Saturday 18th February 2023 - Definitely Warmer, Skylarks and Mast

It’s definitely feeling warmer. Yesterday afternoon I didn’t need to wear gloves on our afternoon walk, a first for 2023. This morning with warmth and a good breeze I have pegged the washing on the line, another first for 2023 and on Wednesday after a slow start, conditions proved perfect for emptying (only fifty-five pots to take out and return this year) and cleaning the greenhouse. The crocus in the garden are opening and the snowdrops, iris reticulata (see today’s photo), primroses, pansies and bellis are bringing colour and life to the borders. I was disappointed this morning to see the wind had blown the first camelia bloom off one of our bushes. Fortunately, there are plenty more buds to open. The village has been quiet over the half-term break but then, there is little to do this time of the year for school age children and despite the improvement in the weather, the beach is hardly conducive to making sandcastles.

The field, often referred to as Overstrand’s airfield, is always a favourite with the skylarks. This year the numbers have swelled and over the past week or so, we have listened to their distinctive song and watched flocks lift up and fly across, what is currently, uncultivated land. I hope they stay free from Avian flu which was found present in poultry and captive birds in the Cromer area in January. On the subject of Avian flu, we have received a letter and form, as no doubt many others have in the area, from Defra asking; if we keep birds, to provide information of their type and how and where they are kept.

I was informed this morning, by a village resident, of another application lodged with NNDC on behalf of the mobile provider ‘3’ to erect a mast in the village. Peter subsequently found the application (PA/23/0303) on NNDC’s website. There are a lot of documents associated with this, so if anyone is interested in finding out more, then I suggest you put the kettle on and make a cuppa before sitting down to read!