Flush of poppies

Over night it appeared. On the lamppost there is a large shining white disc of, I assume, card. On the street side there’s a red poppy painted.

Throughout Morecambe this summer these & other poppies have appeared. All along the promenade the lamp-posts have these adornments. They have two discs, back to back, so either way you travel you see the red poppy.

Shops, hotels, care homes, offices all along the prom sport large paper ones.

Now the poppies are beginning to spread down side streets, like ours, too. And into private homes.

What is it all about? The aim is to cover Morecambe with poppies in time for the 100^th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

It all began when there was a poppy scatter at the beginning of the war. Free poppy seeds were available to anyone with a bit of spare ground to fill. Part of Happy Mount Park was scattered with them. Money raised by the movement bought benches with poppies on them. This year we have a flower stand on the prom laid out in pansies in the shape of the motif for the RAF, also started 100 years ago.

1000 large paper poppies went on sale earlier these year. The money raised from their purchase was to go to the British Legion to support injured servicemen & their families.  It was announced this week that they had sold out of all those poppies & another 1000 are on their way.

Almost daily new poppies spring up.

I confess I didn’t notice the one outside the house immediately, but having spotted it there’s no ignoring it. It irritates me a bit. However maybe we should remember all those who fought in that horrific war & the sacrifices they made, & it certainly reminds you of them.