Coltsfoot

Tussilago farfara, commonly known as coltsfoot, is a plant in the groundsel tribe in the daisy family and is the plant that first set Susan off on her love of all things natural history as a youngster. She'd rarely seen one until today when she spotted this fine specimen alongside the banks of a small stream which runs across the golf course. So it had to be today's blip even though there were other candidates.


As it was Mothering Sunday we took Doreen out for the afternoon down to the Leas at Folkestone, hoping that we'd find some shelter from the brisk cool easterly wind that's been blowing for several days now. It was better than we expected with some shelter and warm sunshine. As well as walking the Leas we also looked around Folkestone itself and while it isn't the most picturesque of places it has it's charm and it appears that efforts are being made to regenerate the older parts at least.


We went to FawltyTowers The Grand for afternoon tea which we will remember for some time. The staff were lovely but rushed and over worked and the building a large Victorian hotel of fading elegance. That was once we were inside. Getting a wheelchair in involved getting someone to unlock a couple of doors after we'd negotiated the narrowest of entrances. Then there were stairs to the seating area and stairs to the toilet. Not the easier place to take someone with limited mobility.


Doreen has a sandwich while we had a cream tea with a "generous" scone. When they came the scones were tiny and hadn't been cooked properly, still doughy inside. We did get replacements, as did other guests with the same problem. The tea had a scum on top owing to the extremely chalky water in these parts. Even the replacement scones were the second worst scones I'd ever had, not rescued with copious quantities of clotted cream. (The worst were in the Lake District near Beatrix Potter's place at Hill Top)



Back home we talked to Chris in sunny and warm California via FaceTime then had a slow roast shoulder of pork dinner. The pork was excellent and rounded off the day very well indeed.