Friday 29th December 2023

I last walked the lanes beyond Collingwood and Fleet House on 8th Novemeber, because, since then we have had half a year's rain. Or so it seemed.

But now with my new boots, I can go for a stomp whenever I want, wherever I want.

It is also time for the #NewYearPlantHunt for @BSBI and #wildflowerhour, so I went armed with the mobile and big camera fitted with macro.

Going was indeed muddy, but not that bad, just along Green Lane where the passing of countless horses though the winter have churned the track into mud, which made going slow. So, halfway along, I cut back through the wood, where it was much drier and easy going.

Back down past the paddocks to Collingwood and then to home, as we were due at Jen's for some new year card action, fuelled by turkey and stuffing sandwiches.

Cards is always more about socialising rather than the cards itself. So, we talk, then have sandwiches jammed with turkey and stuffing, and follow up that with Christmas Pudding and Brandy Sauce, which was nice, but like all dairy now, lays heavy.

And then cards.

With Sylv being partially deaf and disorganised, made for slow going, and a game of meld took nearly two hours. After which we play Queenie, with everyone just about breaking even.

Since coming back from the Nine Below Zero concert, I had been wanting to go back to Ramsgate to see the Christmas lights on the boats and yachts in the harbour. Jen and Sylv were happy to come along, and after a little egging on, John came too.

After finding a place to part, we retired to a café built into the fishermen's arches for a coffee, and wait for sunset and dusk to fall.

I looked out of the window after draining my cup, and saw the magical blue hour had started, so told the rest I was going out and began snapping.

The lights attracted a large number of families, and the dry and warm conditions ensured more folks came out. But ut was just pleasant, walking and snapping.

A grotto had been set up in one of the smaller arches, though now Christmas is over, Santa has gone back to Lapland, of course.

After an hour, I had taken enough shots, and the panos with the mobile came out better than the shots with the big camera, the low light confusing the sensor and over-exposing many shots.

Sometimes, however, its just nice to be there and see it with your own eyes.

We walked back to the car and drove back to Dover, chasing the fast fading light in the west as we did so. We dropped Jen and Sylv back in Whitfield, and John back home at the bottom of Whitfield Hill, and back home to St Maggies for us, where there would be a feline welcoming committee waiting.

Back home at ten to six, just in time to log in for the quiz, just as well I did as I came 3rd, which lifted me to the overall 4th in the final monthly table with 16 points.

Yay, me.