Saturday 4th March 2017

Saturday, and with shopping done, there wasn't the usual rush to go out shopping. But Jools decided to go anyway, to get a fresh supply of crispy croissants, milk and fruit for the forthcoming week. I stayed at home and did my best Arthur Dent impression, wearing my dressing gown. When she returns I do make coffee and warm up the croissants.

During the week I said I would help out an author who is preparing an illustrated book on the life cycle of British orchids, he asked it someone could go to snap a Late Spider rosette. I could see no reason to do it, and as Jools was going to a bead class in Folkestone, I would be near the site.

We find things to do to while away the time until it was time to leave, driving into Dover and along Townwall Street now the roadworks have been completed, and apart from the several sets of traffic lights, it was pretty painless, even with a ferry disgorging more cars and trucks.

The teacher has now moved to a small village outside Hythe, so it was no trouble to get to, drop Jools off and double back to the downs high above Folkestone. Seems like the farmer has blocked the small parking area off near to the orchid site, which is going to make the main season interesting up there. But there is still space for a car to park off the road, big enough for our Corsa anyway, and not taking up a passing place like the lady dogwalker I passed a hundred yards away.

I had been trying to work out how my new tripod worked. This is only my second ever tripod, the last one a huge chrome thing from the mid-80s, which did for what I wanted, but was heavy and non too steady. The new one is 2nd hand, but built of carbon fibre, steady as a rock and with a great head. Just trying to work out how to fit my camera to it. Seems that my body will only fit in portrait, needed a lens with a rotating ring to get the space from the body to enable the kit to revolve. Anyway, I fit the adaptor to the macro lens, and am ready to get snapping.

Its a short walk along the road, over the stile, and then along the path to the slight bank, on which this spectacularly rare plant decides to grow. I have to get my eye in, looking among the early spring growth for the familiar shaped rosette. After ten minutes, I find what I'm looking for, two rosettes growing close together, already a spike of sports seemed to have formed, but it will be about 10 weeks or so before we see these in flower, and what great times they will be.

I set up the tripod, play with settings, even going down to f22 at 100 ISO to see just how steady the gear was up on the exposed down. No movement.

I have my shots, and I think I have time to rush up to Barham to check on the Lady, Fly and EPO. I go up through Hawkinge, and north, only to eb foiled by roadworks at Denton, meaning I lost ten more minutes.

Once at the wood, I have a choice, Lady or Early Purple, no time for both. Seeing the trees had been felled, I though I had better go and see if there were any orchids showing. I suppose, the site needs managing, I hope the owners realise how important it is, and that the felling is just to allow more sunlight to the floor. Anyway, after trying to sort out where I was, I find lots of rosettes, not very advanced, but plenty of Lady and a single Fly. I snap those, just to see how the gear did in low light.

I have half an hour to get back to Pedlinge, but as I know the back roads to Stone Street, I can be quicker. Far quicker than I imagined, driving along mud-coated lanes, through woods and down steep valleys. I was back at the cottage with 15 minutes to spare, but there was football on the radio, so I settle down to wait. Jools comes out at five past one, back home for lunch, review the shots, sent the best to the author, then into the garden.

Phew.

And then get all that done for three so I could listen to the football.

We have the bag of top soil to empty, take down to the bottom of the garden. With two of us, we get that done in half an hour, topping up the large pots into which we were going to replant the wisteria. The small pots would have only been good for a couple of years, and with them being trained up the shelter, would have been challenging to repot then. They are watered in, the clematis finally planted, and the job is mostly done. It is five past three, just in time to listen to the footy.

Sadly, the day went badly, City needed to win to maintain a challenge, but were not at the races, a story repeated all season when there were must-win games to play. 2-0 down by mid way through the first half, 3-1 down at half time, and losing 5-1. A dreadful day on the pitch, and for the two thousand fans who made the trip to South Yorkshire. The season is now over, hard choices over manager and certain players will have to be made in the near future.

With the triumph of the bakes pasta thing from a couple of weeks back, Jools had bought the ingredients for a new one, only I realised that morning that the last time I made it, made so much that I was able to freeze a complete pasta pie and all it needed was defrosting and warming up.

We chilled a bottle of fizz, and so after the Liverpool v Arse game on the radio, we sit down to eat one of the easiest meals I have ever cooked. One that the preparation was done several weeks ago, mind.