Red Letter Day

Today is a red letter day at the Uphilldowndale house, for several reasons. It is twenty years today since Mr Uhdd and I bought our first home together; 18 years since we got married and 11 year since Joe made his precipitous arrival into the world, our wedding anniversary is now upstaged enhanced by Joe’s birthday celebrations and we would like to point out that when it is his 18th birthday it will be our 25th wedding anniversary, so we can share a party! He might think this is a good idea now, but I doubt he will in the future, only time will tell.

We also expect some important visitors to arrive today, they are very welcome guests who always arrive on the 21st of April, I don’t know how they find there way here or how they know when to come, but the swallows swoop around the barn from the 21st of April, its just how it is.

 

In bed this morning I proclaimed that the swallows wouldn’t be here today, ‘the weather is too cold, they wont be back from Africa yet.’  Wrong, on my way out to work this morning by what did I see,  swallows. Now as the as the old adage goes ‘two swallows don’t make a summer’, but it’s a welcome sign that summer is on its way (well a bit of spring would be good for starters) and the forecast is good, warmer than of late and dry for the next few days, so they can feed up a bit after their long journey.

Migrating swallows cover 200 miles a day, mainly during daylight, at speeds of 17-22 miles per hour. The maximum flight speed is 35 mph. 

If we are really lucky some might nest in the barn