Saturday 1st September 2018

We sleep right through have five, six and beyond seven. And even through the hot water firing up.

We must have needed the rest.

But that means there was barely time to have a coffee before it was off to Tesco and the other stuff we had planned.

But before Tesco, I drive out to the Monument to see how the final orchids of the season, the Autumn Lady's Tresses, were doing, and at the same time dreading if the council had been back mowing. It was a still and sunny morning, perfect for photography, perfect for macro work, but only if you have your camera on the right settings, and somehow mine had the aperture dial rotated back to f2.8, meaning very narrow depth of field, and low quality shots.

I get one usable shot out of the sequence, so will have to go back.

But that I do not discover until I am home and having breakfast, so in the meantime I go to Tesco, to rattle round and get out as quickly as possible. No real issues, just I like to get in and out as quickly as possible if I'm honest.

Back home Jools puts the shopping away, while I do breakfast, bacon butties. Which is good as its been a couple of weeks wince we had those.

And at ten, we could go out on a quick zip round three East Kent churches, was going to be two, but our local one, at Westcliffe, was having an art sale, and was a rare opportunity to get in.

The show opened at ten, we arrived at a minute past, so were among the first in, and I ended up buying a watercolour of the church, a familiar view from the lychgate

We leave as more and more people arrive, to drive the other side of Dover to Lydden.

St mary sits on a quiet lane, across a field from where the A2 used to run, but that is now a quiet b road too, so it a fine location. There is just enough parking space on the side of the road for a car or two, so I leave the car, but my eye is taken straight away, not of anything to do with the church, but of a huge flower spike growing out of the church wall; a Great Mullen, first one I have been able to snap, so even at the end of the season, this was a good chance to see the large yellow flowers on the spike close up.

I could hear the sound of a vacuum cleaner from inside the church, and indeed the usual Saturday morning spring clean is under way. The warden gives us a warm welcome and allows me to go round getting shots, including an odd shaped window on the north wall of the nave. Had me thinking of an anchorite cell again, but probably left over from the Victorian makeover.

I have all my shots, I leave a donation, and we walk back to the car, Jools looks at a route to the last call of the morning; Staple.

Staple is a half hour drive away, but on a fine and warm autumnal morning, with Katie on the radio, it is a real pleasure to drive up the A2 then through to Wingham to Staple.

St James the Great sits on the main road into the village, and the churchyard is entered through a 16th century double gated lych gate, and the church was open too. A real surprise, but a pleasant one.

The church is a delight, large with lots of fine details, monument, tiles and mosaics. I was last here on a dull and cold winter's morning about four years ago. Today, the church felt and looked different, with sunlight pouring through the arts and crafts stained glass windows.

I get my shots, and in about 15 minutes we are leaving, and heading for home, driving back along ever narrower lanes to Eastry, then along the Sandwich road to Dover and then home.

We have cheese and crackers and beer for lunch, as we are both hungry, and lunch is pretty much instantaneous once the cheese is out of the fridge. Some fine stinky unpasteurised cheeses from France, which were all wonderful.

We do some work in the garden, but at two I take up position on the sofa and try to stay awake for the afternoon's football. I just about manage it, but was harder as Norwich did not play until Sunday.

We go to Whitfield for another evening of cards. John tells me that he and Jen were determined that I would not be triumphant again this week. I just say make sure you have brought enough money!

In fact, things go even better as I win both games of Meld, then as the evening got old, we switched Queenie, and after nearly two hours, I scoop the pot for a run of four. I had the run, and it was I that was going to lead, but the last card I picked up was a six of clubs. Without that I could have leaded the run as the lowest black card, but once lost the lead there is no guarantee of getting it back. I laid the six of clubs, hoping that the seven would be laid, and John did not let me down.

Eight, nine, ten, and mwah, ha ha ha, jack. All mine, all mine. Mwah ha ha.

Jen is not happy.

But then, Jools and I lost week after week a month or so ago. So, it just goes around.

That is the end for the night, we clear up, and we drive home, getting back at half ten, just as the blood red crescent moon rises away in the east.