Tuesday 18th May 2021

Still on holiday.

The weather is a bit unpredictable all week, so I need to take the chances of going to sites when I can, maybe one major site a day, as the weather seemed to get worse into the afternoon.

THe furthest I planned to travel was to Marden, which is well on the way to Maidstone, then down onto the Weald.

Tuesday was going to be fine, sunny and pretty windless at first, so I planned to be there as soon as possible.

We got up early, half five, and JOols bustled around, getting ready for work, while I drank coffee and generaly got in the way. And then she was gone, though it seems she had left her thermal cup at Sylv's, so no tea for her on the trip to work. I thought I might go on a cup hunt later.

I had breakfast, one more coffee, then after sorting out the fighting cats, finally getting Scully locked in the cooler, the back door open and Poppy bouncing back from being chased, went out, so I was free to go.

I can never understand why people speed to work in the mornings. I would have expected them to speed home in the evenings, at least that what I used to do. So, anyway, I cruise along the A20, then up the motorway to Leeds. I pass the Brexit lorry park at Ashford, which must be up and running, low buildings can be seen from the motorway. And lots of truck. Further up the motorway, the lorry park on the coastbound side is gone, so we could drive on each of the three lanes at 70mph.

Once off the motorway, I head to Leeds (not that one), which is a picturesque village, with a main road running through it. It wasn't designed, if that's the word, for the modern world, and with the lines of parked cars, traffic in both directions had to give way from time to time, long queues build up in the mornings and afternoons. It took ten minutes to get through the village, but out into open country again, until I came to Five Wents, as the name suggests, the meeting point of five roads, with the addition of a large school.

It took another ten minutes to get to the main road, but instead of trying to get over the crossroads, I turn down the main road to Staplehurst, and once again there was no traffic.

Through Staplehurst, and taking the minor road beside the railway to the small gate which marked the resrve.

I was the only person there.

You have to use a arking app to use the park, quite what people without phones are supposed to do, I don't know. As it is, I had to use my work phone to download the app, register the car, a card and so on. It took ten minutes for the app to work, but I paid. I looked round and saw, indeed, I was the only one here.

I walked into the first meadow, once sans orchids, but these are now spreading in from the main two, seed probably on visitor's shoes, as most are either side of the track that runs alongside the field.

Through the gate and into the main meadow, which is purple and yellow from orchids and meadow buttercups.

I walk round the outside, as there are so many orchids at my feet, there is no point in stomping through them. I take a few close ups, but most it is the effect of thousands of others blurring into a puple mass in the background I was looking for.

I find two pure white plants, use the mini tripod to take some closeups, which works as I don't put the flash on, the tripod can cope without, but not with. Which is a shame, as I needed the tripod for use with the flash.

I walk on, look in at the third meadow: more orchids.

Before leaving, I do walk into the meadow to look for the rare Adder's Tongue Fern, I snap two and happy then I could leave. My feed were sodden from the previous day's rain and the heavy dew, but who cares, right?

At least the traffic back to the motorway was lighter, meaning I go back in half an hour, cruised down back to Hythe before turning off and driving back up Stone Street.

This was to be my first visit to Park Gate, to check on the Monkeys, which in previous years would have been at their peak.

I find a place to park, walk up to the entrance, then climb the down, scouring the grass for signs of orchids.

I do find a single spike, the flowers still white and tightly packed. A second would be found later, but that's it. I know there are roesettes elsewhere, but they should be in flower, but from a glance, there is no sign.

I walk to the third paddock hoping to take some shots of a downland Fly or two, but I see none of those either, just a rosette putting up a spike.

I see a small black and white butterfly, a Grizzled Skipper, the first I had seen for years, I chase it down the down, but it fails to settle any more, and I lose it. It rememained unphotographed.

Right at the back of the paddock, I find two Greater Butterfly rosettles, the spikes just forming; it will be two weeks at least before they flower.

I was chasing the sun now, which was suppose to cloud over by eleven, it was already half past.

The last call was at Lydden to check on the "regular" Man Orchids.

They are doing well, nearly all out at least half way, and hey are sreading down towards the drainage ditch too, a really good sign. I take a few shots and go back to the car.

I stop off in Tesco at Whitfield to get Jools a cup, and me some lunch. Never go shopping when hungry, as I buy a chicken satay wrap, sausage and bacon sandwich, some butter shortbread. And the cup.

I eat the wrap on the way home, and once inside, make a brew and have the sandwich, but using all my resolve, save the shortbread for the evening to share with Jools.

I write, edit shots, write some more.

The aftern passes, the sun shines, though it is windy. I could have stayed out, snapping. But there will be other times

Somehow, the afternoon passes and once the cats were fed, it was time to make fritters for dinner. I uses some sweet Indian spices this time, what I had bought for Bombay potatoes, but work wonerfully well in the fritters even if I says so myself. They were all cooked and golden brown as Jools walked in, so we sit down and eat well, dipping them in various sauces, but truth is, they were great au natruale.

There was play-off fotball in the evening; Oxford v Blackpool, and fan allowed back in stadiums, which was a shame for Oxford as they got stuffed 3-0, and the camera panned round their mained faces at the end.

Then came Chelski v Leicester, a replay of Saturday's Cup Final, but this time, Chelsea decided to play and cruised to an easy win.

So it goes.