Saturday 22nd October 2022

I suppose for most of the spring and summer I am somewhat (!) preoccupied with orchids, wild flowers and butterflies, sometimes with dragonflies thrown in, and then in September there's Heritage Weekend, Open House in London, and on top of that, gigs, shows. So it seemed we were always going to do something every weekend, or both days each weekend.

I had it in mind to go to Grove Ferry on Saturday to look for Bearded Reedlings, as I have never seen them before. It's only ten minutes beyond Preston and the butchers, but it seemed a way to go, and there was nothing else we needed to go out for, so in the end we decided to do nothing.

I should have gone for a walk, perhaps, and in hindsight a Long Tailed Blue was found at Brockhill Farm, but I only found out in the evening, and today was much too windy and stormy to try.

So, apart from shopping we did very little.

Tesco is pretty well stocked, but with odd exceptions. As expected, fresh fruit is thin on the ground, as is washing up liquid still, but we got what we needed, some beer and cider, veg for roast on Sunday and rolls for lunches. And a bag of groceries for the food bank, because we know we're lucky.

Back home to unpack, have breakfast. I prepare fruit and yougurt, as usual, and being a Sunday we have bacon butties afterwards too. But that would be it, as we were off out in the evening.

So we listen to the radio, me listening to Talk Shite as they had the Forest v Liverpool game, and it was almost worth hearing the ads for bookmakers as Forest ran out 1-0 winners.

And then came the main batch of games, and what would have been a top of the table clash two weeks back as Norwich headed to Sheffied United. City took an early 2-0 lead, but after half time the pressure told and Utd drew level, 2-2. And then City got a last minute penalty. Pukki stepped up to complete his hat trick. And it was saved.

Sigh.

I watch the first half of the Chelsea v Man Utd game, but at quarter past six we meet Bev and Steve (our neighbours) out front of the house to drive into Deal for dinner.

We had time to nip into the Just Reproach for a swifter, before walking dwon Middle Street to the club.

We had twice fried chicken wings followed by seafood chowder. Main course was chcken breast and roast vegetables, with chilli cherry cheesecake to finish. Steve and I shared two bottles of wine, but that was just enough, not like last time when that followed two pints at the pub. Not making that mistake again.

Jools drove is home, getting back at half ten, some 90 minutes past our bed time.