The House Martins, without a doubt, are a huge part of the summer experience living in this house for all sorts of reasons. It is impossible to sit or walk in the garden without watching them zip around going back and forth to their nests to feed their young.

One of the unfortunate side effects of having these fascinating birds sharing your space is, err , poo. It’s everywhere and the gazebo fabric roof will need a good dry clean at the end of the summer! Witness the door step by the rear patio door!

It is also all over the flat roof and some finds its way onto the solar panels which need to be hosed down every now and then – not easy from upstairs! This view of the mess on the flat roof is tempered by the object in the middle top of the picture. This poor little one has fallen out the nest before he/she was ready. Very sad!

A rather strange sight appeared on the horizon earlier in the week – has the farmer started drilling for oil or fracking maybe?

It is. of course, a post smasher – well that’s my term anyway. A new gate is being put in at the top of the field and this machine is used to hammer the posts into the ground.

Finally, after the sadness of the little bird above, here is a good news story. This lovely blue dragonfly  had been enjoying the sunshine outside. He managed to fly into the conservatory and then couldn’t find his way out but I managed to carefully capture him in a glass and release him back out into the great outdoors without damaging this fragile creature.