The delights of June

There’s been so much sunshine this month, with blue skies, warm days and long light evenings. The wild roses have been spectacular. I took a gazillion photos of them but I’m not sure that I’ve really managed to capture how splendid they looked.

Yetholm Festival Week took place in the middle of June, with a fine evening for the Stob Stanes Rideout.

We were adopted by a swallow for a while early in June. It was amazing to see him close-up and watch him fly round the courtyard, though he did seem very keen to move into the house. Thankfully he’s now settled somewhere which is not our bedroom!

There are so many birds to see and hear in the Bowmont Valley at this time of year: sparrows squabbling in the courtyard, swallows chattering on roof tops and swooping along the high street, swifts screaming overhead, thrushes and blackbirds singing in the village gardens, and skylarks singing in the hills. Down on the haugh, by the river, there are chiff-chaffs, oyster catchers, herons, martins, yellowhammers, finches and many other birds.

The hedgerows and fields are taking on their lush summer feel now. The vegetation did start to get rather dry and crispy as the dry weather continued but a few days of rain at the end of the month is turning everything back to green.