Monday 3rd June 2024

Already, or holidays seem so long ago. Back at home, back at work, and chest deep in chaos.

My knee really did not enjoy Ham Fen on Sunday, and let me know the fact every time I moved during the night.

So it goes, so it goes.

I lay in to six, then up and shuffling round, getting ready to log on and do some actual work.

Once Windows updates had been installed and the computer restarted.

Twice.

And so on with the shit show.

The cats are all asleep, but sometimes Poppy comes down to roll around, wash her bum and blink at me until I feed her some more, and then she's off to bed.

Somehow I bought triple the amount of tomatoes at Tesco, so lunch was sliced tomatoes, balsamic drizzle, olive il, basil and warmed through bread with some left over salami on on.

Only thing missing was a glass of wine, which I would have loved, but thought not sensible.

The wind has turned to the north and brought a cool wind and clouds. Not that I would have gone out anyway, but some sun would have been nice.

But the corncockles are beginning to flower and brighten up the lawnmeadow.

Jools still isn't well enough to go to aquafit, so I make fritters for when she comes home. But this time with added bacon.

England were in "action", playing Bosnia in a warm up for the Euros, was a dull game, but Engerland rattled in three late goals in the 2nd half, while I made a third of a bottle of whiskey disappear. As you do.

“Do I want to be an MP. Do I want to spend every Friday for the next five years in Clacton?"

The man who retired from front line politics in 2016 having delivered the 52% vote for Brexit, and when asked a few years back if he was going try to be an MP again, replied:

“Do I want to be an MP. Do I want to spend every Friday for the next five years in Clacton?"

Yesterday, announced he is taking back chairmanship of Reform and entering the race to become MP for.....

Clacton.

That quote has been repeated some times yesterday.

Reform is not like any other party, in that it is a limited company with Farrage the majority shareholder. He decides on MPs, policy, etc. Thisis because UKIP members once voted him out of leadership of the party

Farrage is a shrill. He sits on the sidelines and carps, complains but offers no solutions.

This will be the 8th time he has tried to be an MP, he has failed the seven previous times.

It will, however, split the rump Conservative vote even more, and coming 9 years after Cameron announced a vote on leaving the EU in order to head off Farrage and UKIP, Farrage will be dancing on the corpse of the Conservative Party. There is no real difference between Reform and Conservative policy and rhetoric.

In the two weeks since the election started proper, and wave after wave of attacks on Labour, by mostly made up shit social media posts, Sunak has lost 3% more of the vote. The Party seems to think it is Sunak that is the problem rather than the Party and its policies.

In one moth's time, the UK electorate will deliver it's verdict on four and a half years of Conservative Government: Brexit, Austerity, collapsing social services, galloping inflation, COVID, Partygate, Sleaze, corruption, Johnson, Truss and now Sunak.

It will be a punishment vote.

Sunday 2nd June 2024

A day with things planned.

Up at half seven, nearly lunchtime, with only time for one coffee and breakfast before I got ready to go out.

First up was a trip to the council offices to see their Bee Orchids, but after parking and inspecting all flags, there were just two in flower. So I take shots, and then drove to Sandwich and on to the hamlet (ha) of Ham.

It should have been so easy and enjoyable.

Go to Ham Fen at the height of spring and look for orchids, whilst others looked for signs of beavers.

OK, it wasn't sunny, nor that warm, but I had received the message that the site was wetter than normal, so wellington boots should be worn.

I have been here before, I knew better, but I would wear boots, just in case.

We met at ten, a dozen of us, ready to walk round the site. We had a brief and explanation of the history of the site, before walking into the reserve.

After a while we turned off the path and walked towards the stream that the beavers had dammed and created the wetlands.

You might remember my adventures last year in the New Forest with the Bog Orchids, and me losing my shoe.

Or the time in Norfolk when I sank into the fen up to my thigh, but was rescued.

This would be worse.

Much worse.

