Tuesday 3rd March 2026 - Not A Bomb, Flowers on the Norfolk Coast and a Rainbow

I’ve held back writing my blog (normally I write every four days), so I can include a paragraph about today’s talk at the Gardening Club.  Before I cover this, I’ve got a few things to mention.

Firstly, on Friday morning we saw a Coastguard vehicle at the top of the zigzag path.  We discovered, why they were present from a report, published on NNDC’s Facebook page, which reads as follows - ‘EMERGENCY RESPONSE: Yesterday, emergency services were called to a potential Unexploded Ordnance spotted on Overstrand Beach.  Fortunately, the object was discovered to not be unexploded ordinance and one local resident suggested it might be a shock absorber. Who can identify what it might be? The Council would like to thank the Coastguard and the 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal & Search Regiment, from the Royal Logistic Corps in Colchester for their rapid response. Unexploded ordnance, including bombs, mines, and shells from WWII or military training, are frequently exposed on beaches, particularly after storms or high tides. If you encounter a suspicious object, do not touch or move it. Immediately call 999 and ask for the Coastguard to ensure safe, professional disposal.’ 

With good weather, we’ve spent time in the garden.  The grass finally dried up sufficiently for Peter to mow the lawns.  He tackled the back yesterday and the front today.  I say tackled, because the grass has grown thick and lush and even the petrol mower sounded as though it was struggling.  Hopefully, further mows will prove to be a whole lot easier.  I have potted on the tomato plants and sown broad bean seeds, in individual pots, as well as having another go at cutting back the garrya/tassel shrub.

On now to the Gardening Club.  This afternoon, members were treated to a very informative talk from Simon Harrap, about Norfolk Coastal Flowers.  Simon covered the flowers we are likely to see, just above the tide line, growing in the shingle, on sand dunes and salt marshes etc.  I was surprised to learn, a plant we have seen, is a bit of a rarity and is parasitic too.  Simon explained, a lot of coastal flowers are wind pollinated, therefore a number of plants don’t need to produce blooms with petals of any size.  One plant which does produce flowers with petals is the Yellow Horned Poppy, this however, is best left untouched as all parts of it are toxic.  Another surprise was, sea hollies belong to the family of umbellifers (cow parsley); to look at, you would think they were thistles.  After the talk, I was able to ask Simon about a particular type of flower we see growing on the cliffs and enquire as to how his harvest mice are faring at Natural Surroundings, the centre he runs along with his wife.  The mice are doing well and, kept in the shelter of a wooden building, they have continued to breed throughout the winter.  When there are too many, Simon told me he releases them, when the weather is not cold, into the meadow.  He said, although he never sees them again, he does find their nests.

Today’s photo is of the rainbow we saw on Sunday morning, arcing above the village.  I have often wondered what ancient peoples thought rainbows signified, did they see them as an omen of some kind?  In the book of Genesis, in the Christian Bible, the rainbow was seen as a promise from God that he would never flood the earth again.  Considering this; was Sunday’s rainbow a sign that we have come to the end of period, when it has rained pretty well every day since the beginning of the year?