Friday 15th May 2020 - Dirty Suds, Too Soon and Success

As to be expected, following the strong winds, the beach has been reduced to what looks like a war zone. As well as the loss of sand, revealing flints and concrete blocks, there is algae bloom which washes up on the beach every May. The bloom is a caramel coloured foam and sticks to footwear as well as dogs’ legs and paws. Anyone looking at the large pool below the promenade on Thursday morning might have thought Neptune had been doing his washing and left his dirty suds behind! The wind, although now only a breeze, is set to be mainly in the north and east until at least the middle of next week, so the sand won’t be returning any time soon.

There is nothing villagers like better than a good old mardle (chat). When we are out in our front garden, a twenty minute job can sometimes take twice as long if a villager stops to pass the time of day. Needless to say, currently the main topic of conversation is Covid-19. Without exception, not one resident has said they are comfortable with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to allow people to exercise more, and to travel away from their home in order to do this. Everyone feels this relaxation is far too soon and could result in a second spike in deaths from the virus. Up to now we have benefited from what can best be described as ‘living in bubble’; away from some of the horrors reported by the media. Will the bubble burst when visitors return freely to the village? It would be wrong to deny others the opportunity to walk on the beach, even though it is pretty rubbish at the moment. We can only hope those who wish to travel here to the coast, are sensible and observe social distancing.

A good piece of news is; the Garden Centre can now re-open. I know this has come as a great relief to the manager and staff, who have been under strain, getting orders out on the road and delivering, all manner of horticultural needs direct to gardeners. They now have to ensure the centre is laid out with signage etc. so everyone stays safe, before they open on Saturday.

Another piece of good news, well it is for the local gull population. The Delia Smith recipe I used in my quest for perfect scones, was entirely successful. The gulls will no longer be subjected to my failures!