Friday 20th April 2018

And it is Friday. Again.

We have to get through the dull work stuff of course, and that was looking like being difficult.

Anyway, it was another stunning Spring morning, warm and humid already, the sun already risen into a clear blue sky, and it is going to be darn hot later in the day.

There are the weekly chores to do first thing: register hours, report to my boss, and file away documents that have arrived. In such a way, the morning passes. I even finish the task that has been hanging over me for a week or so, send that off, and it seems that with Denmark already having started a long weekend, maybe so should I.

One last phone call to make and I am done. Half one, and after trying to sit on the patio o read, I find it is "too hot" for just sitting and reading.

Jools comes home at half two, and now wth the weekend in full effect, we load the car for an orchid hunt on Samphire Hoe.

I was last there on Monday, when the west wind whistled down the path, and I saw less than ten rosettes; it seemed a wild goose chase, but then a walk isn't wasted, with the temperature at 25 degrees, it would be pleasant. Even more so as Jools buys us an ice cream each to eat as we walk down the sea wall towards the cliff face where I hoped to find some hardy hardy orchids.

It was fairly quiet down there, I guess schools were not quite out, so we wandered down the sea wall by ourselves, round the corner and to where the wall abutted against the cliff. There, under the cliff I hoped to find orchid spikes. But I found none, although I was sure they were there, just the rosettes covered by the other plants growing quickly.

We walk back and I meet a photographer; I ask him if he had seen any Early Spiders elsewhere. No he says, too early. And I almost believed him, I mean we could just walk back to the car and go home, but the path beside the railway beckoned, and my (early) spider-senses were tingling.

Jools said she wasn't going to join me, so I leave her at the visitor centre and begin the walk up the path. As I said, just four days earlier there had been just a couple of spikes, even though it had been warm for the three days between, it was hoping a lot to think they would be flowering.

I walk past the junction in the path, past one and then two benches My eye is caught by something; three small spikes in a row on the edge of the path, all three in flower, albeit just one flower on each. Still, a trio, all lined up looking gorgeous in the sunshine. Only problem was that the lips were pointing away from the sun, meaning I had to shoot into the light, and it proved to be tricky.

Further along I find three more singles in flower, and on the way back, one more, with the lip uncurling itself from the sepals, at an odd angle, but the colours stunning.

Happy.

With.

That.

Further down I spot some Field Horsetails, aka Maretails; a prehistoric plant, and one I had not noticed before, a bonus for me, so I snap those as well.

I walk back to the car, Jools sees me and comes over, and now for the shocking news: we were going to go to Tesco on the way home. All full of kids and people talking blocking aisles. But yes, to allow an early start on the orchid hunt in the morning. That was the plan.

And it wasn't that bad, we go round, a few people were being dumb, but then we can all be dumb at times. We have a full trolley, go to pay and make a dash for home.

Phew, what a day.

We have a selection of party food for dinner, and garlic dough balls. Dough balls to you too. And sweet beer.

The day is rounded off with an hour in the presence of The Don, blabbering about flowers in the garden. And we are happy. Very happy.