The NOTAM issue is somewhat of a misnomer - so many people use graphical flight planning software that it makes little difference whether the NOTAM is promulgated as an airfield NOTAM or otherwise.
I usually roll my eyeballs at the UK's PPR obsession, seems to be the only country in the world that feels the need to patronisingly insist on 'briefings' and the like for noise and local procedures.
However sometimes, and on this occasion certainly, just making a phone call is actually a more expedient way of doing things - someone on the phone can tell me with reasonable certainty the real state of the runway at a given time - much easier to get an understanding on whether something is safe to land on or not that way.