Time to come home

It's been a good week away and weren't we lucky with the weather! Hot and sunny for a few days; then a little cooler and perhaps, for Mum, more comfortable. A cloudy day yesterday and today, we awoke to find it had been raining. As we drove along the roads on the way home, it was very dry so, given the height we were (above sea level) I think we were in low cloud!!

The wildlife life on the farm has been interesting. A flock of chickens (in the private area) but where we had our accommodation (in a converted barn) we were surrounded by horses in buttercup-filled fields and horses in the stables beyond.

I was awake at 4.30 a.m. this morning and so was one of the horses (as evidenced by some whinnying) and the resident swallows were warbling away albeit very quietly.

I've got many pictures to sort through now (after some PC problems) I've got them onto the PC so I will be posting those over the next day or so.

But for now, some of the local life around the farm and our converted barn.

As we turned of the narrow (with passing places only) lane, this was the sight that greeted us - the long drive into the farm.

Gradually we approached the buildings..

and parked the car outside a barn. Here you can see the telephone wires and these were the favourite perch of one of the parent swallows. I counted about 7 in all and the nest held 5 youngsters. The nest was housed in a dark area and there was no way I was going to disturb the birds by using flash - no matter how hard the temptation.

And this is where we stayed...

Either side of the central lane into the farmyard and also around the back, were field upon field of buttercups and horses!
The lane to "around the back" to the stable yard




Some of the four-legged residents



and those that perched on roofs and telephone cables.
Pied Wagtail - think there was just the one.

House sparrows were nesting and this morning I found half an egg shell. White with brown speckles and very small.


A chaffinch sang every day and almost all day - wonderful sound but always perched up high



So around the farm:
Swallows, house sparrows, a family of blue tits, a sparrowhawk, two visiting goldfinches and blackbirds.

Turning right out of the farm, the lane narrowed even more. This led north through thick conifer woods and eventually through a tiny hamlet and then through Stourton where we find Stourhead Gardens (but that's for another update!)

Here with width of the road for some two miles or so, is limited to one car's width!


Then, as we came out of the conifer forest, a large lake was on our left. We think it belonged to a private house.



I shall be producing more updates soon - so, watch this space..