A housemartin leaving home

I had a call from a damsel in distress this morning, from a friend of Helena, who'd had a puncture and wanted some help. I tried but couldn't shift the wheel nuts, even with a big wrench. Then when I returned home, Mike J. wanted some help backing-up his PC, but I had to turn him down, as I only provide help for Mac users. Right now I should be attending to my own Mac house-keeping, but I keep procrastinating, because what I really need to do is throw out large numbers of RAW files from Aperture, which have been mounting up for ages. Practice what you preach, Steve!

I'd promised to take Helena out for a gentle stroll and a drink in a pub, so I suggested going back to the River Severn at Framilode. The sky was fairly overcast and there were occasional flurries of drizzle by the time we got to walk along the river's bank. I took Helena to Upper Framilode church, where I went last week. There were a few more people about but not enough to disturb the peace of the lapping water, the wind in the rushes and the birds singing in flight.

There were very brief periods when the sunlight slipped between big scudding clouds, illuminating the mud flats where the seabirds were still wading, before the last of the tide flowed up from the sea. But I knew that I wanted to try and blip the housemartins I'd spotted before at the church by the river. The light was slightly better today, as it was some hours later in the day, so the light was on the right side of the church tower, which has a fish emblem as a weather vane.

The housemartins were soaring and obviously getting plenty of food as they cruised backwards and forwards between the fields and the tower. They have their mud nests stuck under the eaves, which I hope you can see. Every so often one or two would swoop up and stall in the air just before their nest before alighting onto and then into them. Sometimes, I saw small baby heads appearing from the opening to the nest, but my lens couldn't pick them out at that height from the ground.

After a few seconds the parent bird would then emerge and drop away from the nest before opening its wings to then soar away onto the breeze for another round of insect gathering.

We both loved the peace and relative solitude of the river. A picnic here is called for methinks, maybe combined with a trip to the bird sanctuary at Slimbridge, just a couple of miles away, which we are paid-up members of, though we seldom visit. We then went back to the car and headed up river about a mile, but having to go inland to do so, and had a drink at the pub on the river at Epney. A very rewarding afternoon all in all., and quite recuperative, though a snooze is now in order.

PS
When I see housemartins, I am always reminded of the mid-80s when I worked as a junior on the production of the first three music videos for the Housemartins, which were all successful. It was a good fun time and I really miss working on film production :o(