How Many Swallows Make a Summer?

On Monday we saw our first Swallow of 2010, sitting on the power lines behind the house. Every day since then we have seen the same (presumably) little swallow, flying around the house and sitting on the wires. We had come to the conclusion that he had arrived early, and was hoping to find a lady friend. Sheer delight this afternoon, when sitting in the back garden having a cool beer after a hard afternoons graft (more of that later), we were treated to our very own 'Spring Watch' display of Swallow #2 arriving on the wires, some distance from our first one. What followed must be the Swallow equivalent of a mating ritual, with lots of swooping and zooming around at low level. A few minutes later, and here sit the happy couple............-
All we hope now is that they nest nearby and that we will be able to watch them raise a family.
But back to today's achievements...
This morning was cool and busy - food shopping and chores. This afternoon was however sunny. Looking out of an upstairs window after lunch, we suddenly had a moment of inspiration. We have been trying to decide where to plant runner beans, as the back garden is far too exposed for them. An area at the side of the house had been identified, but looking at where the early afternoon sun was, our minds were made up. The beans will go here:

Yes that's right, where the trees are.

We had already planned to take those three silly little conifers out eventually. Just not today.

Why waste a good idea on a sunny afternoon? By 5 pm this is what it looked like

And we were drinking beer in the sunshine in the back garden, watching swallows!