Early Arrival

Like most things occurring in this age of Global Warming we were not surprised yesterday evening when we heard the familiar sound of a Cuckoo.
Another Dee top birding spot.

Photographing him proved more difficult but we got there in the end!

Having already recorded early arrivals like Swallows & Martins but no Swift as yet, our Cuckoo, not really due until early May, had obviously took it upon himself to return early to our warmer climbs.
April is shaping up to be one of the warmest on record. At the time of publication of this post, the current CET (Central England Temperature) for April is running at +10.3C, that's an incredible +2.4C above what should be expected at this time of year. In essence the mean temperatures for April at the moment would be more applicable to May or June.
The past winter was very mild and sea temperatures in and around the UK are between 1.5C and 2.5C above average. The near continent is warming quickly in association with plenty of high pressure dominated weather and a lack of rain. Could these and other variables lead to the potential for a hot summer? The answer to that is yes, it is a possibility. This weekend would seem to prove a point as high pressure is set to return to the UK. Which for us is good news as we're taking friends out on their 1st trip aboard Quidditch.

(Weather Stats taken from Metcheck.com.)

1st Half Century

Hi.. Well as you regulars can see I've reverted back to my old blog template. Since blogger changed their styles I've struggled to find a decent 3-column template that actually adds value to my blog, not to mention works. So I've adjusted my old original design and will stick with that.

Well events in our lives have taken on a different meaning. We spent last week visiting Belgium and took in Gent and Brugge, travelling by the channel-tunnel on Eurostar which I have to say was a very pleasant experience. Our reason for the break was to celebrate my 50th birthday. Dee got more than she expected when we arrived back engaged! Yes I can't believe that I've reached 50 and finally done it! Dee and I have been together for 7 wonderful years now and as I've remained officially single for the 1st half century then way not try something different for the second.
On Easter Sunday my birthday celebrations continued when Dee booked Sunday lunch at the Severn Valley Railway. The whole experience was superb. Travelling by steam train from Kidderminster to Brignorth while being served a three-course lunch in an original 1st class Great Western Railways carriage was nostalgic to say the least. I'd recommend it if you ever get the opportunity. We we're looked after brilliantly by the staff who are ALL volunteers. A great day out

Well as the month of May approaches I've already started to prepare Quidditch for her Summer 07 tour. If recent weather is anything to go by then we're in for a treat this year. Before we set sail this time we'll be travelling up to Scotland for 3 weeks camping and visits to some of Dee's relatives. Because of work commitments, (my 3 year break comes to an end), this year will be our last full summer out for a while so we intend to make the most of it!