Saturday 20th February 2021

Sorry for the delay in today's postings. We have been quite busy, with going out, walking and so on. More of that for tomorrow's post.

But here were are, better late than never.

Saturday.

It was the weekend.

And we had promised Mark at te butchers we would gather some wild garlic for him. Which is why, after coffee we were putting our boots on and heading out, along the A2 then towards Sandwich, parking at the locked church at Waldershare.

The churchyard is badly overgrown, graves are half covered by undergrowth, and the car park used by late night McDonald's customers as somewhere to eat and dump their rubbish.

Sigh.

We park up, and instead of te usual two or three cameras, I just had the compact. As this was a working trip. Down the footpath, over the avenue and into the wood. Down the slope and on one side, fresh, tender and pungeant leaves of Ramsons, aka wild garlic.

We were armed with scissors, so we snip the fresh leaves without damaging the plants, and in ten minutes we had a shopping bag full. It was still early in the summer, so we could return when there is much more.

We walk back to the car, then drive to Sandwich and out onto the marshes to Preston, where they guys were eagarly waiting us, so they could make a batch of their most popular sausages.

Sausages.

I get some steak for lunch on Sunday, and a fe other things, then we return home, back over the marshes, where the lanes were flooded, but no trouble getting through.

Once home we had something new: cheese muffins with black pepper. I slice each one and toast them, before somethering with melted butter.

They were pretty good.

We sit and do stuff for a couple of hours, listen to music, write.

The morning passes.

We had ordered a present for Jen's birthday, paid online and had arranged to pick it up on the afternoon. It was in Bredgar, which was about a 50 minute drive, but not a health risk. We thought it OK.

So, armed with the newest camera fitted with a nifty fifty in the boot, we cruise to Canterbury, then to Faversham before joining the motorway, then heading west to the next juntion, the A249, turn towards Maidstone, but turning off almost straight away, heading up the down, and along narrow lanes to Bredgar.

Bredgar is a picture postcard place. I knew it was, we had been before, but I used GSV to check the place so. So we park by the village pond, then walk up past the farm shop, and opposite hte church was the glass shop.

I took pictures, but nothing too special.

We collect the present, walk back to the car, me snapping as we walked.

There were plenty of people about, some walking their dogs, some with fmilies, but all smiling. Smiling in the warm sun, and the dream that this nightmare might be nearing an end.

Back in the car, I turn round and we drive back to the main road, onto the motorway and back to the coast.

We drop it off at Jen's, a bit early for her borthday, but why not now?

She's still feeling ill after picking up some bug, so we don't stay, but we leave with hugs galore.

Back home we have lunch: lamb samosas and onion bahjis. And beer/cider.

Lovely.

And home in time for the football.

And what an afternoon. With all the games I thought things were tight at the top of the Championship, but not so City beat Rotherham 1-0 to go 7 (seven) points clear, Swansea lost 4-1 and Brentford lost the third game in a week. Two thirds of the season gone, all going well.

So far.

Then it was time for the Mersey derby, and who knew what to expect? Well, Everton won for the first time at Anfield since dinosaurs ruled the earth, and Liverpool, after seeing their 67 unbeaten home streak come to an end, how now lost four on the bounce. Well.