Sunday 21st February 2021

THere have been some dark days in the last 50 weeks; 120,000 died from COVID alone, tens of thousands have died when they need not to have done.

There have been lights at the end of the tunnel before, but it just turned out the be the full headlights of an oncomg 2nd wave COVID train.

The hope has always been on vaccines, not because they are a magic bullit, but they offer a real hope to relaxation. But the need to track, trace and isolate has never been more important. Best of all were to be if the UK followed NZ and Oz in surpressing the virus to a handful of cases, locking borders.

This Government never has had the stomach for that, for making really tough decisions early, rather leave them to the last minute when there is no choice.

But for me, Sunday was a red letter day, at twenty to five I could go and get my first vaccine jab.

The chance of real hope.

We had the whole day ahead of us before then, so after breakfast of fruit and croissants two coffees, we head back out to Waldershare, with me armed with my ringflash, so I could snap the fine display of snowdrops.

Sadly, the church was closed, and the graveyard overgrown, but between the stones, rugs if not carpets of snowdrops could be seen.

We were the only ones there, of course. Jools went for a walk while I snapped and got shots.

Most flowers were already wide open, maybe another species still were yet to open, waiting to take over.

Jools returned, and I had got my shots, so we went back to the car to drive to Bishopsbourne.

We drove through Eyethorne, then along to Coldred, onto the A2. Traffic was light, and the overcast skies were clearing well.

We turn off to go through Braham, mainly so I could judge how deep the Nailbourne was. I knew Out Elmstead Lane ford was closed due to the depth of the bourne, and at Barham the running water was up to the top of the brdge arch, but still flowing well.

Further along, at the ford, indeed the water was deep, and the culvert it flows into had restricted flows, creating a small pond on the road and bottom of the field.

Down into Bishopbourne, with some houses still pumping flood water from their gardens onto the road, amde it seem worse than it was. We parked up near the church, and joined plenty of people out to enjoy the weather and warm sunshine.

Once through the chuchyard, the ground opened up, with the Nailbourne meandering through a large meadow, heading towards the village of Bridge about a mile away behind the trees.

We walk beside the bourne, to keep a safe distance from others, but not their dogs, apparently, and so I could get shots of the bourne.

We cross the first bridge, and another leaping across another arm of the Nailbourne, but we could see more and more people approaching, so we left the flattened path to walk beside the bourne again, until the bridge to Bourne Park had created a lake.

That'll do.

We turned and headed back to the church and the car, avoiding the dozens of people and their dogs, most of which were roaming freely.

Sigh.

On the way home we called in to see Jen again. She was feeling better, well enough to drink tea, but eat nothing else yet.

We stayed for an hour before leaving.

Once home I make lunch: rump steak and the usual stuff.

It was wonderful, just what the doctor ordered. The steaks were lark, lean but full of flavour.

After clearing away, I help wash up before taking to the sofa to watch the afternoon matches.

Spurs were being Spurs, losing to West Ham, Leicester beat Villa, but before the big game, I had to leave to drive into town for my jab.

I parked behind the POlice Station, mainly for a short walk and so I could snap the river Dour in full flow. The Dour is what gave Dover its name, and is a chalk stream, river really, that flows above ground from Temple Ewell, though water maybe flows through the chalk from a much larger area.

The rver was a couple of feet or so from the top of the wall, and was flowing well.

Over the footbridge, and to the Health Centre where signs directed you to the front. After a short wait I was let to sign in, then another short wait in a corridor before being called to see the doctor, who just checked details, and jabbed me in the arm.

That was it.

It was quite emotional afterwards, getting the vaccine and maybe this damned war will soon be over.

I drove home, in time to see the rest of the first half of the Arsenal v Citeh game. I missed the only goal, but nice just to sit and let the vaccine work.

Outside it got dark, we had cheese and crackers for supper. And wine.

And that was that, a good weekend with some travelling and snapping more than the back garden.