Thursday 5th March 2020 – Speakers, VE Day Celebration and Affordable Housing

I am not putting any blame on to the Committee of the Gardening Club, but the speaker on Tuesday afternoon was not impressive. I was not the only one with this thought. With the topic of the talk, Tall Bearded Irises, I expected it to be focused on growing and dividing, along with some background information about these plants. However, we were provided with a run-down of the speaker’s father’s life and very little about the plants. It must be very hard to know, when organising the Club’s programme, exactly what speakers will cover under their subject; that is unless you have heard them before. In view of this, I felt sorry for the committee member who had most likely in good faith, booked the speaker.

There was a good turnout at the Overstrand Together Open Meeting on Tuesday evening. Amongst other forthcoming events, there was more information about the VE Day Celebrations on 10th May, which is being organised by the Parish Council. This will be on the Sports Field and start at 11a.m. and run through to 4p.m. The celebration will start with a non-denominational service, followed by a street party with sharing food and children’s games. Marquees will be erected, the bar in the Pavilion will be open and tea/coffee will be available. As usual the agenda was covered quickly which I am afraid is more than can be said for the Parish Council Meeting on Wednesday evening.

The agenda at the Parish Council meeting on Wednesday evening was unusually long, and after two hours, and with still a number of items to cover, the members of the public present left. One of the key items was a presentation by Anna Clarke from NNDC on possible exception sites for affordable housing in the village. The District Council have been looking at several sites in the village, most of which have been discounted for one reason or another, leaving just two; both in the Highfield Road area. The whole scheme seems to be a bit ambiguous, but basically rests with the landowner, as to whether they are willing to sell their land for this purpose.

Today’s photographs were taken at the beginning of the month and show, a clump of daffodils, enjoying the view of the coast towards Sidestrand, and coltsfoot, one of the earliest spring flowers to be seen on the cliffs.

There will be a gap in my blogs, until I return from my Mum’s. She has had a fall, not a bad one, but enough for her to realise the time has come for her to go into a home.