Monday 28th August 2023

I was really up on the down to look for butterflies, I had even told Jools the season was over, I had packed so much in, I needed a break.

But the autumn and winter are long, dark and cold, so one more orchid hunt wasn't going to hurt, right?

So, after coffee I drove to Temple Ewell and began the climb up through the wood, the lower meadow, up through the hedge path before finally emerging onto the upper treeless slopes of the down.

There was just one other family up there enjoying the morning, walking their two dogs, on leads, with their children.

We stopped to talk and I quickly explained what could be found up there. They seemed happy enough with what I told them.

Through the gate into the upper pasture where the dexters were already churning up the soil and plants. I turned down and sure enough, in the long grass were a few spikes of ALTs, most at least half going brown and to seed.

I got down to take come final close ups.

I walked back to the lower paddock, hunting Gentians, I was, but also butterflies. I was distracted by what I thought was a Small Heath but turned out to be a small and dark 3rd brood Meadow Brown, but I was hunting blues.

The bluest of blues.

And there he was, despite it not being sunny or even that bright, a slightly tatty male displaying well on a stem of grass.

In the plant kingdom, the Autumn Gentians are having a fine season, with dozens of spikes of all sizes easily found all across the down, I snap many, but soon give up, but still delight in each new find.

I walked back down the down, past people only just climbing up, walking their dogs or a bit of nature searching. I went down, past the allotments to the car park, load the camera and head back home, up Whitfield Hill and to home. Though stopping at the village shop for some chocolate.

Jools had stayed behind to do gardening, really gining the borders of the beds a good cleaning, enabling us to see the brick edging for the first time since early spring.

I have a shower, then prepare lunch of chorizo hash, which comes together just before one. Though there is no football to divert me, I do stuff through the afternoon, so the clouds and gentle rain blows in.

Rain stopped play.

There was no football in the evening either, but somehow we fill our time. I listen to a podcast and finish editing the shts from Maidstone which we visited last weekend.

Phew, its all go.

But darkness fell at half eight, and my wearing legs took me up the stairs to bed.