Caution - Beach Huts Crossing

Mid March and the beach huts are migrating from their winter storage to the seafront. I didn't actually see any huts crossing the road but according to my mate, a Paigntonian of several generations, they always look port and starboard and port again before crossing. The Council lads then place them reverentially on their numbered places and say a few words of hope for a fine summer and a good apple and cabbage harvest, pray for all who snooze in them, and wish that the children of all the families who use them will stay forever young. Today I saw owners hard at work painting and sprucing them up. Officially they can only be used from 31 March to 28 September and knotted handkerchiefs must be worn in July and August. Owners will arrive soon with all their paraphernalia and make the first brew of the summer, a ritual more elaborate than any Japanese tea ceremony. No doubt they are all members of the Torbay Beach Hut Owners Association, known officially as the Mad Hutters. There was a sea fog today in marked contrast to the hot sunshine of yesterday.