living on the North Norfolk Coast

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

Following on from the open day at PGL Overstrand Hall, I received this message from centre manager, Sarah – ‘A thankyou to everyone who attended the open day today - it was a lot busier than expected and we took just over £1000 for Nelsons Journey! I’d like to thank everyone for their patience and kindness; we really are a fantastic community. Also, a reminder about our HAF activity days over the summer advertised a couple of weeks ago.’ It was good to hear the open day was

When Overstrand Parish Council first started organising fireworks in the village, it was on the basis; whatever was raised in the bucket collection would be spent on the following years fireworks, with the addition of any donations from village businesses etc. On this basis the amount spent on fireworks for 2026 would be the amount collected in 2025 (£984.09 net of VAT), plus donations. However, it would appear, this is no longer the case. According to the draft minutes fo

What a joy it is to once again be sitting in the shade at the end of our garden, while I compose today’s blog on my laptop. I had expected to be monitoring the Auction House’s property auction this morning to see whether the camping field (off Beach Close) sold and if so what was the final bid. However, I noticed on Monday, Right Move have marked it, sold prior to auction. No doubt, the Beeston Regis Group will be relieved to no longer own the site which, over the years, c

It’s very pleasant to be sitting on one of our garden benches, under the shade of our Portugal laurel tree, while I compose this blog. Following on from my last blog, after the rain, I checked the soil in our garden and the water butts. The ground was still very dry and there is no noticeable increase in the water levels. There is a distinct lack of colour in our flower borders. Plants which are usually producing new blooms, as fast as I deadhead them, are failing to gener

While most parts of England, have been basking in the sun and enjoying warmth, for several days now, we’ve only seen glimpses of the sun and the temperatures have been struggling to get near to twenty centigrade. It’s been a different case further south, where our family live in Bucks. We had a video link up with them on Saturday when they were having a get together and a BBQ to celebrate our youngest son’s birthday. Photos followed of them sat outside under an awning, whe

Anglian Water have imposed a ban on the use of hose pipes; this commenced at 1 a.m. on Saturday. The warm weather and breezes have been drying out the ground, so daily watering (either using a hose or watering can) has been a must for those who grow vegetables and low rooting plants. Since Saturday we’ve seen a drop in temperature and a decreased appearance of the sun. This has, to a certain extent, reduced the amount of water needed for our garden. Only one of our water

Members of the Overstrand Gardening Club, met at Felbrigg Hall on Tuesday afternoon for a guided tour of the walled garden. This was a treat for members; we didn’t have to pay to enter. Driving into the extensive parking area, I didn't expect it to be so full. Rather than trying to park towards the Hall, I opted for the first area with available spaces, not far from the entrance. As far as I could see, there is only one pay station for parking. This was not a problem for

I was surprised, when I was contacted by the company who provide me with a virus checker to be told next year’s subscription was increasing by four times more than last year. At this price, I decided, no they are not going to renew my subscription. I removed the auto renew from my account, after which they came back and halved the cost. They’ve got to be having a laugh and no I’m still not going to renew. Since then, I’ve spoken with our eldest son who has given me a reco

In my blog for 11th March, I mentioned the novel Wuthering Heights and reading it first at school followed by a number of times, since then. Each time I read it, I had a different view of the story; finally ending up with last read, not liking the characters and giving my book away. Peter suggested, I try reading it again. With my book long gone, I downloaded it for fourteen pence on Kindle. Did I enjoy the story and like the characters? Yes, I did. I’m glad I read Emil

The weather let me down on Wednesday. It was forecasted to be very warm and this is why I booked a Rug Doctor to clean carpets and upholstery. I thought the warmth would dry everything very quickly. However, the forecast was not entirely correct, it wasn’t cold but definitely not as predicted. As a result, come the evening, areas of carpet were still damp and the upholstery wet in places. Just goes to prove – I shouldn’t assume temperature projections are going to be cor

Sunday’s weather was perfect for the village Yard Sale. People passed by carrying their purchases and the whole day looked to be, relaxed and successful for everyone. In the morning I visited an open garden with plants for sale. I purchased two for a new project; what can best be described as a mini gravel garden. In the afternoon we stopped off at another open garden. Here, there were a number of lavenders which had attracted humming bird hawkmoths. I was quite envious

A short blog today. It’s been wonderfully warm, so lots of time has been spent outdoors, as well as taking advantage of the drying conditions and putting our bedspread and electric blanket through the washing machine; both dried very quickly. During the cooler parts of the day, I’ve scrubbed the area of our carpet which gets the most traffic and was looking a bit grubby; this dried quickly too. Tim Bennett has published some dates for his guided walks during July, see pos

A warm weekend was forecasted last week. However, as we got closer this was revised and what actually transpired was a cool one with a chilly wind. Some improvement in the weather by yesterday afternoon when we decided to walk along the beach towards Cromer. Here we noticed various bits of rubbish trapped in the grasses, that grow below the cliffs. What we didn’t see was, lumps of palm oil, which have been washed up on beaches further down the coast. We decided to go bac