Thursday 13th March 2025 - Catch-Up

After concentrating, in my previous blogs, on the cliff slump below the Sea Marge and the subsequent closure of the promenade, it’s time for a catch-up on our lives, in the village.  Before I do, I have checked today, on Norfolk County Council’s interactive map for the Coast Path and there is nothing to indicate a diversion away from Overstrand’s promenade.  I’ve not seen any diversion signage, in the village, either.

Now we can no longer take our usual morning walk (tides permitting) along the length of the promenade we have looked to taking different routes each day.  With the tides in our favour, last Sunday we walked west along the beach in the Cromer direction.  On the way back we picked litter, left by the last high tide, most of which was in the sea weed.  As well as rubbish, in the weed, we found a mermaid’s purse (given the lack of tentacles this was probably the egg case of a skate and not a cat/dog fish) a broken razer shell, empty whelk egg masses and what had to be, hundreds of cuttlefish bones.  The cuttlefish bones were of different sizes, something we noted when we saw them on the promenade, earlier in the month  Since then, I have read reports of similar deposits on the beaches further down the coast.  Surely given the such numbers of various sizes this has to be the result of marine pollution.  Mentioning marine pollution, it remains to be seen as to what effect the collision of the two vessels in the Humber area will have on marine wildlife.  Norfolk Wildlife Trust are monitoring the situation and no doubt they will keep the public updated, via their Facebook page.

Although it has been cold this has not stopped frogs congregating in our pond, I counted ten the other day.  So far just one mass of spawn, weighing down one of the plants which now lays prostrate in the water.  I am loathe to move the spawn off the plant as I don’t want to distress the frogs.  The sun has brought out buff tailed bumble bees, a comma butterfly passed through the garden the other day and the blossom on our apricot tree is not far off bursting open.  This tree may be a disappointment with regard to producing fruits but being the first of our fruit trees to blossom, the delicate pink flowers are a joy to see.  I spotted a chrysalis on one of our walls; it’s blending well into the concrete.  It looks most likely to be the chrysalis of a large white butterfly (aka cabbage white).  These are not welcomed by vegetable gardeners, as they lay their eggs on brassicas, with the emerging caterpillars doing untold damage to plants.  Peter now covers the brassicas, on his vegetable plot, with insect netting; preventing the butterflies landing on the leaves.

Today’s photograph is of three of the cuttlefish bones we spotted on the beach.  No, we didn’t find the fifty pence piece – I placed it so as to give an idea of the size of the bones.