Hello everyone.

Where has the time gone since we returned from France? Before I had got used to being back north of the English Channel, wham, it was the Easter holiday! I believe that here in the UK, Easter has now become the number one D.I.Y. weekend of the year. Oh yeah? Not at Dookes H.Q. with the weather forecast that we had, is wasn’t going to be!

Well OK, I did have to tidy up a small paved area between the kitchen garden and the house and then cut the grass…..then get out on Harley!

So Saturday lunchtime saw us flying east along the A30 to Okehampton and a quick dash around Waitrose for some essentials. The town is charming and historic, situated on the northern edge of Dartmoor. It grew wealthy through the medieval wool trade and still much of its life still revolves around agriculture, I really like the place. It’s also only about 15 minutes from home, depending on the right wrist twist! After our short shopping spree, Harley and I took in the scenery at Sourton Tor.

Lovely day, eh?

Anyway, Harley and I set off in search of a little more open road and it seemed a good idea to head north-west and take the long way home. That’s when it occurred to me that I had forgotten something from the shopping list. Oh well, better go a bit further out of our way to Holsworthy and another Waitrose store, did I mention that they give away free coffee? That’s when I noticed that we were being escorted aloft by those wonderful harbingers of summer, the dark blue Barn Swallows.Thanks to Malene Thyssen for the use of this lovely photo!

These are one of my favourite little birds and their return to our shores each year is a clear sign that summer is really on its way. I really felt good, lifted and content; Harley was purring along happily, the Swallows wheeled and swooped as if they were also enjoying the day. The warm spring sun shone on us, life can really deal you a good hand some days! It was just what I needed after the somewhat ‘heavy’ tone of our visit to The Somme. Big John told me that he thought some of my blog posts from the last trip were a bit dark; yeah you are probably right mate, but now:

I’m just glad to be here, happy to be alive!

Catch you all soon.

Dookes