Monday 6th April 2026

I have written many times on this blog about how the weather on UK bank holidays is usually rubbish, but this does not deter the average British family to go to the seaside, as if to lay eggs.

Or something.

Indeed, over the weekend there was snow and even blizzards in Scotland and Strom Dave blew through Ireland and Northern England as well as Scotland.

Down south, however, the weather gradually improved.

And on Bank Holiday Monday itself, there was light winds and endless sunshine forecast.

On top of that, I saw a post on Blue Sky that bluebells in Sussex were nearing their peak, which spurred me on to arrange a visit to Stockbury with Fran, to our favourite Kentish bluebell wood.

Heck, there wasn't even a gym visit first, as for me it was a rest day, though Jools did go swimming as I lay in bed until after she'd left.

Up for coffee and breakfast, and once Jools returned, got changed, we headed out along to Sandwich Road and Eastry by-pass to Sandwich and onto Thanet, before turning west to Herne Bay.

Traffic was light at ten in the morning, but would get worse, and we were going past Faversham to the junction with the A249, busy even at quiet times.

However, the drive was pleasant enough, and the new junction took us on the southbound carriageway before we turned off onto the minor road, and reversing into the blocked off junction running one side of the reserve.

It would appear that the reserve has no warden, so all sorts of warnings of dangerous fallen trees advised that the paths were closed. We knew better and took our chances.

We could see the carpet of blue from the road, and on the edge a single white Bluebell was found, on the main path through the reserve, before doubling back along the narrow track through Bluebell central.

There really is no finer sight at this time of year than a bluebell wood at peak bluebell, so I took shots and took the sight and smell in.

Only issue was the hum of traffic from the A249 a few hundred yards away.

We walked along the top path, enjoying more Bluebells and a couple of Early purple Orchids just opening, before negotiating the wooden steps down to the lower meadow where we would look for Lesser butterfly and Lady orchids.

The steps are poorly maintained, and care needed to be taken in going down them, but once down I found three Lesser butterfly rosettes, and further on dozens of Lay rosettes, including one that was putting up a spike.

All that was left was to find our way back to the car, the easiest was was through the sparse woodland to the upper track, then through the Bluebells again and down the road to where Jools was waiting.

As I had to be home at one, we took Fran back to Herne Bay, then back to Ramsgate and Sandwich to home, stopping off at a garage for milk and ice creams!

Back at half twelve, ready for the big game.

Yes, the Football League's 72 teams were to play twice in four days: on Friday and Monday, as we reach the business end of the season with just six games to play.

After drawing with Pompy on Friday, Norwich had a tricky away games at Millwall who rose to second after beating Middlesborough last time out, but Norwich had a raft of players back from injury, causing a who new problem for the coach.

Norwich dominated the game, created a hatful of chances in the first half, but failed to covert any. Millwall scored early in the second, then Norwich got back on top and scored twice late on to take all three points, so to rise to eighth in the table.

That was followed by Ipswich against Birmingham, which also ended 2-1, to Ipswich, though Town were poor, but climb above Millwall to retake second place.

And next up for both teams is the Old Farm Derby at Carrow Road Saturday lunchtime.

Eeeek.

Dinner was chorizo hash, just to use up the week-old peppers, but as always, was good, and a vegetable packed meal to end the weekend with.

Finally, we watched the 5th episode of Beatles Anthology, taking the story up to August 1966 as their last concert at Shay Stadium.