Herb Paris now having reached the end of their annual life-cycle, holding their single poisoned berry to the sky as the leaves below fade and die. All things end.

I search all the way up the slope, but the only flower I find is a single Bell Flower; no orchids. But Jools has gone off, up the slope and out of site, so after 90 minutes I make my way back to the car, thinking Jools would be waiting. She wasn't, but after chasing a Green Veined White around the glade for a while, Jools returns and casually states that she found some Broad Leaved Helleborines. I ask her to describe them, and sounds right-ish, but I want to be sure. There is always the chance they could be Narrow Lipped or Violets. So, after moving the car, we set about following the fence line up the down, past the partridge farm and down a dip until we join a bridleway.

Up and to the left, through a mature beech wood with light vegetation all over, it should all be perfect orchid growing area. But orchids being orchids, they will grow, crowded together, in a small area where it suits them.

After walking along for ten minutes, I spot a spike away to the left, then as the path drops there are two large clumps too. Most have flowered and turned to seed, but there are more than a couple of younger spikes with flowers open or yet to open.

The light purple stem shows them to be Violet Helleborines, and a much better site than at Crundale, as one of the clumps has nearly a dozen spikes, all growing together.

I get shots, hundreds of shots. As I have left the tripod in the car and it is too far to go back for it, so I manage and if I take enough, some should come out. Let's hope so anyway.

And with that the day is done. We walk back to the car and could have gone to a pub, maybe the Black Robin, but decide to go home and save money. That is until I remember the site where we go to see the Birds Nest Orchids, and so drive over the A2 and find a place to park up.

In the wood all is quiet, and apart from the dried spikes of last year's and this year's Bird's Nests, there is no orchid action at all. But then it is good to go to such a familiar place in a different season to see how it changes. With that done, we can go home for lunch.

Traffic is heavy coming the other way, which is unusual for the A2, but we don't really give it much thought.

Once back home and having made lunch, I go online to see a footbridge had collapsed on the M20, and the road was closed, and lucky no one was killed. But it did mean all traffic for London and beyon was making its way up the A2, which explained the traffic.

There is football on the radio, but then there always is. Norwich slip to a dreadful defeat at Birmingham, and as I listen to the bad news from St Andrews, I hardly notice scores coming in from other games. We have insalata caprese, again, for dinner. It is quick and easy, so why not?

Outside there is the threat of thunder, but even after sitting on the patio for a couple of hours there is not one crack of thunder nor drop of rain. It is now very dark before nine, doubly so with the new moon due.