Sunday 26th April 2026

As a taste of things to come over the summer, there is just one live football game for me to watch this Sunday, and one that has little resting on it. As Coventry have already won the Championship, while Wrexham need a win to get into the play-offs, but with their Hollywood money, Wrexham are pretty unlovable right now, with their TV series and all that.

Meanwhile, the second FA Cup semi-final is behind a paywall on what used to be TNT Sports, so I will listen to that on the radio, hoping that Leeds can overcome the awful Chelsea Football Club, who this month were found to have made illegal payments to players through most of the last decade, but their titles and trophies remain untouched. Not even an asterix.

We are up just after six, feed the cats, make and drink coffee, then are off to the sports centre for more phys.

I did a little too much on Saturday, so the stiffness in my thighs took fifteen minutes to ease, but then powered on to complete the session.

Then, instead of going home, we drive along the A2 to Barham for some gentle orchiding.

We turn off through Kingston, and park at the bottom of the bridleway. My target was to check up the slope for the colony of Lesser butterflies I thought died out six years ago, but apparently returned last year.

I tell myself the slope will be easy as I am a gym rat now, but the slope is steep, and i have just done a session, so two slight pauses on the way up, brought me to where the track levels out, and so can search where the plants used to be.

Much vegetation has spread, and areas that used to contain dozens of Early purples were now just covered with saplings and Dog's mercury, but in the wood, I find clear ground, and there were Early purples and Common twayblades. Not in huge numbers, but doing OK.

I went deeper, but other than finding more of the same, no Lesser butterflies.

I recheck on the way back to the path, and find one Lesser butterfly on the edge of a pit, spike forming, and another blind rosette.

At least they're clinging on, and there might be more nearby.

We walk back down the slope, then over the road to the beech wood, to check on the woodland Ladies.

Good news is that there were dozens if not a couple of hundred rosettes, many with spikes reaching for the canopy, and one partially in flower.

Also present were many Twayblades and a single Fly. I find last year's desiccated Birds-nest spikes, but no sign of this years.

I walk back to the car, then drive us back to the A2 and home, it was yet only nine in the morning.

Sadly, my left shin is a mess from where I kicked the log on Friday, so I need to rest up to allow it to scab up.

So, I sit around the house the rest of the day. Annoyed at the celebrations in Coventry as Frank Lampard's team play with Wrexham.

So O roast potatoes, then bake steak and stilton pies, steam vegetables, so that once the game ends there is just half an hour's cooking before we sit down to eat, with glasses filled with cheap pink fizz.

After washing up, I put on the radio but find it hard to stay awake. Chelsea 1 up by half time, and Leeds not looking like scoring. So it ends with Chelsea winning to meet Citeh in the final.

Meh.

The evening was filled with playing the Strangler's Rarities LP I bought last week, then New Boots and Panties for Jools, as its one of her favourites.

Finally some #wilflowerhour ing from eight, and that was the weekend done.