Sunday 12th May 2019

Sunday.

Orchid day.

Again.

Up at the crack of dawn again. MY mind was going at twenty past four, but did allow me to go back to sleep for an hour, but half five in a Sunday is too early. Still.

But, as I'm awake, I will get up and feed the cats, make coffee and generally make myself useful.

Somehow, I had arranged to meet half of Kent at Denge Wood at eight in the morning. I know, haven't we all?

So, we had to be out of the house by quarter past seven, and only managed that as Jools made breakfast, and generally pressed me to be ready.

So, we were on the road, driving along the A2 to Bridge, then to Petham, and onto Denge, arriving ten minutes early and finding no one waiting. Did I miss something.

We wait at the entrance to the wood, until quarter past eight still no one turned up. Seems like the last minute plan to have an orchid-based meet upset the butterfly chasing community as they were due to descend on the wood to chase the Duke later.

We amble down the woodland track, birds fill their air with their flight and song. Above us the canopy is filled with fifty shades of green as the sun shone onto the woodland floor.

And all this was ours.

Into the reserve, and still, we were the only ones about.

The Duke of Burgundy is one of the UK's rarest butterflies, but here in Kent, at two location in this wood, they are almost common. The male likes to bask in the sunshine, so a half decent shot can be grabbed.

I wait to see what is about, and I see a flash of orange, and follow the fligt to find a male hanging upside down in a bush nearby. I should have snapped the underwings then, but passed.

Anyway, soon we see a single male basking on a small branch. They are small but perfectly formed. I get closer and closer to get the final shot, using the ring flash all the time. The butterfly didn't mind.

We walk through the wood to the far side, and in the end spy a second male basking. I snap him too.

In fact the Dukes are a bonus, as this is the best site for Lady Orchids there is, and there are hundreds now coming into flower. A week they will be at their peak.

Back down the bottom to the first Duke site, we see two more, I snap one, and that is it.

We meet one person hunting, and we dd not know, as she didn't know, she was a member of my Facebook Orchid group.

Oh well.

From there we drive over to Park Gate, through Stelling, where the annual road race was being prepared We were the last car through before the runners caused the road to be closed.

At the down, I was the only one at first, but soon a group of a dozen people with over 20 dogs walk along the valley and through the site.

One of the dogs runs up to me, and sniffs, the owner laughs, I make a sarcastic comment. She calls be "big man", I call her an ignorant dog walker.

Her husband comes over to ask what problem I had with his wife.

Well, this is a nationally important reserve, it would be nice for the dogs to be on leashes. Respect the countryside and nature and all that.

Dogs do no harm I was told, and made in no uncertain terms to not make comments.

That goes both ways I snap back.

I thought he was going to hit me, but he walks off.

Wankers, the lot of them.

I had fund over half a dozen Monkey in bloom, and a fine downland Fly too. But this really tarnished the day, so i walk back to the car and we go home.

Once home, we have beans on toast. With cheese and proper Boston Beans too.

Yummy.

Then the doorbell goes, and it's another Orchid fan, who has asked to see the Man orchid site.

So off we go, to Lydden to visit the roadside reserve.

That done, I return home to be in time for the final round of Prem games, with either Citeh or Liverpool to win the title.

In the end, Citeh ran out easy winners at Brighton, who did score the first goal, but that was it, so Liverpool come second despite losing just the one game. To Citeh.

Citeh are champions by a single point.

So it goes, so it goes.

And so the weekend is running out......