Saturday 18th August 2018

I should warn you straight away that we didn't do much either day of the weekend. Just a result of getting home so late on Friday and then the weather being a bit crap especially on Sunday.

Sitting on the fireplace is a box containing Molly's ashes. We haven't decided what to do with her yet, either bury the cask in her favourite position, or scatter them over the garden. Either way, she'll always be with us.

After coffee, we go to the cliffs to check on the ALTs, I had high hopes as there had been many shots of spikes from other sites in southern England, but with the drought and the keenness of the council mowers, anything was possible.

In fact, after searching on all four sides for half an hour, I found no evidence of orchids, neither spikes or rosettes. It is still maybe a tad early, but there should have been some sign.

Disappointed I walk down the cliff place for a while, looking for other wild flowers and find many, including lots of Common Toadflax, looking all golden and orange, but already the wind was building, so the second call, Crete Road East in Folkestone, would have to be soon.

I have shots from there a few years old and I saw many spikes of Mullen, a tall flowering shrub, and I have not snapped it yet, so hoped going there I would find some again, but as it turned out, there were none.

Again that might be a result of the dry weather this year, or just too late in the year. Either way, just flower heads of various thistles all gone to down and being scattered to the wind.

Happy with my curiosity having been sated, we go back to the car and drive to Preston via Wingham, on our way to the butcher to buy some steak for the evening meal.

I went to get the meat and Jools wandered around the garden centre next door, and when I go to find her, I get us a fine looking Hydrangea to go in our garden, I just hadn't decided where it was going to go.

And back home,

With the weather cool and breezy for the rest of the day, and there being wall to wall football on the radio and a host of blogs to post, pictures to edit, it was clear not much of any importance was going to happen.

Norwich played at Sheffield Utd, and did OK, and seemed they were going to escape with a point, but concede in the 94th minute.

I cook dinner, two huge tomahawk steaks, fresh corn, garlic mushrooms and fried potatoes. All came together perfectly, and was as wonderful as it sounded I even took a picture to show you.

And that was it, just watch Monty in the evening, and with the nights closing in now about half eight, we go to bed.

Not exciting, but relaxing day.