The ground got suddenly very wet and soft, others had picked their way through, I put my right foot down, the walking pole and my left sank beyond my knee.

I was helped up, but had liquid mud up both arms and was flustered.

A few yards further on, worse was to come, my left leg sank, leaning on the walking pole, it went into the mud up to my hand, and I sank onto my left site, so covered in mud from toe to neck over half my body.

I got up, but the fun was gone, I and two friends who had come along all decided that we would turn back.

I was covered in mud, but camera was also covered in mud, I had nothing to wipe my hands on, and there was twenty yards to firm ground to go.

We made it, and as agreed went to a meeting point to wait for the others, but an hour passed and there was no sign. I was cold, muddy and just wanted to get home, so we walked to the car. I had to put Jools's yoga mad on the seat to keep the car clean, then drive the half hour home.

And once home, Jools burst out laughing at the creature from the black lagoon that stepped out of the car.

Sigh.

One orchid and one dragonfly seen.

Wipe out.

I take off my trousers and t shirt outside, then go straight for a shower and after, a nice change into clean clothes.

I felt somewhat human again.

Plan for the day was to cook a roast for the afternoon, Jen was coming round and I had got the last joint out of the freezer and the smaller bottle of stock to make gravy.

I began to cook at three, preparing vegetables and bringing it all together for five. Jen arrived, we had a wine and chatted before I dished up, though there was no stuffing, pigs in blankets or Yorkshire pudding.

But was still good.

After, we have a game of cards, that Jen wins, and suddenly it was half seven and the weekend gone again.

Saturday 1st June 2024

It am the weekend again, after nearly a whole day back at work.

Almost like I planned it this way!

We lay in until half six, get up, feed the cats and make coffee before going to Tesco, where in a very short time spend over £225, though a good bourbon and several bottles of cider for Jools was bought.

Jools is getting better day by day, but still not going to do much, so I spent the morning preparing and cooking a ragu. In fact, it requires for hours cooking, and by half two is a pot of Italian goodness.

Jools went into town to have a haircut while I cooked and listened to Huey on the wireless.

One question Jools asks in the spring is: when does the football finish?

Truth is, it doesn't really finish.

The Championship ended four weekends ago, but then there was the play offs and the play off final, which was a week ago.

The FA Cup final was the day before the Championship play off final, also a week ago. And the Premier League ended the week before that.

The three European competitions took place the last two Wednesdays, but the final of the Champions League was on Saturday.

But have no fear, the friendlies prior to the European Championships begin on Monday, so the break will have been two days.

We had ragu with pasta for dinner, then I settled down to watch the match, Dortmund v Real Madrid.

It was pretty good, but Dortmund missed a hatful of chances in the first half, and paid the price later in the game as Real scored two.

Oh well.

Friday 31st May 2024

And so, back to work, if only for a day before there is another two days off for the weekend.

Jools had been ordered to stay away from work for the day, and had cancelled yoga.

She was ill, and ached due to coughing, but once starting on the inhaler again, things began to ease. As long as she didn't move, eat or drink.

Otherwise, fine.

I set up the office and switch it on, log on, install updates and then wait for Outlook to download the two weeks of mails.

My task for the day would be to search through these, so to start work proper on Monday.

Jools was feeling better by ten, so I popped out to B&Q to collect breakfast baps for some scran, rushing back home where Jools had made brews and I could get back to work.

There was another change announcement, more merging of departments and lots of good sounding words and plans.

Sigh.

Jools was still coughing, and so decided that the evening meal we had booked at the dining club, she would bail on, sadly, as it can get stuffy, and once coughing she wouldn't be able to stop.

I pack up at two, and make drinks, but it was so chilly, we closed all windows and put the heating on to take the chill off.

I don't do well in the quiz, and straight after, go to meet with Bev and Steve to drive into Deal for dinner.

