Sunday 16th June 2019

There is never enough time to get round all the orchid sites I know. So, discovering new sites on an almost daily basis, I know I'm not going to get round them all.

And then fate hands you the opportunity to go to a new place, and its near an orchid site, and Bob's you Aunt's live in Lover.

Bingo.

Jane, Mike's (Jools' brother) girlfriend was going to visit friends, in Spain, Mike was working, could we drop her off at Stansted?

Yes we could.

Jools asks, is there something we could do in the area rather than just come straight back home? Well, now you come to mention it......

So, another morning and the alarm is going off at half four, get up, have a coffee, and ready to leave the house at quarter past five. Round to their house, Jane is ready, so we put her case in the boot, along with all my camera stuff, and we set sail north.

We talk about Meg a bit. I haven't said much about her, but its always there, wondering if we could have done something. We have found more things out, making all the more heartbreaking, but in retrospect, there was probably nothing anyone could have done.

Life goes on, but the pain weighs heavy on Mike. We do talk. They talk. Won't bring Meg back though. And the inquest is coming up, with all the evidence that will be awful. Making it all seem to recent and raw again.

We move on to Mum, what has happened to me, and round again. I do have some news, but can't say here. So will leave you to ponder on that.

We drive north, up the M2 to Dartford, under the river, up through Essex to the airport.

I was looking at the sky and light all the time, hoping that the clouds wouldn't get any thicker.

We drop Jane off, give her a hug, and we were off towards Cambridge, turning off near to Duxford, driving down a long coutry road, dead straight like it was a former Roman road. Into the village, along a narrow lane to a parking space full of discarded fast food wrappers.

The modern way.

I grab my camera, and we walk into the wood and reserve. There was a map, but not very clear. So, we walk on, following an arrow drawn on a post. That was our mistake, so instead of walking n to the meadow, we walk down a path along side a field, with a family of long-horned cattle watching us go, the only orchid we see is a large Bee spike.

At the end of the path, there is the other entrance to the reserve, and the water meadow beyond.

We walk in, we saw a couple of small Southern Marsh, but beyond is the mother lode.

Hundreds, thousands of spikes: marsh orchids of all shapes, sizes, lip shape and colour.

I couldn't photograph them all, so concentrate on the Early Marsh, the pink one, large spikes, and anything looking unusual.

I take near to 300 shots, I could have taken ten times that number. We get wet feet from the fen, especially after the wet week they had in the UK. I am in heaven.

I mean, there just isn't time to look at every one.

There is one small spike I spot, when I am snapping a nice pink Early Marsh, it s also pink, a different shade, and elongated lips. Doesn't sound much, but it made the trip.

We come to the end of the meadow, and on cue, the rain begins to fall. So we walk quickly back to the car, I scrub the trip to Suffolk to see the Frog Orchid, and we turn for home.

On the radio is a celebration of Ulysses. I've never read it. Jools tried, and even the guy on the radio hasn't read it all, just the bits he likes, as apparently it has no plot as such. I am not having lamb's kidneys for breakfast. Burgundy for lunch sounds better though.

We drive through Essex to Dartford, then back down the A2 and M2 to home.

Arriving home just before eleven.

So much done, and its still morning.

We celebrate with coffee and breakfast of fruit and yoghurt.

Outside the wind blows, but the sun shines.

Sometimes, its just nice to be home.

Doing nothing.

So, we do nothing.

Jools goes to see Jen and Sylv, who is back from Bolton for a few weeks, but her brother0in-law passed away on Thursday, so she is going back up north to be with her sister. I did not see Sylv since she went home on Boxing Day, and I have been busy doing things since she came back down a few days back.

We have caprese and asparagus for dinner, sometime about four. Then struggle to stay awake as I have wine and Jools has some cider.

The weekend is over. I pack, check in on line.

And it is over. Off to bed at nine, as we're up at half four again, so I can catch the train at six.

Phew.