There is a distinctly autumnal feel to the weather today.  We have a stiff north east breeze that's blowing leaves off the willow trees in the garden, it's a tad chilly and there is the hint of damp in the air.  Yesterday was fairly dry so the river has dropped and cleared appreciably since the spate on Saturday.  The forecast here is for rain later and a wet day tomorrow so water levels are likely to rise again. 

The swallows are now beginning to group up and prepare for the long flight south.  The past couple of dry days has seen them feeding continuously around the big sycamore in the bottom garden, fattening up for the journey.  There do seem to be a lot of youngsters about this year perhaps because the wet weather encouraged a greater number of flies than usual.  I really have never seen the dale looking so green at this time of year.  Normally by September the meadows, pastures and fell sides are burn brown and look distinctly shrivelled.  Not this year.  Everywhere is verdant, even the grass on the thin soils on the slopes of the hills still has a spring like lush greenness.

I now need to wrestle with the challenge of getting enough hay brought in to keep my goats fed over winter.  This is not going to be easy as hardly anyone round here has managed to cut all their meadows, almost no one now makes hay and there will be a shortage of winter fodder.  We will just have to see what my friendly hay merchant can magic up.

Ian