Monday 2nd November 2026 - Halloween, Approaching Cold Months

I can’t say I’m a fan of Halloween.  It’s a tradition which crept over from the U.S. but when all is said and done, it is a bit of fun for children and definitely a way of making money for those who sell outfits, foods and decorations etc. with a spooky theme.  With Overstrand’s population predominately those who are older, there aren’t that many young children residing in the village, who would be out on Halloween night.  This didn’t stop us being ready, in case we had ‘trick or treaters’ coming to the door, which we didn’t.  There was however, evidence that they had been out and about in the village because on Sunday morning we picked up a number of sweet wrappers!  I blame this littering on the parents, who should be teaching their children, this is not only an offence but also disrespectful of the beautiful area in which we live.

After picking up the sweet wrappers and other litter, we took a walk along the field edges and across the back of the allotments.  The mornings are cold now but it is still a pleasure to be out around sunrise.  It was peaceful and quiet with a few muntjacs about, while pheasants were making their raspy calls and song birds were tuning up.  For me, there can’t be a much better way of starting our day.

I’ve observed many signs of the approaching cold months.  The sloes are now dropping to the ground; trees are fast pulling back the chlorophyl from their leaves to store until next year, resulting in their various greens replaced with shades of yellow, red and orange; queen wasps and those butterflies which hibernate are looking for sheltered nooks to hunker into; ladybirds are investigating window frames for their winter refuge; fisherman Andy is hauling in his crab pots, stacking them on his boat (see photo below) as the fishing season draws to a close, and so the list goes on.  As nature changes, I will be gradually replacing the dishes I cook in spring and summer with casseroles, tagines, curries, toad in the hole and the like.  

Walking along the promenade, this weekend, there were around twenty sheet piles yet to be positioned.  We’ve heard, the machine which installs the piles, will be moved to the south coast on Wednesday afternoon.  With two and a half working days left to fit the remaining piles, which has to be timed with the tides, this shouldn’t prove to be a problem.  What may prove to be a problem is removing the material which has recently accumulated between the piles and the sea wall.  This is full of shingle and flints but is the machine which has been vacuuming out sand, before the cement has been poured in, capable of removing these too?