Local Lynx No.138 - June/July 2021

4pm. Timed tickets can be booked in advance via the NGS
website https://ngs.org.uk/ Adults £6. Children free. Dogs
welcome but must be kept on lead. The village church will
be serving teas.
The NGS is the largest donor to nursing charities in the
UK and regularly donates over £2million annually to its
chosen charities. Macmillan and Marie Curie are among
those they support. These charities have been at the
forefront of supporting patients during the Covid 19
pandemic. Monies from ticket and plant sales are donated to
the charity.
Please follow the signs at the garden gate on the main
road to the parking area. Please do not park on the main
road as this causes congestion. The Coasthopper bus service
stops outside the garden: ask for the Stiffkey Stores/Post
Office stop. If Government advice affects the planned
opening, you will be able to check on the NGS website. AM
VILLAGE LIFE
We are delighted to welcome Sophia and Martin
Williams who have moved to Gray’s Cottage on Riverbank
as permanent village residents. Along with their cream
labrador, Saffron, they have moved down from the Ribble
Valley in Lancashire, following Martin’s retirement, mainly
for a change of scene to an area they have fallen in love with
over many years as visitors.
They feel very lucky to be able to move to North
Norfolk, but in particular Stiffkey, and especially to enjoy
the views of the large valleys from their new home. The
house has been a holiday let for many years, so they are
planning improvements to ‘make it their own’ while
retaining the lovely character.
Sophia, who has already joined the book group, is an
impressionist style oil painter and is looking forward to
painting local subjects, especially landscapes. Indeed, she
has already started work. Martin has plans to reinvigorate a
childhood love of sailing, and if anyone is looking for a
trainee crew member, he is willing to help. Both hope to
contribute to village life and are looking forward to getting
to know as many locals as possible, preferably over a glass
of wine, when allowed.
We also wish a belated welcome to Ethan Sutaria at
Riverside House, who says that when restrictions are lifted,
he will be delighted to welcome villagers for a coffee and a
chat. I am aware that others have moved into the village
during lockdown and we have missed you. Please feel free
to send me a few lines to introduce yourself for the next
edition. It is fantastic to see second and holiday homes
becoming permanent residences.dr.sallyvanson@gmail.com
TRAFFIC – A PLEA
Summer is often the time of regeneration and rebuilding
in Stiffkey. This year we are expecting a huge influx of
visitors (maybe the largest ever) due to ‘staycations in the
UK’ and the coastal road will be manic. We know, from
past experience, that in order to cope we need to manage
this ourselves in a neighbourly fashion.
In order to help traffic flow through the village please
can everyone try and get builders’ and visitors’ vehicles off
the roads and ensure there are as few other obstructions as
possible, especially in the narrower parts such as the by the
shop. We need to be able to get the Coasthopper through,
otherwise the bus company may redirect the service. The
virtual pavement must be left free at all times. We do not
want the noxious fumes of traffic jams invading our gardens
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and blackening our properties, or tempers exploding out of
sheer frustration.
Maybe those who do not have space for their builders
can ask on the Facebook page and other villagers can help
out with parking. To avoid visitors parking in our drives and
on our verges, now is the time to ensure our gates are well
oiled and close properly, and to put up chains etc to protect
our property. If we all work together on this, rather than
complaining, everyone can enjoy the summer and
businesses can enjoy their much-needed trade.
MEDITATIVE MEANDERINGS
Every evening I have the opportunity to walk under the
night sky as I take the dog out for his last ‘constitutional’.
The air seems softer and fresher at this time and the sounds
of nature become magnified. If there is a full moon, there’s
no need even for the torch and the subtle ground shadows
can enthral you or trip you up if not careful. The dog is on
high alert as well - mainly for roosting pigeons, playing a
game of ‘who blinks first’ as they listen intently for one
another. If the pigeon breaks free first, a commotion ensues,
if the pigeon ‘plays it cool’, it means we have to move on to
the next ‘listening post’. All the while this stalking game
carries on, he is not concentrating on the job in hand and our
walk can extend for quite some time. If the stars are out it
provides a precious time to gaze up and marvel at the
wonder of it all. (Does the dog even see or sense the stars I
wonder?) At the end of April I was just in the right place at
the right time to see the unique phenomenon of the
International Space Station glide steadily across the sky. It
does this on a regular basis and if you consult the frequently
updated page https://
spotthestation.nasa.gov/ you
too can plan to be in the right
place at the right time. I looked
up and imagined the weightless
astronauts looking down on us.
The space station been in orbit
now for over 20 years (beating
the Mir station’s record of 9). It
is flying over 400 km above the earth at a speed of 17,500
km per hour. The Norfolk sky never fails to fascinate, and it
is still a marvel even to see a passenger plane fly over and
realise several hundred people sit up there tucking into
dinner and probably a glass or two of wine.
Mundanity pulls me back to my walk, the dog has
completed his mission and is dragging me back to whence
we came from. “There’s been a dog in space before, you
know”, I tell him but don’t go any further with it because I
think it had rather a sad ending…
I.T.