Thursday 18th July 2019 – Village Guided Walk and Michael Clarke's Artwork
Tim Bennett has been giving guided tours in the village for a couple of years. It has been one of those cases when you think, must go along but then for one reason or another, you never do. We decided that this year we would go and on Wednesday afternoon, we did! Over the winter Tim has completed further research enabling him to add more information to his walk. Originally this covered Overstrand’s boys and men who fought in The Great War, a number of whom did not return and others died later as a result of their injuries. He has added facts about the railway which offered a quick link to London, the Belfry School and some of the notable people who lived and stayed in the village. Although Tim had a folder of information to refer to, I was impressed how he remembered pretty well everything, using the folder to show us photographs from the past. The final walk, unless of course Tim adds further dates, will be next Wednesday 24th July, meeting at The Belfry Centre at 1.15 p.m. for a 1.30 p.m. start and costing a modest £5 with children under 16 free. The walk takes two hours but those with limited capabilities can be assured it is not long in
Michael Clarke's Artwork
distance. There are regular stops so that Tim can point out places of interest and impart his knowledge of their history.
Before we set off on the walk, we had time to look at local artist Michael Clarke’s art work in the exhibition area at The Belfry Centre. On occasions, we have seen Michael at his easel when passing his home but we have never viewed his work. His paintings of trains are particularly impressive and I was able to take a couple of photos, down the gallery. In one of the shots there is some reflection from the frames on the opposite wall. The exhibition lasts until 21st July, so there are still a few viewing days left.
Monday 22nd July 2019 – Overstrand Fair amd More Dates for the Guided Walk in the Village
Peter is taking a rest today from marquees. To explain, as a Committee member of the Sports Club, since Friday he has spent a lot of time helping erect the Club’s marquees in preparation for Overstrand Together’s Fair on Sunday. He spent eight hours on Friday and then, following the cricket match on Saturday a further two hours finishing off; this went on into the hours of darkness. Yesterday he was back on the field for the break down and despite, saying he was taking a rest today, he did spend a couple of hours this morning tidying up along with another volunteer. But this is not the end as the frames of the marquees need to be relocated and recovered on Friday ready for Rockstock and will be left in place for Sunday’s Proms. These events rely entirely on volunteers who give up their time and pull together. I was on Seal and Shore Watch’s stall on Sunday which proved to be a very busy day. There was an excellent turnout of people coming onto the field who were able to buy items from the amazing selection of craft stalls, join in games, eat ice-cream, enjoy something from the BBQ, munch cake or sandwiches, quaff a glass of something from the bar, view the vintage cars or just sit, watch and listen to the various performances in the arena. As in previous years, being on a stall, I had little time to walk round and take photos but I did manage a few.
Overstrand Village Fair
Good news for anyone who has not been able but wanted to go on the walk in Overstrand, guided by Tim Bennett. The last walk on this year’s schedule was this Wednesday but Tim has now extended this to the end of August and to accommodate those who cannot make a Wednesday, he has included a couple of Fridays. All the dates are on the Village Calendar on my website.
Friday 26th July 2019 – More Bats and Heatwave
At The Belfry Centre
Since 2015 we have had some very disappointing recordings in Overstrand for the annual Norfolk Bat Survey. However, earlier this month the number of passes over our garden were the highest recorded in this part of Overstrand since Peter started partaking in the survey. The other two locations in the village where the equipment was placed also had good results. They had 253 and 504 passes whereas we had 512. These numbers represent passes and not the number of bats, in other words one bat could pass a number of times during the night. The total number of identifiable species over the three locations was nine, which I think is excellent. This all leaves me with the question as to why did we have such a massive drop in numbers (only one across our garden in 2018) and why, in the space of twelve months, do we now have record numbers?
Erecting the Stage
Garden Lilies
I am not sure whether it is true to say we have enjoyed the heatwave this week. It’s had its pluses and negatives. At times it has been too hot to do anything outside and Barney’s afternoon walks have been curbed to a short wander down a shady footpath and back. However, it has been a delight to be able to sit out in our garden and wait for the hedgehog to come through and eat the food we have left for it and then go to bed with the windows towards the sea open and just a sheet to cover us. The warmth has opened our lily flowers with the wasps particularly attracted to the pink blooms. Yesterday evening and into the night we had thunderstorms but before the rain came over, we were able to sit under our walnut tree and watch the lightning illuminating the skies. The marquees and stage are all in place ready for Rockstock tomorrow when temperatures are set to drop and more rain is forecast – but then traditionally there is always some rain during Rockstock!
Tuesday 30th July 2019 – Busy Weekend for the Sports Club
Busy days again for the Sports Club, starting with Rockstock on Saturday. Everything was set-up in good time for when the gates opened at 3 p.m. and it was not long before the audience were settled and listening to Diamond Geezers, the first of a number of bands featuring throughout the afternoon and into the night. To celebrate the Norfolk Federation of WI’s Centenary and Norfolk Day, members of the Overstrand Evening WI converged on the Pavilion with freshly baked cakes. One hundred assorted cakes, probably more if we had stopped to count, were arranged on trays with printed rice paper discs on top displaying the message ‘With the compliments of Overstrand Evening Women’s Institute’. The cakes were well received by both the audience and helpers on the field. The weather forecast for Saturday promised rain in the evening but, although we heard it was raining at Rock Bodham, thankfully Overstrand’s Rockstock remained dry. The local bands we heard during the evening were excellent. There was plenty of foot tapping and dancing and even a proposal of marriage; everyone was having a great time. The two bars were busy as were the BBQ and the ladies manning the kitchen in the Pavilion.
A Selection of WI Cakes
© Greg Bond
Rockstock
The second event on the Sports Field was the Proms on Sunday afternoon. I am not a great fan of the classics but this would not have stopped us attending as Peter does like classical music. However, the repertoire did not fall within Peter’s preferred composers, so we stayed at home and did some gardening instead! The post on the Belfry Centre’s Facebook page reported a successful afternoon, one which I hear they hope to expand on and repeat next year. The Belfry Centre does so much for our village, this is another string to their bow.
On Monday morning and afternoon, it was all down to packing everything away in a logical and tidy manner, so that next year when the marquees come out, their construction will be straightforward without having to search for individual parts. Peter spent seven hours helping, I have completely lost track of the total number of hours he has been helping on the field over the past couple of weeks. It must be in excess of twenty six and of course there are other volunteers who have put in a similar number of hours plus those who were able to spare lesser amounts of time helping.
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