Saturday 29th September 2018

I think it is fair to say, that once an idea gets in my head, I have to act upon it.

A few years ago, during another mild autumn, Kent was visited by many migrant Clouded Yellow butterflies, I went up the cliffs to try to snap one, but all I got was a distant shot that came out blurry. So, with there being another bumper invasion this autumn, could I get shots?

Well, a couple of weeks ago we went to Sandwich, along side the Stour where I had been told was the best place to see them, and in a lull in a windy weekend, we failed to find them, as did another visit to Temple Ewell Down too, none seen.

But before I could go butterfly hunting, we would have to go shopping, and have breakfast.

Not much to report really, just a few day's shopping to get, and a few travel essentials for the end of the week, as you may have realised, were off on our travels again, but more of that another day.

Back home for bacon butties, as we seemed to have four packs of the stuff, so I got busy with the grill as Jools put the shopping away.

Once we had eaten, and cleaned the stuff up, we drove to the Monument, not far, but we could walk down the clifftop path from there to Kingsdown, where I thought would be the best place, and was where I saw the single other example I had seen a few years back.

I look round the base of the monument, looking for a few final spikes of Autumn Lady's Tresses, but none to be seen. I think the grass had been mowed, but there were a few harbells and other dwarf flowers, but no orchids.

Jools knows how I go when out snapping, I do walk, but dawdle and meander, so she decides to go on a walk, a proper walk, and will meet me at the gate into Kingsdown. I walk to the edge of the cliff to look at the rock shelf at the bottom of the cliffs, before walking down the slope, looking on both sides for flowers.

There are still plenty of Ragwort, Harebells, Toadflax, Marjoram to be seen out in flower, but none of the Gentiatians I was hoping to be seen. I was on the lookout for an upright flower spike with upturned bell-shaped flowers, but no, none to be seen.

And there were no butterflies either. But I knew this area, and once into Kingsdown was the butterfly motherlode.

Jools was waiting at the stile into Kingsdown, we walk down together, but she decides to take a set on a bench near the cliff edge, I walk on.

Just after past a cliff fall which has reduced the path to a few yards wide, I see a butterfly lift off from the path in front of me. It was yellow.

I switch to stalk mode, and follow the butterfly as it circles and circles. I nearly lose it when it flew into the sun, but I keep my eye on it, and see it drop to the ground and rest of a Scabious.

I rush closer, then once close, take a shot, take a step, take a shot, until I get near enough to drop down onto my stomach, and able to get a shot looking into the sun at the closed wings of the butterfly.

It looked just out of focus in the viewfinder, I go to switch the camera to manual focus, but my movement startled the butterfly, and was gone. I had to hope the shots would be good enough.

Jools came to me, and I whopped with joy, I had come out with the intention of snapping a Clouded Yellow, and done it.

We walk further on, but I saw just one more, at a distance and lost it almost straight away. We did see two Small Coppers, two Wall Browns and several Large Whites, all which were bonuses.

There was also a chance of seeing another rare migrant, a Long Tailed Blue, but its food plant, Everlasting Pea, was just about all over and just one small part was in flower, all the rest all dried and covered in seed pods I look but see no blues at all.

I say to Jools we should turn for home, which we do, and begin the long slow gentle climb back to St Maggies then up to the Monument. It was still a warm day, with there being no clouds and little breeze, perfect for butterflies and for walking too.

We get back to the car, then drive back home where it was just about lunch time, and with more bacon I cook pasta carbonara again, made with some fresh egg yolks, and some garlic bread. Lovely.

For the afternoon, there was football on the radio, but that was playing second fiddle to the Ryder Cup. Now don't get me wrong, I like golf, but glf on the radio? Goes with tennis and F1 as being poor spots for radio. Anyway, for my entertainment there is the early game of West Ham v Man Utd; now, Manchester couldn't be that bad again could they?

Oh yes they could.

2-0 in the first half, and lucky it wasn't worse to be honest. In the second Utd pull a goal back, but West Ham rip their defence open again to restore their two goal lead. 3-1 and all over.

Well.

And then Norwich V Wigan via the modern miracle that is Twitter. A close game, with City just edging it, but no goals until 4 minutes from time when we get a penalty, which is put away, and brigs us the three points. A check after the game showed Norwich up to 5th in the table, but at the start of the day, a defeat could have meant us being in 17th, the table is still that close and the season is that young still.

At six we go over to Whitfield for more card based malarkey, although now there is five of to paly, as one of Jen's oldest friends, Slylv, has come down from Bolton to live with her. Sylv sold her house, so there is no going back, but it will almost certainly end happily. Anyway, Sylv has to get used to the banter that has now developed, and learn the two games we play.

Jen wins at Meld, but Jools triumphs at Queenie, very quickly in fact, but despite it being just half nine, we are both pooped and so we say we would go home, thus being back at Jelltex Towers before ten, and in bed by ten past.