Sunday 2nd July 2023

It has been the best part of two months since I last had a hair cut, and to be honest, some days its like I'm weating a fur hat. I went orchiding last Sunday rather than go and get it cut, so I only have myself to blame, really.

We laid in bed until half seven, nearly lunchtime really, got up, fed the cats and had coffee, breakfast with yet more coffee.

And then it was time to go out.

Jools siad she would do the garden, so stayed home, I drove to Folkestone via Capel, down the steep cliff road, then beside the now overgrown olf Harbour Branch before turning up Tontine Street.

I was early, but it was a fine sunny morning, so standing outside the shop for 15 minutes, watching the dregs of society go about getting their first can of Super Brew or asking everyone and anyone if they had a light for their dog end.

I had only been outside for five minutes when the door was opened and I was shown in, treated like royalty, taken to the chair and my mop of untamed locks would be fought with. 40 minutes later, it was done. I looked dofferent, felt cooler.

So, I paid the guy, and walked back to the car.

I had the morning, so despite saying I would do no more orchiding on the downs, I drove to Wye anyway.

At the top of the down, there is a feature called The Devil's Kneading Trough: don't askme, I didn't name it. So, I have seen the Devil's Ditch, Devil's Churn, among other thing. In this case, the trough is a valley down the side of the down, we had looked on side before, so I went the other side in the hunt of orchids.

I passed to German children playing with cows, not the wisest thing to be doing, and their parents nowhere in sight. I left them to it, and upon my return there was no sign of children, cows of distraught parents, so I'm assuming good news.

I walked to the very shoulder of the down, where the ground drops away three hundred feet in a very steep slope, thus disturbing the couple still akip in their sleeping bad, wine glasses scattered around.

I found two Pyramidal spikes, but that was it.

So back to the car and a long drive to another down, where the coony we discovered last week, and one final hunt for the "yellow" LSO. Just in case we'd missed it.

On the way up, my right leg fell down a rabbit hole, those turning my knee some more, and me turning the air blue with some choice swearing.

I searched and searched, but of "old yella" there was no sign. But showing that even many eyes can miss things, I did find a "var. belgarum" LSO, hidden in long grass, another undescribed variant of this highly variable species.

And that was that. Most others were either going or gone to seed, some with the last flower of two in good condition.

I went back to the car, turned it around and drove for home, where it was long past brunch.

We had a pizza between the two of us, and beer (or cider) so spent the afternoon trying to stay awake. Still no football, the season is still five long weeks away.

Jools watched a film, and I caught up on Twitter now that Space Karen has fixed some of what he broke earlier.