Sunday 8th August 2021

It is a full year since we went to Ashford to collect Poppy and Cleo. It hasn't always gone smoothly, but hopefully things are settling down now, although they both are sporting battle scars,even if the hissing and fighting in the house has mostly stopped.

Even Poppy is happier now now that she can use the living room window of an open door, when its warm eough, to get past Scully the sentinal.

I try to snap them both to celebrate and give them kitty kibbles, in the hope they are busy eating so I can grab them for a cuddle. I manage to get Cleo, but even thoughing Poppy's tail beings a hiss and bared teeth.

Anyway, we have other things on our minds. My mind, OK.

Last week the disappointment of the vanished Violet Helleborines brought the offer from a group member to show us his local colony.

So it was just before nine we were heading out in the car, having had just a coffee and the boot laden with a packed breakfast of cold kebabs and juice.

Traffic was non-existant, so we cruised up the A2 to Faverhsam and then up the motorway, listenint to Radcliffe and Maconie as we went. The sun shone and it seemd all set fair for a good morning's orchiding.

We turned off and went through Cobham, I note that the small village not only has the fine church, the Leather Bottle pub opposite, but two other fine looking pubs too. We'll have to go back.

We eneded up in Meopham, at the village green which is large enough to have a cricket pitch, pavillion and set of nets. Is there anything more English? Well, two pubs look out onto the green, somewhere to sit outside and watch a Sunaday afternoon's game?

My friend Terry turned up, we followed him for about 15 minutes until we arrives at a small parking space in a beech wood, and a short walk away was a clearing, and in that were about 40 spikes, most in clumps, and one of a fantastic size on its own.

I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

I snap it, play around with light balance settings, and get some good shots, or did once I reviewed them once back home.

And then the rain started. Heavy rain.

We rush back to the car, Terry had other stuff to do, and so we drove down to Maidstone and turned onto the M20, eating the last of the koftes as I drove us home.

Back home it was sunny and warm, though rain would come soon enough. We had a brew and then some lunch of toast and marmalade made from the last part of my latest hand made loaf. We might never buy bread again.

Jools goes swimming, I watch football. Championship football, some three months after the last season ended. Second game was Coventy v Forest, Cov won 2-1 with a scrambled late goal. Fans went mad, as did the players. People were screaming, hugging, sheer enjoyement. I thought of COVID, sadly.

We had cheese and crackers (no wine) for supper, and somehow the weekend had slipped through our fingers.

In the morning, Jools would be driving Jen and Sylv back to Manchester, and I would be home alone for another three days.

And at work.