Sunday 1st June 2025

It's the weekend.

Again.

And for a change, we have nothing planned, though plans would be formed through the day.

I laid in bed until half seven, then up for coffee and breakfast.

What to do with the day?

Well, book a tip run as Jools has been trying to rid the garden of the Rosy garlic, and the plan became, drop me off at Tesco to go shopping while she went to the tip.

I'll be frank: Tesco was mad. Not helped by the brainless blocking shelves and aisles either talking or checking their not so smart phones.

Time in store doubled as Tesco decided to hide the celery.

Put it with the salad?

Hell no.

Next to the peppers?

Too easy.

At the end of the aisle next to the strawberries.

Obvs.

Outside, Jools was waiting, so we loaded the car and drove home, where I see, whilst reversing, our verbascum has a good colony of Mullein moth caterpillars hungrily munching their way through leaves and stems.

Nom.

Nom.

Nom.

After parking up, I grab the camera and go to take shots of the hungry fellas.

We have breakfast, or was it lunch? I lose track.

Soon, we had lunch of Scotch eggs and salad, I announced I was going to Park Gate Down to meet with Jon and Richard.

All other drivers are clearly shit, so I arrived at PGD in a bad mood, but once I saw the open meadow dotted with pink and red orchids, my mood softened.

Jon, Richard and their tour had not yet arrived, so I went to explore, going to snap a few Monkey spikes. In the paddock, I saw a couple clearly looking down, and as I walked towards the second paddock, they were clearly on a closing vector.

We met at the low gate, and they opened with their gambit: Are there Fly Orchids here, we've been looking in the undergrowth.

Now.

I might not know much, but I know something about orchids. Fly, I said, are spit into two sub-species here: woodland and downland, and the downland have grown to thrive in open meadows and downland paddocks.

However.

It has been a dry year, and I haven't seen any for two or three weeks. But, my young padowan, I will join your quest.

Or words to that effect.

I played down the chances, as we moved up the down, I saw no spikes other than the burnt spikes of EPO, the lone Lady, and emerging CSO and Chalk Fragrants.

But no Fly.

I waved in the direction of the furthest slope of the reserve, stating, that's where the most Fly can be found.

Seconds later I saw the first spike, and nearby two or three more.

Hours Huw and his friend had spent looking, and later, on social media he stated that I had saved his holiday.

That, I do not know.

I walked on to snap the Greater Butterfly, and on my way back I head Jon's voice as the tour parked up.

I searched for half an hour for Musk Orchids, but saw no sign, but then Jon and Richard were close, so I went to say "hello".

After greetings, I was asked if I wanted to see a Musk?

I did.

So, soon, Richard picked his way along the down, until the tiny spike of the orchid, and a smaller one next to it came into view.

So easy.

It had taken Jon two hours on Friday to find this, and me an hour earlier that day.

We took turns to snap them, and then someone else, Monika from a nearby village who had never seen a Fly. So, I called her over to see the Musk, then took her along to see a Fly or ten.

I am good.

Plans to meet up the Jon were scrapped as he was ill, and getting worse, so I made my way home.

But it was the very best of days.

And better than on Monday there was no work either.

Yay.

Back home we had Caprese and focaccia, both bought from Tesco, but both good.

There was time for some #Wildflowerhour-ing and have a wine or two as the sun sank behind the yardarm.

Cheers.