On the winter solstice, the equinox marked the beginning of longer days and shorter nights. The writer was on vacation and relieved to have a break from work. They dropped their partner off at work and headed out to explore the far west of Kent. They drove through Dover and Folkestone on the main road and motorway before turning over the downs into Hythe. They dropped their partner off in the town and headed back home to do their chores, including cleaning the bird feeders, before heading out for a mini-church crawl across Kent.
They first visited Penshurst Church where they revisited memorials and tombs, including one which featured the heads of the children of Robert Sidney in a cloud. They also photographed the colorful roof in the Sidney Chapel, which is where the great and good were buried and remembered. Next, they headed to Speldhurst, but had trouble finding parking, so they turned to Groombridge, which was in Sussex. After that, they went to Tunbridge Wells to revisit another church. They walked past designer kitchen stores and observed a service, taking photos of the ceiling.
The writer made a promise to a young man selling the Big Issue that they would come back and buy a copy, but instead, they gave him a fiver and didn’t take a copy. They then headed back to Folkestone to pick up their partner after their company treated them to a fancy lunch, drinks at the bar, and a bottle of wine between four people. The writer enjoyed their mini-church crawl while on vacation, realizing that it had been a while since they felt recognized for the good job they do.