Tuesday 19th September 2023 - Gusts, Leaves, Blocked Drains and Planning

I’m sitting here in our lounge, with my laptop perched on my knees, while outside the wind is gusting and intermittent rain showers beat against our windows. I have moved the two stunning chrysanthemums, I bought at last Thursday’s car boot, from the patio into the laundry room. Here they are away from the risk of blowing over and getting damaged. Leaves are blowing, from nearby sycamore trees, and covering the debris washed along the road during yesterday’s torrential downpours, which blocked a number of drains in the village. Hearing the road sweeper this morning we thought it would clear the debris, sweeping up the gravel and soil, along with the leaves. However, walking out this afternoon, between showers, one side of the lane has been overlooked, or was it a case of the sweeper filling up.

I used the weather to my advantage this morning and continued with planning for this year’s Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal. I submitted my preliminary order in August but had a couple of items to add to this. What followed was a very frustrating time, as the order system did some pretty crazy things, altering the quantities already on my listing. In the end, I cancelled the order, set up a new one and emailed my contact, expressing my frustrations especially as one item on the original order is now marked, out of stock. Over the coming days I will be contacting those who usually have collecting tins, trays of poppies and wreaths to see if they would like them again this year. In the information pack, for Appeal Organisers, sent out at the beginning of this month, I was pleased to see I will be issued with QR codes, specific to Overstrand. I will stick these on the collecting cans, enabling those who no longer carry cash, to make a donation. In the past, donations made using a QR code went into a central pot and were not credited to the area where the contribution was made.

I think the time has come for me to make a list of ‘things to do’ in the colder months. Can’t say I’m looking forward to winter, when it will be the central heating turning on that wakes me in the mornings, rather than birdsong. Today’s photo was taken just over a week ago of one of Overstrand’s beautiful sunrises with a tractor and trailer on the shaded beach.