Monday 3rd January 2022 - Fireworks, Defacing and Looking to Spring

Well here we are in 2022 and another year, Covid wise, of uncertainty. We just have to wait and see how things pan out. The village was quiet over Christmas with quite a number of holiday and second homes empty. This changed over the New Year period when there was a noticeable increase in the number of cars parked outside those properties that are not occupied on a permanent basis. On New Year’s Day afternoon, we saw what has to be, for the first day of the year, a record number of vehicles on the car park and in the nearby roads. Yes, the weather was unseasonably mild but the reason behind the surge had to be the annual firework display from the Pier in Cromer. We saw people heading along the beach, others across the cliff tops or they followed the road or found a viewing point in the village. There are always good numbers parked on New Year’s Day but 2022 must undoubtedly be a record. Our view point was from our bedroom window where we can see the aerial display and being at home, we could keep an eye on Sid who being a scaredy cat, does not like booms and bangs. He coped much better than on the night of the November village firework display which being closer to home was noisier.

I picked up a really interesting book on our last visit to the mobile library. I normally take out recipe books but this one caught my eye. It covers an Israeli’s venture into the Amazon with three other young men. He ends up, due to a disagreement followed by the forces of nature, making his way on his own through the jungle. It is proving to be a gripping read but an earlier borrower has taken it upon themselves to put corrections in the margins and also comments e.g. underlining ‘I am not stupid.’ and putting a series of questions marks against this. I have found this annoying. The perceived mistakes should be taken up with the author or publisher and any comments kept to themselves. (I have done this in the past, never got a response but that’s publishers for you.) Any book available to other readers should not be defaced in his manner. Fortunately, it looks as though they gave up about halfway through as there has been no further defacing, leaving me to enjoy the book without their unsolicited input.

We have a way to go yet but are already looking forward to spring. Last week I put in an order for our vegetable and flower seeds and I have planted seeds for the cherry tomatoes. It has been a relatively mild winter (so far) resulting in the slugs still being about. Peter spotted some the other day on his vegetable plot and I suspect they are behind the nibbled leaves on my angel wings plant, overwintering in the greenhouse. It was lovely to see a bumble bee yesterday, sunning itself on the window frame and another when we took Barney out this afternoon. I am not sure there is currently much food for them, apart from mahonias and a few other early blooms. Left over from 2021, we still have a rose and a few spray carnations in flower but today’s photo is of one of our primroses which always seem to produce the first of the spring flowers in our garden.