Thursday 22nd September 2016

One of the reasons for wanting time off, is to catch up on my church project. Thing is, orchids hijack everything from April to September, so the churches have to wait. There is the Heritage Weekend of ciurse on the 2nd weekend of the month, and I suppose that got be back into the church saddle as it were.

Now I could have saved all the shots I took for GWUKs, but that would have made this blog very dull, and as they are talking so long to guess that last batch I posted, they can't have these.

Anyway, the endless wonderful sunny autumn goes on day after day, for the most part. And Thursday was supposed to be cloudy, but it seems the weather had other ideas, and the sun burned the clouds off, and we were left with another wonderful late morning and afternoon of wonderful warm and sunny weather.

I had to drop Jools off in town so she could take the bus to work, leaving me with the day to call my own. In fact, it looked like rain first thing, as dawn stretched over the eastern horizon, but as I drove back home, the sun rose all red and angry, and I remember thinking it would be the only glimpse of it that day. How wrong I was.

I left at eight, when there was full daylight, and drove to Barham on the last Ghost hunt of the season. As I have written before, it was always going to be the longest of long shots, but a walk in the woods at the beginning of autumn was never going to be a waste. I park in the clearing and take the bridleway up through the coppiced areas before climbing up into the main part of the wood.

I check on the Violet Helleborines, all gone to seed now, but still clearly orchids. I walk along the southern escarpment, ankle deep in leaves, a keen eye looking out for anything unusual. At one point I saw something different, and went to investigate, only to find it a slim trunk snapped off, so looking like a spike of an orchid.

Oh well, always next year.

I walk back to the car, put on the radio and look in John Vigar's book, then cross reference with the A-Z and decide on Headcorn: a friend had been there and did some great shots of some Kentish cottages. So, I set off for Folkestone, and then up the motorway to Ashford.

Now, let me tell you, driving along the highways and byways of Kent, on a fine autumnal morning, with the radio playing cool tunes, is a thing of great pleasure, even if Jools was at work, so I was alone. What I could do was do as I pleased, so when I saw a spire, I drove towards it, and came to one of the most remarkable churches i have been to in quite some time.

High Haldon is a stone and flint church, but with a wooden octagonal tower base and shingles top and spire. Inside it was like a garage or shed, except for the bell ropes hanging down. I was greeted by a volunteer mowing the churchyard. He drives 20 miles to do this, and to look after the war memorial at 82 years old, because he Dad is on the memorial, and he wants it to look its best. He tells me about the church, and says I will enjoy it. He wasn't wrong.

I go round with a smile on my face, taking shots, and generally enjoying myself. But it is that porch-cum-entrance that is remarkable.

I drive on and once again am diverted by the name of another village: I had seen I was within 5 miles of Sissinghurst, but decide not to go without Jools, instead I drive to Frittenden, as I think it sounded like it should be in Norfolk. I drive through the village, and find the church, either Victorian or so heavily restored there is previous little left of the original. But it is open, and is nice in its Gothic revival. I am taken with it, and my interest is piqued what may be a charnel house at the edge of the churchyard, surely not?

I don't know, but now my aim was on Headcorn, which was just 3 miles away. Headorn is a main station on the old line to London from Dover, and I should have know it would be more than a village. But, once I had found the church and found a place to park, I found that the area around it was a delight, all Kentish cottages and houses, clapboarded and peg-tiled. And all the gardens still a riot of summer colour. I visit the church, take my shots, but with the town being so busy, I thought I might find somewhere nice for lunch.

I look at John Vigars book again, and decide that Ulcombe sounded nice, in a West Country kind of way. Like a few other churches, it is perched on the edge of the north downs, overlooking the plain I had just driven up from, the village pub looked like it had been closed for a couple of years, but the church was fine, and was open too.

It had several medieval wall paintings, or fragments of anyway, scattered around the church, and the face of one arch still had its painted chevrons still showing colour after half a millennium.

One more church, just along the ridge, and I was so used to churches being open, it came as a shock to find the inner door locked. I tried several times, and looked on the notice boards, but could find no details of a key holder. The hamlet had just a handful of houses, but no one seemed to be interested in what I was doing.

I went back to the car and drive back to the main road, where, on the way to Ashford I knew there was a petrol station. I could have gone to Lenham I suppose, but I left my church list at home, and as the number now nears 300 I can't be sure which ones I have and haven't seen inside. That for another day anyway.

I refuel and pick up something to munch on the way for lunch, taking the A20 into Ashford then onto the motorway and what should have been a clear run home. But, thanks to an accident between Folkestone and Dover, I have to go up the Elham valley then into Dover and home along the cliff road, where, depsite the recent rain, France was lost in a misty haze. But I was home.

I put on the radio to listen to the interview with Chris Barrie, as the new series of Red Dwarf is due to begin. I have not seen a series since 6, maybe i should catch up. But Chris sounded good and revealed he was the voice of Ronald Reagan on Two Tribes, which the boys also played.

Jools tried a new way home, bus to Sandling, then the train home. She got back at 18:20, about half an hour later than if she had driven, so not too bad, and dinner was nearly ready for her too, just the pork steaks to cook and pop the potatoes into fry.

I have lost heart with I Robot, just don't find it engaging, so Jools will watch it next week when I'm away. There just doesn't seem to be any time in the evenings to watch it, what with writing blogs, editing photos and sitting on the patio watching the stars and passing planes. Its a full life for sure.