We park in the main car park, then find the Just Reproach was backed, so go to Smugglers Records over the road, where they have two IPAs on tap, and we could look through racks of records from our table.

We walk to the club, take our seats and they uncork our two bottles of wine, which Steve and I make vanish through the evening.

We have crab, followed by mushroom soup, and then Italian style soul with tomatoes, basil and pesto. Was possibly the best fish I have ever had in my life!

Main course was slow cooked beef and root vegetables and elderflower jelly to end with.

Was amazing, and they were good company, if we talked mostly about football.

Bev drove us home, getting back at half ten.

2024 Orchid season (part 2)

We have reached the 1st June 2024, and usually we are reaching "peak" main season, with orchids from Early Spiders and Purples through to Late Spiders and all inbetween in flower. The reality is that both Early Purple and Early Spiders are now but a memory, as are Green Wing. Lady Orchids are fading fast, as are Fly Orchids too. Late Spiders that should just be coming into flower have been seen since the second week of May, and will soon be at their peak too. Pyramidal, Lizards are showing well at Sandwich Bay, both a couple of weeks early. Southern and Early Marsh are at their peaks too. Of the highlights of the season, it has been an Early Spider down on the Hoe, seen in mid-April, not quite a recognised var as such, but a stunning spike, nontheless. The green Fly did appear and was seen by a friend, but within a couple of days had gone. Either nibbled or worse, stolen by a colector. The early season, and its ongoing earliness is down to the wet and damp winter and early Spring, but is also responsible for the plague of snails and slugs are are rampaging across meadows, downs and gardens, mnching on rare and not so rare plants the same. A new colony of Green Wing near to home, might only have been two plants, but still good to see as they spread southwards down the coast. Fly Orchids in flower in the first week of April, I saw one on flower on the 11th. We might not see another season like it, or it might be the new normal.

Don't mention the Brexit

We are about ten days into the election campaign. Parliament has been disolved, all are now ex-MPs or ex-Ministers. THere always has to be a PM, so Sunak is, for the time being, still Prime Minister. Other MInisters of State oversee essential functions until July 4th.

Each day sees Sunak and his Pary make error after unforced error. Today their campaign bus drove through a graveyard, previously there was the "eye-rolling" woman from the factory two days back, and at the same location, parts of the robot machine in the bacground looked rather like Micky Mouse ears, apt as that was the day he chose to attack "Micky Mouse" degrees.

And so goes on his war against Universities and further education.

In any other election, the sitting Government would be broadcasting how well its manifesto commitments went from the previous eection. The 2019 election was the Brexit election, and Sunak nor any in his party mention it. Labour don't mention it either, directly, only says it will improve relations with Europe. Anything more would enable a "Brexit front" to be opened up by Sunak and we will be back in the Remainers and Leavers camps again.

The economy is barely increasing, 0.1% this quarter, 0.3% next. Barely alive. Imports, exports are down, costs are increasing. Inflation is up, maybe not as bad as it was, but those prices have not come down, choices are being made whether to eat, heat or buy clothes.

All Sunak has that it would be worse under Labour, claiming they have no plan. They do, certainly more than 15 years of Tory rule has brought.

Despite support from most newspapers and some in the media, the Conservative vote is actually still falling. MPs are still announcing they're not standing, or will be standing, but as independants.

Each day CCHQ comes up with more bat shit policies to appeal to the right wing of the party, all the while the threat of Farrage, Tice and Reform hangs heavy, ignoring the centre, the "One Nation" conservatism that Johnson expelled in the run up to the last election.

Labour has made mistakes, mainly by trying not to make mistakes or mis-step. We shall see how the month pans out for both, but Labour at the moment looking to take over 400 seats and the Tories fewer than 60. Can't see that holding, but the polls are only getting worse for Sunak.

THis will be a "punishment" election, in which the electorate will vote against it in response to Party Gate, COVID, Johnson, and Trussenomics which increased people's mortgages by hundrds of pound each and every month.