The birds and the bees !

The swallows arrived a couple of weeks ago, they live mainly on the insect life around the farm and I suspect that they will be struggling for food as the night temperatures are still very low and we do not see many insects for this time of year. There are lots of birds actively making nests,one very smmall bird is nesting in the edge of the slate roof above our bedroom,the nesting frenzy seems to be over and now they are quietly sitting on their eggs. The pheasants are wandering around in pairs and if they are on the country lanes they seem to have a total disregard for their own safety.The males are resplendant in their spring plumage and the poor females look very dowdy, a definite case for the inequality tribunal!

It must be getting warmer as we have had a couple of very large bumble bees buzzing around in the house windows recently.I like to carefully usher them back into the great outdoors.They always seem so cumbersome in flight.

Yesterday I saw a pair of large adult hares tying to hide themselves in a field that has been recently grazed by a large number of sheep.After a while they spotted me and loped off to the nearest hedgerow for cover. The hare population is very low in this area so we only spot them occassionaly.

We had our annual organic inspection on Friday so last week was spent assembling most of the required data. As usual ther were a few areas where our preparation was inadequate,and we now have thirty days to provide the further information that was requested..The inspection was very thorough as it should be and the inspector was a very competent gentleman.