Saturday 2nd May 2020

The "rules" as to what is and isn't allowed to be done these days is becoming ever more confused.

I saw a Tweet from a nature reserve saying that visits to the site for exercise only was allowed, no looking at plants, birds or butterflies was. This is not the law, or even the SI from the Health Minister. A single trip for exercise is allowed, but not being allowed to stop to look or take photographs is not mentioned.

Jools and I aware of many of the sites we visit although are in the countryside, but have people living close to them, so it would not be fair to drive to these sites, even if the guidelines state that if the exercise lasts longer than the drive, then that would be OK.

One site we do like, and has no houses within a mile of the parking spot is at Barham.

So, the plan was to drive out there after coffee, to have a walk and take some orchid snaps, though expanding the number of species seen this year.

Back in the 70s, one of the TV series that made a huge impression on me was Survivors, a series about how a pandemic swept round the world, helped by transcontinental travel, wiping out 99.9% of the world's population. The idea of civilisation just stopping is something that has fired my imagination ever since, and how would we cope? How would I cope? I have thought about how to wire up a house to run on a generator, and I have to admit, I have no idea. And unless my hunting skills were to improve, I would live on canned foods.

Anyway. I mention this as traffic is very light around here now, even on working mornings. And on Saturday morning, when the world and his wife would be going to Tesco, just one or two cars were to be seen. We take the A2 past Tesco, and out of Whitfield, along to Barham, turning off by the Black Robin and into the countryside.

We saw no other cars, and most unusually, no cyclists, so we were able to drive the two miles down the narrow lane, not having to wait while cars came the other way. Just two other cars parked near to footpaths leading through the woods up the wooded valley.

We park at the hard standing, I have the 6D, the 150mm macro lens and on top and in front of the lens, the ring flash and trigger unit. It weighs about the same as a small baby. For photography, I will carry this and carry on knackering my back. The camera is, at least, on a new-fangled strap thing that should spread the weight, and make it easier for some shooting from the hip, if needed.

A short walk to the footpath, then into the darkness of the wood, past Wild Garlic, tangles of Dog's Mercury and Common Twayblades, a flash of purple catches my eye, and hiding in the undergrowth beneath a shrub, are three Early Purple orchids, the first I have seen this year. And in a place, this side of the road, I have not seen them before.

Always something new.

We were here really to see the Lady Orchids, though in most normal years, they would be a couple of weeks away from opening, but in more than one sense this is not a normal year. The weather has been mild all over winter, so that the first Kentish orchids were seen, though not by me, in March, and so everything is several weeks advanced that what could be expected.

Which is why we were here to see Lady Orchids on the 2nd May.

I see a few spikes, the first few yet to open or just with one or two flowers open. But further on, things get better, with a single white Lady standing alone, almost half fully opened.

I walk up the down, going from one open space to another, inspecting all the Lady spikes, and each one better than the last.

Jools calls, she says she had found a Fly Orchid. By the time I reached her, she had found more, over twenty spikes in fact. And several were beginning to open. I take photos of a couple of those too, being careful not to lay on an orchid spike or two.

More Lady were at the top of the down, by an only flint quarry, these were the most advanced, and looked fabulous. I snap most of them.

I walk to the path that runs beside the wood, walk down towards the road. Along that I find more Early Purples, and other wild flowers too, these woodland flowers were in good light, so able to be photographed.

Over the road and up the bridleway and up the steep and muddy slope, all because a rare orchid grows up here. Most years. And although it wouldn't be out yet, might be showing a rosette or spike.

But no sign.

But plenty of more Early Purple Orchids, of which I snap a few, but none of the pure white ones that used to grace the site a few years ago.

Back down the slope to meet up with Jools back at the car, load up and drive back to the A2 to head back to Dover, though we were going for a quick stop in Lydden to check on the colony of man Orchids.

Again, the roads were almost deserted, so no worry about cruising down Lydden Down, pulling over on the wrong side of the road, then hopping over the fence to stare at a grassy bank, where, in time, the tiny orchid spikes should become clear.

Other Kent sites had spikes flowering already, but none here. Just one with the lowest of flowers just beginning to fall away from the spike.

I snap that and scramble back to the car and go home. Even at the Whitfield roundabout there was no traffic, just cruise round and onto St Maggies, turn off and over the fields to home.

Job done.

We have lunch. Or I prepare it, chorizo hash, as we seem to have a surfeit of peppers at the moment. So I boil a single potato, which must have weighed over a pound, then fry the other copped ingredients, and its all cooked and golden brown.

Yummy.

All that remains was to try to stay awake in the afternoon, easier now there is no football to listen to from the sofa.

Jools does mention we have ice cream, so we have a magnum sitting on the patio in the warm spring sunshine. Lovely.

Jools had planted lots of seedlings and stuff she bought on Friday. The garden looks a real picture, so too does the former lawn, as Yellow Rattle is beginning to open.

Dinner is pan fried fresh asparagus in butter, and fresh corn bread. And wine.

I am in sch a good mood I play Jools at Uckers. And win.

And somehow, that is the day gone again.