Saturday 18th March 2023 - 3S's -Serenading, Spring Cleaning and Superstitions

There is still plenty of frog activity in our pond and more spawn has appeared. Late yesterday afternoon, when I went to move some tender plants from the greenhouse into the conservatory for the night, I heard croaking as a male was trying to entice a female into his loving arms. I love this sound, which before Peter dug a pond, I heard coming from our neighbour’s pond. There has certainly been a fair bit of courting females and embracing in our pond this year.

I really have to be in the mood to do certain tasks and spring cleaning the conservatory is one. It takes me a quite a bit of time to wash the inside of the roof and the panels, frame and floor, as well as cleaning the windows and the furniture. I made a start on Thursday and finished it off yesterday before ordering some decorations to liven up a wall. I can remember when flying ducks were all the rage to have on lounge walls. Well, living near the sea, I ordered flying gulls! Unfortunately, the delivery driver rammed the package into our letter box and hot footed it down the drive before Peter could get to the door (he timed it later and it only took ten seconds to get to the door) and when I opened the box up one of the gulls had a broken beak. The set are going back when the Post Office opens on Monday and in the meantime, I have ordered replacements which will be delivered tomorrow. Peter is threatening to seal up our letterbox, in case we have the same delivery driver!

There must be hundreds of superstitions, ranging from breaking a mirror to, walking under a ladder to, opening an umbrella inside, to name just a few. We heard of two, that are new to us, on Friday from the wife of one of the fishermen who launches from Overstrand. They are, fishermen never start anything on a Friday and never wear green out at sea. The former explains, although pots were stacked on the promenade, ready for the new season’s crabbing, the Overstrand boats did not launch until today. When we set off for a walk along the promenade this morning the boats were being loaded with pots and by the time we had completed our loop along the promenade and back through the village, they had been out, dropped the pots and were bringing the boats back up. I took a few photos one of which I have included below as today’s photo.