Wednesday 20th March 2024 - Crab Shop Open, Property Buyers and Cutting Back

Not a lot going on, since my last blog.  Housework, walks, hospital visit, mobile library and the garden have been the main features.  Yesterday morning, the promenade was peppered with parking cones.  Found out later these were to mark areas that needed repair and during the course of the morning were filled with concrete.  However, it was plain to see this morning that some areas, particularly on the edge, have not been filled.  The slip, below the Sea Marge, continues to drop material onto the promenade.  These areas are cordoned off with barriers.  Both the boats have been out and Andy’s shop will now open when there are crabs available.  That covers the coast, now to move inland.

It wasn’t long ago when properties went on the market one day in Overstrand and were sold almost immediately.  However, it would appear, due to various changes in the economy, this is no longer the case, with a number of sellers reducing prices.  Having said that, one property in the village which went under the auctioneers hammer today and was expected to reach between £140-£160k, has sold for £205k.  Just goes to show how variable the market can be.  Currently, there are plenty of properties to choose from, ranging from large houses to smaller bungalows and cottages.  Buyers are definitely spoilt for choice.  Notices on sign posts etc. have appeared on junctions.  Nobody understands fully what they are about but have guessed they may be to do with road markings.  I think you need to be employed by Norfolk County Council’s Highways department to be able to understand the terminology used.  Maybe villagers are supposed to be confused; what the posters have done is, to provide a subject for conversation.  Nothing more I can think of to mention in the village, time now for a bit about our garden.

Yesterday, a lovely warm day, I was pottering in the garden during the morning doing this and that and intending to give the tassel bush (garrya elliptica) a good trim back.  Currently it’s hampering access to the side path which Peter uses to move the mower to the front garden.  However, I started pondering about the area below our walnut tree where a choisya has got quite large.  I didn’t ponder too long before getting the pruning saw to cut out a large chunk, removing about a third.  This area looks so much better, with more light under the currently bare branches of the walnut.  I will be on the lookout for a couple of small low growing shrubs to plant here.  I don’t want to spend too much in case they don’t survive under the tree.  The three shrubs I planted, a bit further along, last year and under the walnut’s branches are doing well, so hopefully the new ones will too, adding more interest to this part of our garden.  In the end, I never got to cutting back the tassel bush, so that’s what I am going to do today, that’s assuming I don’t start pondering on another part of the garden!

I often take photos of the slump bringing down the remains of the old Overstrand Hotel, but today I have one (not a good photo, taken on my phone and on zoom) taken from the cliff top showing there is still plenty of chunks of concrete and masonry yet to make its way down.