Thursday 9th April 2020

Maundy Thursday.

40th Day of March.

Or something.

First, an update of the soughdough starter epic tale..

Are we sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.

Some two weeks ago now, I looked up a recipe for sourdough that used live yogurt to fast track the process. It said we also needed skimmed milk. And flour later in the process.

We both have what is called live yogurt in the mornings, so I used some of the plain stuff Jools has, along with some skimmed milk, and after warming the milk, I mexed the two and we waited.

Next day we added flour and waited further.

On the 5th day added more flour and a little milk, as supposed to.

By now, the recipe said, you starter should be very active. Ours wasn't.

We thought maybe the flour, wholemeal, was the wrong sort, so started the process again.

We got to the 4th day, and there was no activity. So, maybe the yogurt was wrong.

So, last Friday, Jools went shopping, got a tub of live goats yoghurt, which was runnier and seemed the right stuff, so we began again.

And it seemed to be working: after a day there seemed to be bubbles, so went to add flour, which is when I did the klutzy thing, and managed to drop half the mixture on the floor, thus throwing my mixture balance out.

I put a reduced amount of flour, thinking that I could always add to the starter later. And so we waited.

It gets cold at night, so gave it an extra day before going to add more flour and milk, only to discover mould growing on the surface. A hard like crust had formed, and underneath were no lively bubbles.

A third and final failure using the yogurt method. And now we are running low on flour, a go with natural yeast will have to wait.

Sad, but true.

For some reason I was awake before four, waiting for the alarm to go off, which it does at five. The birds are already singing, I lay and listen to their joy. By the time Jools has been on the cross trainer, showered, dressed, I have topped up the feeders, got the seedlings out and watered. All ready to leave at half six, some twenty minutes after sunrise.

We go along Reach Road, which is empty, through a couple of cars are in the layby showing there were dogwalkers about. She drops me off at the hairpin, so I could go looking for Early Spiders on the cliffs.

I look, and find two rosettes, one with a hint of a spike, but a week at least away.

Down below the port is working, but there are almost no cars. I count three. But there are tucks, but not enough to fill up each ferry, but the ferries still come and go.

Away to the east, the sun makes a fine sight, rising in angry red before turning to gold, diffused by mist. It will help me take some good shots in the next half hour.

I walk along to the top of the narrow path leading down onto the Cliff Road, taking my time down there as one of the spikes there is an early one: an early Early Spider, if you will, but I find just a rosette, in the middle of the path, and again, no spike.

I reach the wide road, and begin the long gentle climb up towards Langdon Hole.

On reaching the top where the road levels out and turns inland, I look down and three wild ponies are being let by the low sun as they graze near to the edge of the cliff. I take shots.

From there it is a short walk to where the main path from the vistor's centre to South Foreland crosses; do I follow the gentle road straight on or take the steeper path nearer the photogenic cliff edge?

I went to the cliffs. Surprising rabbits and birds as I was the only person about. The air was filled with birdsong, especially the field given over for ground nesting birds.

The sun climbs higher, so the light becomes less golden, but there is a haze about, caused by pollution and dust in the atmosphere I suppose. France was out of sight.

I reach the top of Langdon Cliff, the highest point of the walk. Down below the bedroack is showing thanks to the low tide, and ferries still enter and leave the port.

I see a couple walking, a jogger, and then at Fan Bay Shelter, I stop to chat to a chap walking his dog. We talk about the virus, these strange times and what we think might happen. Neither of us are optimistic. All the time his terrier is all over the pace, using the break in the mornings walkies to hunt for rabbits.

We part and I walk to South Foreland, passing beside the lighthouse on a new path across the flower meadow as the cliff edge is fenced off after more falls over winter.

I head inland now, past the WWII fortifications and stores, over the meadow thus startling two ponies, then through a thicket to join a path over a large field to take me back into the village.

Up through the churchyard and then down past the sop, out along Station Road, up the other side and home.

I had been three hours, though with a lot of sitting down. But in the past I could have walked to the town centre and back in that time. I might be able to do so again, if I keep the phys up, and my knees and back allow.

I have breakfast, another coffee. And then there is no avoiding it: Tescos.

Jools has been going on her Fridays off, but with Friday a holiday this week, I have to go.

And it will be mad.

I take the Audi to Tesco, and it looks OK. But there is a queue to get into the supermarket, three quarters round the car park. So, I get a trolly and wait in line, two metres apart, shuffling along as the person up front was allowed in.

I guess it took half an hour, but it was a glorious day and I could look at the hedges and find wildlife and joy there.

I get in the shop, and it is quiet and kid free. Though people ignore the arrows on the aisles to help with distancing. I follow the arrows, many don't. I get most of what we need, though there is no flour at all, nor yeast, which is a worry, but we shall see what next week brings.

I also have to buy wine, Prosecco, as we are no out of pink fizz at home, sadly.

I have a full trolley, pay and load the car, getting back in under two hours.

I pack the shopping away, ignoring Sully's demands for food, then have lunch; more cheese toasties.

And somehow it is two in the afternoon. I check work mails again, then in a surprise move go to do some phys. More phys that is, then have a shower.

It was four in the afternoon.

And time to wrap up "work", and prepare dinner, which was shoarma chicken. This is goujons covered in Dutch shoarma spice mix. It is fab.

I boil, then fry potatoes and finally make a batch of creamed spinach, as there had been some baby leaf to buy. And as usual, two bags the size of pillows wilted down to a handful, but chopped and added to the milk, flour and cram. I grated nutmeg over the bubbling pan and twas done.

We tidy up, watch an episode of The Expanse, listen to some radio, and the day had gone, again.