Thursday 26th February 2026 - A Few Extra Degrees, Start of the Crab Season and March Speaker at the Gardening Club

What a difference a few extra degrees of warmth brings.  With temperatures rising, over the past couple of days, we’ve only needed the central heating on, first thing and again late afternoon into the evening.  The door into the conservatory has been open and this is where we’ve been back breakfasting and lunching, while looking out over the garden.  Yesterday, I enjoyed my mug of midmorning coffee, (for the first time this year) sat on a garden bench, sun on my face, listening to birdsong and a frog crooning in the pond.

I have re-potted and divided some of the dormant plants in the greenhouse and top dressed the rest.  Broad bean seeds have been sown in pots and for a couple of days, the tomato and pepper plants have been in the greenhouse, coming back into our conservatory, late afternoon.

We’ve seen a couple of butterflies (very late this year) and bumble bees have been visiting our early flowering hellebore.  Peter has been waiting for a suitable day (dry and wind free) to replace the polythene around the sides of the old polytunnel with insect netting.  Yesterday was perfect for this.  Not a straightforward task, especially as the net is lightweight and difficult to cut in a straight line.  With me holding the net while Peter stapled the netting to the wood on the frame, we managed.  The netting will provide an element of wind protection to the vegetables, which Peter will be growing within the frame in the months to come.

We have not been without rain.  As a result the grass is too wet for Peter to mow.   The way things are progressing and with more rain forecast, it looks as though the first mow of the season won’t be until March.  This is quite late but what isn’t late this year, is the start of the crab season.  On Tuesday afternoon, we spotted the boat, Jayne Marie, out at sea.  Initially, the shannocks of crab pots will be dropped, before any crabs are hauled after which it won’t be long before Andy’s shop will be open with trays of dressed and whole crabs for sale.

This coming Tuesday, 3^rd March, Simon Harrup will be the guest speaker at the Overstrand Gardening Club.  Simon and his wife Anne, run Natural Surroundings, on the outskirts of the Bayfield Estate, which is not far from Holt.  This isn’t Simon’s first visit to the club; I have heard him present interesting talks a couple of times in the past and we have also visited the centre a few times too.  I’m looking forward to listening to him talk about Flowers of the Norfolk Coast.  Visitors are welcome to meetings which are on the first Tuesday of each month.  These are held in The Parish Hall in The Londs and start at two thirty.  For guests/visitors there is a for a nominal charge of £3.50, which includes refreshments and if you join the club, annual membership is only £15.  

Today’s photo was taken at the beginning of the week, when the Jayne Marie was off the trailer on the Fishermen’s Green, undergoing final preparations before launching on Tuesday.