Saturday 6th June 2020

I am the founder and admin of a Kent Orchid group on Facebook, which has 281 members. I created it first to share the knowledge with friends who wanted to snap orchids, but has expanded now to a large group of orchidists of all kinds from all corners of Kent and beyond.

Initially, it was myself and a friend who used to be the only ones who posted, but over the last two years, it has grown more and more vibrant. What this means is that there are many pairs of eyes and ears, looking to the ground, in woods, on downland and listening for rumours of anything orchidy unusual.

On Thursday, one member of the group posted shots of an unusual Fly Orchid from near to Hythe, I, like many others wanted to go and see myself. With the weather on Saturday due to get very windy, if we wanted to find the green orchids, it would have to be early.

Which is why we were leaving the house at half six, having had just a single cup of coffee.

There is a former airfield the other side of Folkestone, some of the barracks still exist, and although the land is private, locals use it, so there seemed no issues for us going for some "exercise".

With Google Earth and Street View, it is easy to see where to park, what the entrance to the site was like, and the route to be take across the old airfield to where the orchids should be. All was set.

Although, if we believe the Government, things are getting better, the roads are less busy. Even at seven in the morning there should have been more people about, but there isn't. So we drove into town down Jubilee Way, then along Townwall Street and up past the Megger factory towards Folkestone A few lorres and trucks were arriving into town, but little else.

We're a long way from normal. Still.

Through Folkestone and onto the motorway, past the Tunnel entrance, and nothing coming from there from France and beyond.

We turn off towards Hythe, the take the turning to Lympne instead. That's Lympne, pronounced Lim, of course.

We stop on the edge of the village, walk down to the old entrance to the airfield, no blocked off by concrete blocks. I get my camera from the back of the car, and we walk into the small wood, a path leading us to the expanse of grassland beyond.

All I had to do was configure what I was seeing with the top view from Google and we would be set.

This might take some time.

A path leads left, and runs beside the old runway, I knew where I was now.

It was a bright and sunny morning, but cool. So cool I had a jacket on! And as we walked into the light breeze, I did the sip all the way up. To the left was the new industrial estate, which I knew we had to go past.

For a site that had orchids, and odd ones at that, the grassland was a little dull. Just the usual suspects, and lots of tall wavy grass. But beyond the crossway and the pile of soil and spoil left over from when the site was turned into an airfield, there was a fine mix of heathland plants; birds foot trefoil, lots of red clover and other plants.

The path turned to the right, and just along here should be the orchids.

We just have to keep going and there is one right on the path, I say confidently.

I see no orchids.

In fact, I had seen no orchids at all since we entered the old airfield.

I think if there was an orchid spike, I would have seen it. Jools would have seen them too. But we saw none.

We reached the far side of the airfield, so had to double back via another path near the perimeter fence.

Still no orchids.

It felt right, so I walk between the two paths, and there was an animal track, so I followed that, so nearly stepped on a Bee Orchid spike.

Yay,

And just further on, right in the middle of the path, was a single spike of a green Bee Orchid.

I snap it, and despite knowing there were at least 5 more round about, I was happy with that.

Time to go home for breakfast, I say. Jools agrees.

We walk back to the car, as the breeze builds, and in an hour or so, would have been to strong for macro work. So we did well.

Back in the car and a quick drive back to the motorway, through Folkestone and to Dover.

We get back home, and have a fine breakfast: fruit and yogurt followed by croissants and coffee, all to a Radcliffe and Maconie soundtrack on the wireless.

The only remaining task for the day was for me to make coq-au-vin, an easy recipe I saw on TV last week.

If only if I could remember it, and it turned out that the program website was down. But chicken, bacon, wine, mushrooms, onions seemed to be the important ingredients.

At two I begin to cook, vegetables cooked until soft, chicken thighs cooed until the skin went crispy, add bacon. Put in a pot, ass half a bottle of vin rouge, let simmer for an hour.

Serve with buttered baby new potatoes and French style peas with bacon.

Yes, more bacon.

And it was rather wonderful. A very good first attempt, lots of vegetables. And wine.

I said I would make sure the remaining wine in the bottle wouldn't go to waste and drink it. The two glasses had a right party with the glass of Belgian beer I had whilst cooking.

Once we had cleared up, my brain decided I really needed a lay down. So, I went to bed.

At this point I lost at least two hours.

I woke up at five, time for a brew and shake the cobwebs from my head.

We watch Gardener's World, listen to more radio. And have sandwiches for supper, made with the wholemeal bread I had mixed at breakfast, and let rise through the day.

That was another or them good days.