Saturday 2nd September 2023 - New Weather Vane, Through the Lenses and Brutal Flaying

With only the ‘W’ (west) surviving on the weather vane on the cliff, opposite the Fishermens’ Green, it was time for a replacement. I have been told, a group of villagers formed a committee to develop a new vane, funding was sought and subsequently approved by Overstrand Together and permission has been given to erect it on the Fishermens’ Green. It’s taken time but this week the new vane has been erected, adjacent to the anchor (see photos below). Its position won’t hamper locating the boats and tractors, when they are brought up from the promenade at the end of the season. It’s good to see a project come to fruition and one which will be for the benefit of all wanting to know which direction the wind is blowing.

After a pretty shabby summer, it looks as though the coming week is going to be glorious. Today, has definitely got off to a good start with blue skies, sunshine and a gentle breeze. Looking out to sea, the horizon is clear which brings me on to a conversation we had with a couple, who follow my blog. I mentioned, we had seen the tall ship Tenacious passing by. Unfortunately, it wasn’t under sail, this would have been a sight to see, it was motoring on its engines. I commented, it was a bit too far out to photograph, even under full zoom. It was suggested, I may be able to get a shot by combining our telescope with my camera. With this morning’s clarity, I decided to ‘give it a go’. It wasn’t easy keeping the telescope steady on the tripod, whilst holding the camera in the eye piece, with the lens zoomed in on a section of the wind turbines on the Dudgeon wind farm, 32km off shore. I took several shots; the one below is the best I could achieve. I will try again, when I see a vessel which is passing close to the coast. Thank you to my blog follower for this tip.

I heard the other day, it’s a good year for blackberries and indeed it is. We went out this afternoon and picked a tub full, from the hedgerows on the footpath and Madams Lane both leading up to Northrepps, They are now in freezer and we will collect more tomorrow morning; Peter will make blackberry vodka with these. The hedges and trees bordering Madams Lane, as far as the masts, have been brutally flayed. Tree branches have been split, a section of stone on the railway bridge has been moved and there is a virtual carpet of debris on the lane. I appreciate, access to the masts must be kept clear but this was well over the top. Thankfully, cutting stopped at the turn off to the masts. The flaying has revealed litter and poo bags. We have picked up around twenty poo bags and disposed of them in the council’s bins, which is where they should have been deposited in the first place. Tomorrow we will clear the litter.