Tuesday 15th August 2023

Would have been my Nana's birthday, 107th or something. It would have been.

I could tell you stories, but I'll leave her there.

After the first coffee of the morning, I checked the moth trap, and was delighted to find hiding in the depths of the trap was a new hawk moth species for the garden, a Convolvulus hawk-moth, 7cm long and pretty pissed off after I tried to move it to somewhere better to snap it.

Several other species also trapped: a pest of corn, Two symetrical Lesser Carpets, a Jersey Tiger among the SBJs.

Jools had gone swimming, so I made coffee as I had laid in until she left, only woken up by the engine starting.

And then it was time for work.

Not much to tell, other than by manager has plans and it involves me and me giving a presentation.

On Friday.

So I prepare.

And with the weather summer glorious, with endless blue skies and light winds, I rake the thatch from the garden, leaving them piled up to dry before collecting and leaving for the rubbish trucks on Friday.

Now, on Monday I had rasly said we would be going up the down on Tuesday as the weather and light would be good, though I ddn't fancy it when the time came, though Jools was, so once she had changed, we drove to Whitfield.

The 2023 orchid season is drawing to an end, and so the final species of the year, ALT, should be in flower.

For various reasons, we did not go up to Temple Ewell at the weekend, but with the winds having dropped to a gentle breeze by Tuesday, I sad we would go up there before dinner once Jools was back from work.

It would have been easy to scrub that, but Jools wanted to go, so I put on my boots and drove us to Whitfield then down the hill.

The car park was in deep shade, but higher up, I hoped, would be lit by the evening sun, as it was already gone six in the evening.

Up the steps to the footpath, then through the lower meadow, up into the wood until we came to the gate and out onto the open downland.

Still up to the second pasture, before walking down through the tall grass, doing so well thanks to the wet summer.

I saw the first spike, then a good dozen more without any trouble, so I got down to take a close up or two. In the warm light the spikes looked magnificent.

Apart from the ALT, I was also looking for Autumn Gnetian, Chalkhill Blues and Silver-spotted skippers, and in the space of half an hour, I saw and snapped them all.

And then when one was bored or had shots of the butterflies and plants, there was the view down to Temple Ewell and beyond, the village of River with the edge of Dover town further still, all lit by the warm evening light, made all the sweeter being that we were the only two folks up there.

We walk back to the gate leading down the down, and on the way I spot the final species I had been looking for; Autumn gentian.

There is a small area on Kingsdown Leas where these grow, but most years many grow up on the downs, so it was I found several clumps, but die to the late hour, many flowers had closed, though I found two with open petals.

So back down the down to the car, and a quick blast home to pop the garlic bread in the oven and make Caprese, this time using the faux "aged" balsamic recipe I found online.

It wasn't awful, but needed more thickening, still went well with the red plonk and the crispy garlic bread.

No football to watch this evening, though one of the few in the upcomng months.