Sunday 17th June 2018

Second day of the weekend, and a day in which just two things were planned: orchid hunting and football.

As with Saturday, the day started off dull but calm, so once we had made our bacon butties and brews disappear, we drive to Crabble in Dover to hunt for Frog Orchids.

Frogs were last seen at the site as far back as 1984, some say a spike was seen in the early nineties, but anyway, there is a chance that the orchid will survive somewhere, unnoticed, until rediscovered by some lucky chap like me.

With some better directions, we could target out search, in an areas bounded by the old athletic ground and the football ground.

We find a place to park on Lewisham Road, I sling my camera on my back, and we walk through the gates into the athletic ground, which is now just the lace where the rugby ground now only, but in the past hosted cycling races, county cricket and tennis. It now is rather forlorn, but the pavillion was worth going to see and photograph. The pavillion is on a bank dug into the down, and on either side were grass backs, which in places had orchids showing well.

Mainly CSO and Pyramidal, the CSO were already just past their peak, but the Pyramids were still putting spikes up. The groundsman came to see what we were up to, he pointed to a place further along where more spikes could be seen. We walk along, and I climb up a set of tumbledown steps onto the old viewing platforms, which had not seen human feet for a while, as in many places the dried slikes of last year's CSO could be seen mixed in with this year's fresh ones.

But no Frog.

But I would bet, if there had been any, they would have been here.

I search more of the back, and from there we climbed up the steep path the the back of the football stadium, where the council had mowed were we had seen dozens of CSO spikes last year, growing in the old bunkers of a pitch and put course. ALl gone now, but with better management could be stunning again.

We take a steep "path" up the down into the woods, we could have found an easier place, but where's the fun in that?

Once we had struggled up the steep slope, there is another climb out of the woods to a meadow I had seen on Google Earth. The ground opens out, whilst being on a 45 degree slope, but apart from a huge spike of Knapweed Broomrape, there is just the usual suspects.

And no Frog.

We could have gone to the top as we did last year, but I am sure that is too overgrown now, and anyway, my back was complaining.

WQe walk back down the down, past the football ground and past the rugby pitch where players were already getting ready for the new season, balls were kicked and caught, whilst the younger members seemed to be practicing snapping the ball and throwing it to a catcher, which, if I'm not mistaken is the wrong game.

But anyway.

We go to see our friends, Gary and Jule, catching up on their news. Julie had made it to the final of a national poetry competition, as was waiting to find out if she won, but she is getting fed up with the waiting to be honest, as the winner was expected to go to be presented with the prize on Thursday, in Loughborough, which would be a heck of a drive, but until they were told if she won, they couldn't make any plans.

Gary and I talk about photography and insects and plants, before it is time to go home for lunch and then take position on the sofa for the football.

And that really was the rest of the day, football, editing and writing and then making dinner.

The sun comes out outside, but the wind picks up and it even feels cool enough to close the windows around the house.

No time to watch the remainder of he Expanse, so that may have to wait until after the football.