Overstrand Life - Janet's Diaries

A few months ago, Peter damaged his knee when walking on the beach. This was the result of stepping on a large flint and his leg going one way and his knee the other. Since then, he tells me, it has improved but remains a ‘niggle’. That was until last Friday when, seeing the sand was starting to rebuild on the west beach, we took Barney down for a run around. With flints and shingle still remaining at the top of the beach; we had to walk across this area to climb over the groynes to access the next section of beach. Saturday, Peter’s knee was huge and swollen and he could not bend his knee at all. We can only presume this was a result of walking over the flints. After initial ice packs and leg up on a foot stool to reduce the swelling as well as taking anti-inflammatories, there has been an improvement and Peter is coming out on walks; but only just round the village and along the promenade. In some ways, we tend to take our physical abilities for granted, but when something like this happens; it does make you think of how vulnerable our bodies are to damage.

Digging for Lugworms

The beach was quite busy on Monday afternoon with lug wormers out with their spades and pumps. Further along, fishermen were on the shoreline with their rods and the fishing boats had returned loaded with pots; this means the end of the crab and lobster season is not far off. Temperatures were a pleasant 17ºC but this did not last, with a change to a keen north westerly wind the past couple of days and this morning, despite the wind dropping, it was just 4ºC.

At the Parish Council meeting yesterday evening, it was reported that a meeting had been held with NNDC regarding the public toilets on the car park. The Chairman, felt this has gone well, and it is anticipated a full report from NNDC will be available in December. Keith Hobday, from the Belfry Centre for music and arts gave a presentation on how things were shaping up and some of the events they hope to hold in the future. He said he did not feel the building, with its current lack of sound proofing, was suitable for pop and rock music and that events would concentrate

Beach Fishing

on the classics and possibly jazz. It is a shame that pop and rock has a reputation for excessive noise, when after all, the volume can be easily turned down and does not have to be of an ear splitting level.

The Garden Centre are holding another market this Sunday between 10a.m. and 4p.m. Needless to say, at this time of the year, the event will have a Christmas theme where there will be live music, roast chestnuts and lots of seasonal goodies available to purchase.

Throughout Saturday and Sunday the gusty northerly winds and rain showers have battered the coastline. It has been cold too and far from pleasant when we have taken Barney for short walks around the village. Building of the bonfire on Saturday morning went ahead and the barbeque tent was erected, in preparation for the fireworks in the evening. As the day progressed, the winds strengthened making it unsafe to go ahead with the display. A notice was posted on the Parish Council’s website that the event was cancelled and those who turned up on the evening, were informed of the Council’s decision. Since then the bonfire has remained, roped off, on the car park, while the continuing winds have been doing their upmost to blow branches and wood across the area. We wait to hear when the fireworks and bonfire lighting will take place, if at all.

US Spelling or NFN? (Normal For Norfolk)

Awaiting Lighting

Walker Brothers & Madeline

Just slightly further inland, the winds were less of a menace for the Garden Centre’s Christmas Market on Sunday. All the stalls were sited under cover, sheltered from the wind and heavy showers and when I went over at about eleven the glass house was positively rammed with people looking at the stalls. Outside, the Walker Brothers and Madeline provided live music, adding to the ambience, and coffees etc. could be bought from vendor’s trailers. There were also owls, in the area usually devoted to garden ornaments. Some of the owls were looking out from their boxes, while others turned their back on the passing public but I did manage to take a photo of an Eagle Owl looking very dignified on his perch. (Since writing I have discovered, via Facebook, that BBC Radio Norfolk's Treasure Quest were at the Market. The fourth clue was found by Sophie Little in one of the Owls' boxes.)

Eagle Owl

All about Apples

Gifts from Gingerbread

Thursday 10th November 2016 - Duvet Days, British Legion Poppy Appeal and Bonfire Removed

The weather has been so damp and miserable this week, plus we have had a frost which is not the norm here in November. Who could blame anyone for wanting to have what is termed as a ‘duvet day’; a day when after looking out of the window all you want to do is get back into bed.

It may be easy to opt to stay indoors, turn up the central heating and cook something warming but, particularly at this time of year, we should remember all those poor souls, stuck in the trenches during World War I. Mud, sodden feet, soaked clothes, no bed to curl up in and forget about warming casseroles and dumplings! Their only comfort would have been; camaraderie.

Each October, The British Legion launches its annual Poppy Appeal and we have always been happy to support this by knocking on doors and collecting from homes in our immediate locality. One thing which irritates me; is seeing women on the TV; or anyone woman come to that, wearing their Poppy on the left. The correct position is right for women, the left is for men. There never used to be this confusion when all coats and jackets had button holes. One fact I was not aware of, until I saw a posting on Facebook; is that each component of the Poppy links to World War I. Here is the Facebook post:-

‘A lovely military man selling poppies stopped me today and asked if he could reposition mine - while doing so he told me that women should wear their poppy on their right side; the red represents the blood of all those who gave their lives, the black represents the mourning of those who didn’t have their loved ones return home, and the green leaf represents the grass and crops growing and future prosperity after the war destroyed so much. The leaf should be positioned at 11 o’clock to represent the eleventh house of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the time that World War One formally ended.’

The Poppy Appeal is not all about veterans of World War I, there have been other wars since its end in 1918, notably World War II, The Troubles, Falkland’s War, War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, as well as others. All of these have resulted in British military personnel, who have never returned home and others who have been wounded or maimed. Some of these will benefit from services provided by The British Legion.

Bonfire, first load removed

On Tuesday we saw a large lorry piled high with part of the bonfire from the car park on Pauls Lane. Despite the size of the lorry, it took several trips before everything was removed. I can only assume that this year’s Firework display will not be going ahead, this is despite the Parish Council’s notice on their website stating ‘Details will follow about rearrangement of the event.’

The sun was a welcome sight on Friday; in fact it was a perfect late autumn day. We were able to get out in the garden and do some general tidying, which included raking up the leaves that had blown into the back garden during the recent gusty winds. Despite Peter’s knee still not being right, he decided to risk a walk across the back of the allotments and the adjacent field in the afternoon. Given the amount of rain that has fallen recently, it was not too muddy and it made a refreshing change from walking in the village. There was little wildlife to be seen, probably on account of the two men out with their guns. We rarely see pheasants or rabbits in this particular field, so I can only guess they were hoping to bag a pigeon or two. It was only just after two thirty when we started back down Madams Lane but already the sun was starting to sink, casting its dying rays through the trees. It is now pretty well dark by four thirty; by which time my chicken Cate has already gone to bed and we are pulling curtains and dropping the blinds.

Dying Rays

Afternoon Shoot

Saturday, we were back to rain again which continued on and off throughout the day and although today has been brighter, it has been too wet to do much outside. I have been catching up on bits and pieces indoors and I think this coming week, I will have to start giving Christmas some serious thought. There will be a Christmas Bazaar in the village this coming Saturday which has been organised by Overstrand Together. As there have been so many stall holders wanting to attend, the event will be spread over three venues:- The Barn at The White Horse, The Methodist Church in Cliff Road and the Parish Hall in The Londs. I shall definitely be going along to see if I can find some seasonal treats to buy.

Members of The Strand Club have already made a start on their Christmas preparations by making crackers at their meeting last week. Click here, to read more in their meeting report.