Sunday 10th April 2022

I woke up in my own bed.

Which was nice.

I could not work out if it was time to get up, but cats were suggesting it was, so I dd get up and feed the cats.

May as well make coffee too.

So I did.

Outside the sun had just risen, but behind next door, so once it became visible it was above the horizon.

Its nearly summer. Fairly.

So, what to do with the day?

After taking over 2,000 orchid images, surely your passion had been sated? Not at all. I was hopeful of seeing Early Spiders in flower, and as it had been two weeks since I had last checked, there was a spike that seemed close 14 days ago.

Of course, what I failed to take into account was the fact I had been wallowing in double digit temperatures in Greece, while here in Blighty they had frosts. But I was hopeful.

So, after the first coffee, but before breakfast, we drove to the NT's place on the cliffs, and I set off down towards the port looking for rosettes. Most were only a little further on than two weeks ago, and the one I saw that was furthest on had vanished, but it was next to a path.

Down below, the part was quiet, oddly so. The ten lanes for waiting trucks was empty, and being cleaned by a road sweeper, truck came every couple of minutes, but nothing like in numbers as to be expected, especially with the M20 closed between Maidstone and Ashford. I took a few shots, and watched as the ferries that were running, come and go. The three P&O ferries were still tied up.

Cars can still access the port freely, its freight that is having problems.

On the way back we go to the Monument to see if the small group of rosettes was in flower.

They were not.

But I took the usual shot looking down at the feet of the cliffs, and we returned to the car and drove home for breakfast.

Bacon butties.

That is all. Apart from a huge brew, of course.

I then prepared the lamb tagine I had planned since being on the plane back home, I marinated the meat, then sealed it in a frying pan, fried the onions, added stock, fruit and more spices, popped all in a caserole, and into a low oven for three hours.

It soon smelt wonderful.

We ate at half one, and with enough sauce left over to make the base of a decent soup. That would be a task for Monday.

A friend posted shots of an Early Spider apparently in flower at Samphire Hoe, but Norwich were on the tellybox at two; what to do?

I grabbed the camera and we went out.

Not that busy on the Hoe, Jools bought us an ice cream and we walked along the sea wall to the base of the cliffs, and sure enough, about 20 feet up, a spike had opened and was already going over. But further down another spike had its first flower just opening.

I took a shot.

Meanwhile, Norwich had taken the lead against Burnley, and on the way home I listened as City tried ot hold on. Between getting out of the car and walking round to the back door and going inside, City scored a second in injury time, so won the game.

Reversing the car down the drive, I noticed a small dusty coloured bird, which I guessed (correctly) was a Black Redstart. Jools tried to get a shot, but it flew off the Walter's before she could.

THat was followed by the game of the week; Citeh v Liverpool, which started off at a cracking pace. City scoring forst after 5 minutes, Liverpool scoring six minutes later, only for City to score a second just before half time. Just after, Liverpool levelled, and that was that, but end to end, frayed tempers and lots of shots made for a fine game.

During the game, I notcied some movement on the fence outside, and the Black Redstart was back, so I put the big lens on the spare body and twitched the bird from our porch.

And so my week off had come to an end, preparations were made for Monday, I wrote and went to bed at half eight.

Back to work in the morning.