living on the North Norfolk Coast

A fairly quiet week for us. Peter has been tending his vegetable plot, which is providing a good variety for us to eat. He has taken down the main row of runner beans and dug out the roots. These were larger than usual; this must reflect the summer drought with the beans searching for moisture, over and above the water Peter provided each day. It’s early for the runners to stop producing, we’ve had years when we’ve still been picking them ino early October – another effec

I forgot to mention, in my last blog, about the Gardening Club meeting last Tuesday afternoon. The subject was Rockery Gardens and the talk was presented by Gail Harland. Gail’s talk wasn’t quite what I expected. I thought it would be, how to create a rockery and the types of plants are best suited, in a fairly arid area. Instead, Gail covered the history of rockeries. Initially these were just a collection of rocks and stones with no plants. Favoured by the rich, as a

Very pleased our car got through its MOT this week. This will be followed early next month for some minor recommended repairs and new tyres. Providing we can keep it ‘on the road’ we feel this will be our last car. No real point in changing as it does very few miles a year. We mainly use it for our weekly shop in Mundesley and other local trips. We haven’t ventured out of the county for six years! Now what does that say? I’ll tell you, quite simply; we are contented wi

I have two more village events in September to add to those I mentioned in my earlier blogs. At the Overstrand Club and Bar (aka the Conservative Club), located at the top of The Londs, there will be a Happy Handbag Disco on 5th September. This starts at 8 p.m., entry is free and open to non-members. On the 12th September at 7 p.m. Poppyland Singers will be presenting a Choral Concert, in St Martins Church. Entrance is free, with a retiring collection which will be donate

As we leave summer behind and head towards autumn, Overstrand is far from ‘shutting down’. On the first of September, Overstrand Gardening Club will be welcoming Gail Harland with her illustrated talk on "Rockery Gardens". Gail is a member of the Plant Heritage Society and published author, having written several gardening books. We don’t exactly have a rockery but there is an area which I refer to as ‘the heap’ where rockery plants grow, so this talk will be of interest

I had a bit of a Victor Meldrew, ‘I don’t believe it’, moment on Wednesday evening. Why? It was because after so many weeks this summer of warmth and sunshine, pretty well guaranteed each day, it was all change for the Cromer Carnival Parade. We can’t do anything about nature but how unfair was it when the heavens opened with accompanying thunder and lightning – the full works – as the parade set off on Wednesday evening. I just wish it had just held off, for all concerne

I believe a garden is an evolving space, one which we develop to our individual requirements. If you have watched Gardeners World on BBC TV, you will know Monty Don is changing parts of his garden in Longmeadow, introducing more drought resistant plants. This is on the assumption we will continue to have warm dry summers. Monty Don’s two acre garden is huge, compared to most peoples and I therefore understand, keeping everything watered takes a considerable amount of time

The media are continually stressing; we should expect summers like this year’s to be the norm but I’m not so sure. We don’t have to go back many years, three to be exact, when in 2023 we had an awful summer. I quote the following snippets from my blogs:- Thursday 20th July 2023 - The weather has been cooler and we have also had rain and thunder. Not the best of summer weather. Friday 28th July 2023 - The Yarn Art Group, who meet in The Belfry every Tuesday, have create