Thursday 7th October 2021 - Reds

The colour red signifies different things to different people. At this time of the year, as we approach the British Legion’s Poppy Appeal, for me red signifies poppies. This is my fourth year as Poppy Appeal Organiser (PAO) for Overstrand and every year has been different. In 2018 I had to fit the appeal around my Dad’s funeral and helping my Mum with all the paperwork that follows after someone passes away. 2019 saw a record sum of £1512.80 in donations collected in the village. Needless to say, with Covid 19 affecting everything, 2020 proved difficult. We PAOs were greatly restricted in what we could do but Overstrand still managed to bank a healthy sum, mainly from direct donations, the school pack at the Belfry School and the Remembrance Day wreaths. 2021 will still not be what could be termed as a normal year as, with the interest of the safety of collectors and residents there will be no house to house collections. I am, however, approaching the businesses in the village e.g. pub, shop, garden centre etc. to see if they are comfortable with having a tray of poppies and a collection tin on their premises. I plan to put up posters showing where you can get your poppy plus another which will provide information on how to donate to the Poppy Appeal by text or using the British Legion’s QR code.

Red is also associated with the autumn berries, to be found in gardens and hedgerows. Our Portugal laurel is, as usual, putting up a magnificent display of red berries which are gradually turning black as they fully ripen. Some of the ripe berries are dropping on the ground, partly due to yesterday’s high winds as well as the reduced numbers of blackbirds, that usually enjoy this succulent treat, but I am sure our local population of fat pigeons will soon be balancing on the branches and stripping the stems bare. Today’s photo is a close up of two of the many strands of berries hanging in our tree.