Saturday 29th June 2019

The weekend

The hottest day of the year.

Send beer.

Send ice cream.

Oh my word, what a day. Anyway, before the heat got unbearable, we did some stuff.

Up at half six, have coffee, then go to Tesco to buy some stuff to eat and drink. As you do.

Back home to put shopping away and for me to make bacon butties, because, well, bacon. Those eaten, we tidy up, then drive to Sandwich.

As I have written before, I am a republican, meaning I would like to scrap the Royal Family, and return as much land as possible to public ownership. That we have to pay an entrance fee to go onto the Sandwich Bay estate riles me, but at least we can say we're going to the bird observatory and pay a quid rather than seven of your English pounds.

And the reserve ensures the rare orchids, other plants and birds and insects are protected.

That is good, but to pay seven quid each time you visit?

No thanks.

It was already hot as we drove through the town, then out to the estate, across what used to be the seabed, pay our pound and drive to the bird observatory. I ask if it was OK to go to the marsh helleborines; it was, so after depositing a donation in their collection box, we grab our gear and walk out over the meadow to the ringing area.

We see the remains of several Southern Marsh spikes, and in the air and rest on stems of grass, huge numbers of butterflies. Marbled Whites, Small Coppers, Small and Large Skippers, Meadow Browns, Holly Blues. Amazing.

And as we got to the ringing area, more and more spikes of Southern Marsh, in better condition. And over the fence, the mother lode of orchid spikes, Southern Marsh of all shapes and colours, but no whites. And beyond, the two small colonies of Marsh Helleobrines.

The Helleborines were so densley packed, that it was hard to get among them, so I walked round, like a lion stalking wilderbeast, checking out those on the edge, and easy to get.

Snap.

Snap

I get some shots.

But with many orchids this time of year, there isn't that much variation, so once you have snapped on, pretty much have them all.

I go round snapping the other orchids, then with Jools laying down on the edge of the site, looking at the clouds passing overhead, I join her, then we walk back out and to the car.

It was already too hot to do anything else.

Phew.

We drive back out through Sandwich, then to Dover via the pet store to get seeds for the birds, and finally back home, arriving home at midday, with it too hot to do anything.

We have lunch, then I lay on the sofa watching the women's world cup from France, where the Dutch and Italian teams run around in the excessive heat.

Phew, so exhausting I fell to sleep.

So it goes, so it goes.

I wake up in time to make dinner, caprese, and we eat it in time to go to Jen's for cards. Only to find Jen had prepared snacks;; various bits of breaded chicken. Which was fine. We weren't hungry, but eat anyway.

And Jools and I win. Win big. And we were all done by nine, time enough to go home, our a parge glass of sloe port, and sit on the patio watching the bats swoop and loop, while planes cruise high above.

And it was still hot.