It rained steadily all day yesterday and by evening the river was almost bank full and carrying quite a colour.  We have had no further rain since about tea time yesterday so the river is falling and dropping colour making for good fishing conditions later today if we get no further rain.  However, the sky looks dark and there is a stiff westerly breeze so rain is quite possible during the day.

It's amazing how different the veg plot looks after a decent spell of rain.  You can water all you like during a dry spell, but this seems to have far less beneficial impact than a few hours steady down pour.  This morning I can almost see the veg growing despite the fact that it's far from warm.  Everything looks fresher and greener.  Even the swallows have noticed the difference and squadrons of them are hawking flies over the croft across the lane from the kitchen window.  There are many youngsters about now feeding up and strengthening wings in readiness for the epic journey south that they will make in a couple of months time.  The parents are now on to their second brood and the nests around the house are alive with the squeaking of tiny swallows.

I sat in the 4x4 yesterday and watched a pair of gold finch feeding on the tasselled seeds of a willow about a foot from the windscreen.  Judging by their behaviour they have a nest close by that I have not yet discovered.  We get a lot of these exotic looking little birds in the gardens around the house and lo and behold as I write this one has just arrived on the nut feeder outside my window.  How about that for coincidence?

If any of you are planning to be in Horton tomorrow evening then why not drop in to the Terrier and Stick show at the Crown Hotel.  This annual event starts at about 6.30 and many of the terrier men from the north of England will be there showing their working dogs.  There are also classes for dressed sticks.  These works of art display the skills of the stick maker using wood and horn to create handle patterns that often include creatures as diverse as ferrets and trout.  It's always a convivial evening and a true country event.

Ian