Sunday 1st January 2023 - Good Start

Here we are, in a new year, and with so many lows and disasters etc. in the world during 2022 we can only hope 2023 ends with a more positive feel. I’m sounding negative but I think this is unlikely to happen, however I would be more than happy to be proven wrong.

For us, today has been a good start to 2023. We started with a walk along the promenade where we were joined by Oliver, the black headed gull who asks for more of the titbits I carry with me. In addition to Oliver was a turnstone who has been around the past few days. If it becomes a regular, we will have to give it a name too – well you have to, don’t you? Today’s photo features the turnstone with some bread put down for it to share with Oliver. Taken on my phone and zoomed in, it is not as sharp as I would have liked. I am open here to criticism for feeding bread but surely, at this time of year, a little treat should not do too much harm.

With the best weather we have seen for a number of days, Peter cleaned the conservatory roof and I tidied the overwintering geraniums in the greenhouse and planted tomato and onion seeds. Later I cut back the geraniums left in the borders which were brown following the severe frosts.

After commenting, in my last blog, how quiet the village was over Christmas, with a number of holiday homes and lets unoccupied, there was a noticeable increase in occupancies ahead of the end of the year. Today there has been a constant stream of people either driving or walking towards the sea front. Returning from our afternoon walk through the village the roads were full of parked vehicles. I am sure there were more than on a hot summer’s day!