Sunday 19th February 2023

Day two of the weekend, and this week called for a haircut.

Our friend, Mary, has had a bad time, she fell ill during a coach trip over Christmas, turned into COVID and then a chest infection. She spent several weeks in a care home, and then had two weeks of care at home. When I mailed her a month ago, she was at her lowest ebb, with a comment of "if I make it".

Well, good news is that she did make it, was back home and ready to meet.

We woke at seven, had coffee. Then breakfst of fruit, and finally second coffee and croissants. Though they had been repackaged, so what I thought were "plain" were almond.

Boo!

But, truth is, they were OK, fulled with almond cream and topped with flaked almonds.

Acceptable.

Seems I had read as far as "all butter croissants", and assumed these were the croissants I was looking for.

But at nine we left home, driving down past the port, along to the start of the A20 and up Shakespeare to Capel, before turning off and driving along past the Battle of Britain memorial, before dropping down into Folkestone.

We parked, then walked up to Rendevous Street, where Mary was making her way down to meet us through a narrow alleyway. Her face lit up when she saw us, as did ours when we saw her. We hugged and swapped greetings.

I took a shot for my picture of the day, and I think you can see the joy in Mary's eyes as she stood beside Jools.

They went to a cafe for a brew and chat, while I walked to the barbers, where I found them open at half nine, and a chair free, so they got shearing straight away.

Half an hour later I was handsome, and half a pound lighter. I pay them, along with a tip, and walk to the Old High Street and Steep Street where they were just finishing their first brews. I joined them and we all had another brew, while catching up on our lost months.

At ten past eleven, we have to say goodbye as our parking was running out. Jools and I walk to the car, then drive home.

And once home, how easy it would have been to sit doing our hobbies, but instead we agree to go for a walk, me with the macro lens and Jools without.

Over the field, where Jools spots a single Sun Spurge spike in flower, then past Fleet House, the now empty pig's copse, down past the farm and up to the bench overlooking Otty Bottom.

What I can say is that my back was 50%, and much less of a struggle to get up and down the hills and slopes. There is a reason for the back pain, as I hoped once the "curse of the Milligans" eased, so would the back pain. Which, thankfully, was the case.

No butterflies seen, and mot many other plants in flower, but by the time we got home, 10,000 steps done and feeling much better about sitting on my backside watching footy and giving another lecture on orchids.

No sooner was I back from Rhodes last years, than I was asked to deliver a talk to the South East Orchid Group on what I had seen there.

My talk wasn't as confiendent, as the species seen was outside my comfort zone, but thanks to our guides ID was if not 100%, then over 90% accurate.

That done, I could sit down to watch the last of the Man Utd game v Leicester, with Utd won 3-0. The Spurs v West Ham, which was closer, but Spurs ran out 2-0 winners, in an entertaining game.

We had chicken tacos for supper, whilst listening to music, before the final act of the weekend was posting shots of flowers seen for #wildflowrhour on Twitter.