Saturday 8th August 2020

It am the weekend.

And a whole weekend with the kittens. And cats.

The vet says the kittens are between 2 and 3 years, I think they are less than a year. But they are thin. And hungry.

And the bigger problem is that the bathroom is hot during the day. I man like a sauna. So for the day there is an alternative, to have them in Jools' "office, next to the bathroom. It also faces south, but has curtains and blinds, and more stuff to climb over and explore, and Jools and I can take turns in kitty-sitting.

But first, there is orchids. Always orchids.

Last year I found a colony of ALTs up on Temple Ewell Down, and with the season being advanced this year, I could hunt for them and try for more shots of the Silver Spotted Skippers. And Jools decided she wasn't going to come for the walk up.

So after coffee I load up with camera and macro lens, and drive to the old George and Dragon in Temple Ewell, parking behind, and afterwards, shouldering the camera gear and climbing up the down, dodging the dog shit in bags and smeared on the path. Lovely.

Once I am at the top, in open ground, I begin to look for orchids, as it seemed to early for butterflies. After 5 minutes I find one spike, and a hundred yards further along, a second.

Last week I talked to a guy who said many more skippers could be seen in the next paddock, so I walk over and am confronted with a carpet of wildflowers: scabious, ragwort, wild carrot and others, and all round a blue mist of butterflies. Mostly Chalkhills, but a few Common Blues and a single male Adonis, as well as Meadow Browns, Small Heath, and Gatekeepers.

Above, the sun went behind a cloud, and a few rain drops fell, that wasn't part of the plan.

I walk back over to the fence line, and I see more orchids. Lots of orchids. Singles, doubles, triples, spikes four inches high. I just needed the sun to shine to get shots.

So, I sit and wait Dog walkers pass above me, and I just watch the butterflies around me. I had found a very nice triple spike, set up the shot, just needed that sunshine.

In time it came, and I got shots.

And on the way back up the down I finally see a small Silver Spotted. It settles in the grass, and i creep closer, sure it would fly off. But it doesn't. I get close enough so it is filling the frame. And take a final series before heading back down to the car to home.

And back home the kittens were in their new prison, and finding the book shelves and folded curtain material rich for climbing and making beds. Jools and I took turns to sit with them, but they curled up on the top of the shelves and went to bed. So we left them to it, and tried to find somewhere cool.

Into the afternoon and we are back in the office, were both kitties had had a poo. Amazing how such sweet looking things can make such bag smells. And mixing with the still and humid atmosphere, it really was quite fetid.

An alternative for Sunday would be needed.

Kittens were shy, but curious, with Cleo being the most adventurous, and Poppy following in her wake. They like kitty kibbles a lot, and soon knew the rattle of the tin.

We have fried aubergine for mid afternoon lunch/dinner, followed by the last Magnums.

It had been a roasting hot day, little wind and altogether too hot to do anything.

We watch Monty, then go to sit in the garden as it was just too hot in the house.

The sun sets, stars come out and bats start hunting.

We go to bed.