Saturday 15th May 2021

The internet and social media gets balmed for much these days, and also gets a lot of bad press from, well, the conventional press, but sometimes good things happen, though few hear of the good things.

Over the last few months, I have been talking to a fellow orchidist from Gloucestershire, who wanted to come to Kent this season, if lockdown allowed, to see the Green Fly, the LSO and whatever else.

And so, Duncan and his wife arrived in Kent on Friday, and the plan was to meet up for a grand orchid tour on Saturday Although no one told the weather, as the forecast was poor, and would get worse.

And Jools was due back home at haf three, so all had to be done by then.

Originally, we were to meet at Marden early doors, but the cloud and expected drizzle meant an hour for poor photographs wasn't a good idea, and Duncan said they have plenty of those back home, anyway.

Another conversation with another friend turned to the pure white Lady, and a hunt for that seemed reasonable, which meant going back to Barham.

Before then, I had to get myself up, feed the cats, make coffee and have breakfast.

Waking up was easy, as with Jools away, Mulder now comes to see me to lick my hand to let me know it was daylight outside and when could he expect to be fed.

It was twenty past five, but five whole minutes later than on Friday.

I get up.

The cats are fed, Scully gets put in the bathroom, Poppy comes in, eats and goes to bed. Scully gets let out, she is fine and settles on the blanket on the sofa and goes to sleep.

The house is full of feline calm.

I had to be at Barham at nine, so after a last minute dash of activity, I leave the house just in time, and motor off up the A2 towards Canterbury before turning off, meeting two others under the old railway bridge, Duncan then pulled up behind just as I got out to greet Terry and the other Ian.

We all bump elbows before we drive off in a rather un-green convoy down the lane to the wood. We all park on the hard standing, all gather our photographic equipment and walk up the lane to take the woodland track, in the hunt of pure white Early Purples (none found) and traces of the Lesser Butterflies (also, none found). But there were some robust spikes of EPO to admire, though I don't snap any, which considering I took my gout across the country and then on a two mile hike a month back to see a single flower on a single EPO spike. How quickly things change.

We walk on, down the bridleway, and across the road to the main orchid site, where, as expected, things are behind the usual schedule. A few Lady spikes were partially open, but many had been nibbled and trampled, probably by deers, though it did look human caused at first. Can't be sure. But there are dozens if not hundreds to come, with one being very pale and might be a var. albaflora spike.

As to what to do next, well, as the rain began to fall again, the decision was made to head to Thanet to look on at the yellow Man Orchids. So, again in convoy, we set off across east Kent, through Wingham, past Sandwich to Pegwell Bay, finding just enough parking spaces on the road near the viking ship.

It was still raining, although it might clear up. Might not.

I pondered on whether to leave the camera behind, but decided to take it. We walked onto the old hoverport, and the others marvelled at the way nature took over, but being cool and wet, there were no butterflies to admire.

And on one small spot, about 50 spikes of the yellow Man were beginning to open. Not at their best, but still the others were thrilled to see such an unusual colour. They got snapped by everyone.

Duncan really had wanted to see some ESOs, and the nearest site I knew of, and was easily visited, was Kingsdown.

So, off we went again, to Sandwich, then along to Deal and finally along the coast to Walmer.

We all manage to park on the road, then walk into the SSSI, along the path. It had been three years at least since I was here, I was hoping the tiny orchids had survived. And after a couple of minutes, I see the first few, then more and more, until about 30 had been seens, one being a good six inches tall, the largest I had seen at the site.

Which was nice.

The rain was coming down hard, so we call it a day, and I invited Duncan and his wife to the house for a few and chance to dry out. It was one, and Jools was due back in a couple of hours, so not much time to do anything else. I gave them a few pointers, and they left, probably on a Monkey hunt, while I took a call from Jools, she would be at Martin Mill at quarter to three.

I was at the station in time, having gone to Tesco to pick up things I had forgotten on my previous trip there.

On time, the train came into view, miles up the line as it left Guston Tunnel, cruising down the bank to Martin Mill.

And there was Jools, coming up the steps from the tunnel to the other platform, home from her travels to the great "ooop north".

We go home, and I make coffees so we can have the Portugese egg custards as we catch up.

She unpacks, and her fanclub of Mulder and Cleo follow her around again, I am forgotten.

Dinner was aubergine, all sliced, egg and breadcrumbed and fried before five, so I could watch the cup final on the tellybox.

That morning, I didn't know it was even cup fnal day, let alone who was playing. It came as a surprise to find it was Chelsea and Leicester.

It was a dull first half, not much happened, but the second was better as Leicester scored a screamer with their 11,000 fans celebrated wildly. Chelsea levelled in injury time, but it was scrubbed due to an offside toe, Cheslea fans who had also celebrated, went silent, as the Leicester fans went wild again.

All over, Leicester won the cup for the first time, and another of the traitorous six failed to live up to their elite billing.

Ha, fucking, ha.

The Leicester players celebrated in front of their fans, the fans screamed, just as it should be, and a reminder to everyone, that football is everything with fans, and nothing without. Fans in the stadium make the game, make it compelling, amke it mean something.

Even I had a few tears in my eye. I know what it meat to their supporters.

We have an evening brew, with a peanut butter KitKat, now regular size is fun size.