Tuesday 12th January 2021 - Property Sales, Noticing a Difference and Brackets

What would you say if I asked you to guess how many registered properties sales there have been in Overstrand since 2008? Peter asked me this question the other day, after he had been perusing the web. I had a think and came back with one hundred and twenty. I was way out; the actual figure is three hundred and forty four! I am not sure how many properties there are in the village but this number must represent a good portion, even after excluding the new builds on Lutyens Drive, which have changed hands during this period.

We are beginning to notice a difference; the afternoons are keeping lighter longer, but it doesn’t feel like the mornings are getting lighter any earlier. Looking at the sunset and sunrise link on the home page, I see that since 1st January sunset has progressed from 15.49 to 16.04 (15 minutes) whereas sunrise has only moved from 08.02 to 08.07 (5 minutes). I guess I will just have to be patient for the lighter mornings to return.

Despite all we hear and read about certain animals, insects, reptiles, amphibians and plants etc. becoming extinct, there are also new discoveries each year. Given that there can’t be many areas where man has yet to tread or influence on Earth, I find this truly amazing. A recent BBC report covers some of 2020’s discoveries in the UK. It was interesting to read in the article that Kew expert, Tuula Niskanen says, We have a ‘Stone Age’ level of knowledge about fungi compared with that of plants and animals. They are certainly diverse and fascinating. The brackets Peter pointed out to me today are just one of the many types we see here in Overstrand, just a small area on this incredible planet.