Pulling into the church car park at 10, I was invited to join a small walking group of retired Gravesend men, but made my apologies and left for the footpath out of the village to the NorthWest.
Walked past Ley Farm, beautiful barn conversion and garden, with wild flowers sown outside the boundary in the field edge. First field of mown pasture (silage?) allowing Monty to go off the lead to gently explore. Very hot already with the chaffinches and whitethroats dominating the birdsong, and Monty soon panting in the heat. Taking it slowly up the slight slope towards the countryside park through the next few fields of forage beans, Monty put up an unidentified partridge from the middle of the crop.
Passing through a gap in the shaw to the southeast of coney farm, I was amazed to disturb what looked like a fluttery purplish butterfly, but as I moved wide to get a better view, turned out to be a beautiful demoiselle,
