Sunday 30th March 2025

The time is come for us to hit the woods.

Into the woods in search of orchids, other plants and butterflies.

One of the earliest places for seeing Early Purple Ochids in flowers first is the appropriatly named Earley Wood near Petham.

So, with the sun shining, and cold despite it being half nine in the morning, but that was really to being the first day of British Summer Time (BST), and so was "really" half eight.

I got my timings mixed up thinking it would be an hour "later", not earlier.

A quit drive along the A2 to Bridge, through the village and through the woods and soft fruit farms to Stone Street before turning off and going through the picture perfect village of Petham.

Out the other side, through the woods scattered with large houses until there was the gate to the reserve.

Earley wood is now a familar place. You walk down a wide gallop to a crossroads, then down the track leading to fields where there are Early Purples on both sides. Or in this case, Early Purple rosettes.

THere are carpets of Wood Amenonies everywhere, in all directions, and because of the warming sunlight, all beginning to open.

Also a few hardy Bluebells, English ones, are beginning to ipen and their stalks drooping.

But no butterflies.

We walk to the track to theright, and make our way to where the clearing used to be, now taken over by Broom, and go no further. If the orchids at the top are not in flower, the ones further down in the glade won't be.

We turn round.

As I'm waiting for Jools, perched on the bench, I spy a Peacock butterfy, and set off full of the thrill of the chase.

In the end, its not the best shot of a Peacock I have taken, but it the first butterfly shot of the year for me.

And I am happy with that.

We go home via the Petham Garden Centre and splurge fifty (50) quid in five minutes, so leave quickly after paying, load the car and head south down Stone Street, back to the M20 and thence back home.

Time for breakfast. A late one. Then peel some potatoes, soak in water, which I change every half an hour for 90 minutes s to get rid of the startch, then boil to just before turning to powder, left to steam dry and go all floury, popped into red hot duck fat and set in the over for 90 minutes to become perfect roasties.

I prep the rest of the vegetables, then with half an hourleft for the spuds, set them to steam and put the steak and stilton pies in to cook too.

Lovely.

Dinner was served, and whilst I ate I watched the footy and we lestened to Desrt Island Discs, a fine way to spend the afternoon, before moving onto te sofa and watching the Bournemouth v Citeh game.

Somehow that was then half six, and still brilliant daylight outside. We had toasted hot cross buns for supper, before som #WildflowerHour-ing on Bluesky.

Ad Sunday was done, but every day is the weekend now, so no need to worry about Monday.