Saturday 27th April 2024

At the weekend, we would love, really love it, if the rain did not fall and the wind did not blow.

It rained last night, and will rain Saturday evening and night. Turning soil to mud and downs into slides.

In an ideal world, we would have gone to Yockletts this morning, seeking out Lady Orchids and the Green Fly, but on our last visit it was already very muddy, and the weather this week would have made it worse.

So, after going to Tesco and having breakfast, we went out to Crete Road to check on the Late Spiders: nothing seen, other than dog shit everywhere.

We went along the Alkham Valley, and along the bottom of the valley, the Drellingore is now more a string of pools rather than a flowing winter spring. Bushy Ruff is still mostly underwater, however.

Then on to Lydden to check on the Man Orchids. After climbing over the fence, we found nearly 100 spikes, though only one of two had any flowers open. I snapped the best, then had to clamber back over the fence to get back to the car.

Back up the Hill and along to Barham, and turning off to Woolage, but diverting to Womanswold, as I have not been there for a decade.

It has been a month or so since I visited a church, and need shots to edit during the week, but most in east Kent I have visited so often.

But not Womanswold.

You drive into the village through a which picket fence gate, and along a narrow lane past wonderful picturesque cottages and houses.

The church sits on a slight rise, with a small car park at the back, though a female duck didn't want to move out of our way to let us there.

Jools got our and herded it out of the way, then checked the door and found it unlocked.

Which is a change, the previous visits I have had to go to a keyholder's house opposite and beg to be given the key.

Its a small church, with Victorian glass in ancient frames, but is wonderful and the glass is of a high standard.

I take a hundred shots before we walked back to the car to drive on to Woolage.

It wasn't a fools' errand, in that I have seen pictures of both White Helleborines in flower and Birds-nest emerging, so I was expecting to see something there.

Maybe its because eat Kent has been a degree or two colder than other areas of the country, but there were no signs of orchids at all in the wood. Lots of Lords and Ladies, all at their peak, which is unusual.

I shrug and say to Jools, shall we go back home?

We shall.

So, back to the A2 and back to Whitfield and Dover, this time taking my time as it was we had the rest of the day to do nothing with.

The best kind of weekend days.

And, you will be glad to know, the football season is nearing its first of several, or many, climaxes. League 1 and 2 had their final games of the season, and in the Championship it was the next to last game day.

And Norwich really needed just one win to assure a place in the play offs. The next step in returning to the Premier League where we can get hopped on a weekly basis by the "big boys".

Apt then that Norwich didn't win, drawing 2-2 with Swansea, but that WBA lost at Sheffield Wednesday, we moved up a place to 5th.

Later, Ipswich could confirm our play off place if they beat Hull. They fought out a fine 3-3 draw, one of a series of stunning games at the top of the table to bring a curtain down on the season.

I watched while supping black cherry and vanilla rum and eating fiercely hot crisps. It was a fine end to a fine, if unexciting day.