Monday 26th March 2018

Pay day.

I mention the above as this month, the time between pay days, has been 5 weeks. Yay, money.

At the start of the year I looked at my work calendar with pretty much wall to wall training courses, with associated travel from week 4 right through until Easter. Had things worked out I would have had just one week at home in that time. It wouldn't be bad if the training was worth it and enable me to do my job better. No, most of these were box ticking exercise, and any suggestion that this might be a waste of time was met with surprise from the instructor that we might have such thoughts of their carefully prepared presentations.

Thanks to me contracting horrible Danish flu I missed out on one of the training, and with the week after being the week at home meant over two weeks in Chez Jelltex, but that most of that time was spent ill, coughing, sneezing, it didn't feel much like a break.

Which is why I booked these two days off. I know there are many people who work harder and longer hours than I do. I who live in hotels, eat in restaurants, travel across Europe all in the name of Quality. But even us Quality Managers get worn out from time to time. Anyway, with a four day weekend over Easter I probably could have managed a four day week this week, but truth is, I fancied a couple of days off. And why not?

Why not indeed, and from Friday night when I said the mantra, "four day weekend", it seemed an even better idea than ever.

Monday dawned grey and dull, bu there was promise of sunshine later, so, best head to the woods to see what's growing, and generally walk in peace and quiet, or to nature's soundtrack anyway.

After coffee I pack a couple of shortcakes on which to munch through the morning, as I got up late and did not have time for breakfast. This is because I had to take Jools to work, through dropping her off in Hythe meant I could be on my way up Stone Street and be in Denge before eight, and I might see deer, or red kites. Or anything.

Being Easter week, traffic was very light, even with a ferry disgorging lorries and cars, I drove us out of town up the A20 to Folkestone, then down a back way, down a narrow valley into Hythe, dropping Jools off along the seafront so she could walk into work and get some exercise. I could then drive back to the motorway and then up Stone Street. I will travel these roads to the usual sites many times in the next few months, and the anticipation of the new season is there in the pit of my stomach.

From Petham I take the road through the woods, then select the right turning along a narrow lane, past the old cricket club and to the parking space at the edge of the wood. From the boot I take my two cameras, a short cake and begin to walk down the broad pathway through the wood to the reserve.

All was still, and I could hear no sound at first, then the call of male pheasants crackled through the early morning air.Either side of the path was full of mostly last year's grass and other plants, all of a pale green, here and there, bright green shoots of new growth could be seen. We came down here last summer, and the foliage both sides was so lush it nearly covered the road. But not today.

Near to the reserve I see moss covered tree stumps, looking like they are covered with thick green carpet, but on one I see something red. Bright red. Although I had never seen a Scarlet Elf Cup fungi, I knew that's what it was thanks to the photos of friends like Mark and Jim, who snap fungi not just orchids. I get on my knees to snap the fungi, and marvel at how the fungi is so red, and so spherical.

I walk on to the reserve, looking for orchid rosettes, as I know there are a few Lady to be seen beside the track, but I saw none. And knowing that the steps down into the site is the best for Early Purples, I expected to see about a dozen heavily spotted rosettes, but saw none. No matter how hard I looked.

But further on I find the first Lady rosettes. I see hundreds. Maybe thousands, there will be a wonderful sight in about 6 weeks when they all are flowering and swaying in a warm spring breeze.

I walk the full circuit, so checking also on where the Duke of Burgundy will soon be on the wing. None today as expected, as it is still chilly as the sun had not yet broken through. On the way back to the car, I stop to snap the group of Coltsfoot I found, though with temperatures still below ten, none were open. I will be back.

From Denge I double back to Stone Street, then back down narrower and narrow lanes to a tiny parking space, I was at Yockletts.

It might have been my imagination, but it seemed brighter, could it be clearing?

I walk up the long path, climbing towards the upper meadow, checking on the hundreds, soon the be thousands of Common Twayblade emerging. Before the meadow there were also dozens of Early Purple rosettes, some still trying to grow in the middle of the path, where they had already be stood on many times.

The meadow is paused, waiting for spring to arrive, little sign of new growth, but it is there if you look close to the ground. I sit for a while after checking on the Fly rosettes behind the bench; and they're there already.

Down the slope I see more Fly, some large and juicy, which I hope will produce huge flowering spikes with many blooms. We live in hope.

On the other side of the Gogway I meet up again with John; an amateur botanist and great walking of the downs, valley and woods of Kent. We speak for half an hour of things we have found, things we wanted to see, and just the sheer joy of being out in the Kent woodlands. As if to make the point, the sun broke through and just like in the Wizard of Oz, everything went technicolor. We both said we wanted to see a Brimstone butterfly, and now with the sun out, we stood a chance.

The Brimstone is where the name butterfly comes from, as they are buttery yellow on the wing. Once settled they look like a leaf and are very hard to spt. I had been looking in bushes for roosting ones when John came along.

I walked up the path to the high meadow, looking for the Greater Butterfly, finding a rosette after a while. In the meadow, bathed in sunshine, I find lots of Lady rosettes, but there are no butterflies, but then there are few flowers about. After ten minutes I get up and begin to walk along the track into the woods, and a male Brimstone just flutters by. I think for a second that it is going to settle, but soon is flying into the tops of the trees and out of my sight. Still, a joyous vision of spring.

I walk back to the car, now hungry even after eating the short cake earlier. There is a shop in Stelling Minis, I will go there for supplies; a sausage roll and a banana milk shake I think. I drive round the reserve, up Gogway to Stone Street, then turning off to begin the journey home, going via the shop. I buy what I wanted, and am so hungry I eat in the car before driving off, going to Elham to go past PGD where there is a small wood, where I know is good for Wood Anemones, but there are none out yet.

From there back up to Barham, and to the final call; to check on the wood and bridleway. First up the bridleway to see how the EPO are going, I huff and puff my way out, now without coat as the sun is at midday, and it is nearly warm. I find the rosettes numerous, but some nibbled by the floppy-eared bastards (rabbits), who seem to really love the spikes, as I find many nipped off. No flowers from those this year.

No sign of the Lesser Butterflies though, but that might be just my poor eyesight.

Over the road to check on the wood, still recovering after the felling last winter, and its still not good, but many more rosettes of Lady and Fly to be seen, but the tractors and lorries have damaged the soil badly, and I fear the site will not recover. John spoke of it being filled with thousands of Lady two decades ago, now we are luck to have 200. Only a handful last year.

I am done, my feet ache, in a good way. But I need tea, and in industrial quantities, so go home, through Barham onto the A2, where a driver behind me fails to see the line of traffic with me at the back slowing down behind a tractor. She brakes at the last minute and has to half overtake me to avoid a shunt. I wan't looking to to find a Micra beside me brakes screeching was a surprise. She kept her distance after that.

I get home safe and sound. Put the kettle on, feed the cats so I can get some peace and quiet, then check the shots from the day.

Somehow it was three in the afternoon and I was pooped. I thought I took time off to relax?

I sit on the sofa to drink a second cuppa, already I could feel my eyes getting heavy. I wake up an hour later with Scully on my lap, apparently very happy.

But I need to go and pick up Jools from Hythe. At least with it being Easter, even in the evening the traffic was light, certainly getting there. And once I had collected Jools, traffic on the way back was fine, no madness the other side of the tunnels, and Dover port traffic was no trouble either.

Jools is tired, she is not well either. So I make insalata, it being quick and easy. And soon afterwards Jools went to bed, so I stay downstairs to potter around, write, edit shots and watch Only Connect.

Only one day of the long weekend left......