No one does pomp and ceremony quite like the British. This weekend, our village, like thousands of others up and down the country, joined in Coronation festivities with a street party outside the Village Hall.
After weeks of cold, unsettled weather, sunshine warmed homes and hearts as villagers decorated their houses – and themselves – for a memorable afternoon together.
Swift Flypast
No royal occasion is complete without a flypast and although a Spitfire was heard passing the village on Sunday afternoon, it was the swifts who returned on cue for an aerial tribute.
We spotted our first swift on Saturday (May 6) in the rain at Riddlington. But it was while sat in bed in writing yesterday morning that I heard the first distinctive scream over village roofs.
I leapt up and leaned out of the window, scanning the sky to catch a glimpse of this fast-flying marvel. (Fortunately, no early dog walkers were passing – I’m not sure I was appropriately dressed for a Buckingham Palace balcony moment in my Emperor’s New Clothes.)
Later, as the day warmed, parties of swifts returning from central and southern Africa arrived and feasted on insects high in the humid air above our Coronation celebrations.
What makes swifts remarkable is that they live almost their entire lives on the wing, feeding, sleeping and mating. When young swifts leave the nest, they will fly non-stop for three years. They also pair for life and return to the same nest sites each summer.
So it was an extraordinary moment, two years ago, when one of the swifts that nests in the eaves of our house returned to find that the starlings hadn’t yet moved out. A fight ensued and the swift was pinned to the ground and pecked viciously by a starling.
Mrs F, seeing the commotion, ran to the exhausted swift’s aid and rescued it, bringing it inside and placing it on a towel inside a basket.
The helpful people at Swift Conservation advised over the phone that we should rehydrate the bird by offering it a cotton wool bud soaked in water.
Remarkably, the swift recovered and we were able to release it from a bedroom window.
Nesting sites for swifts are crucial and there is now a campaign for new homes to be built with swift bricks.
Our next door neighbours have been renovating a barn and have placed three new swift boxes on the north-facing wall that overlooks our garden – the ultimate Airbnb.
Now that the swifts are back, we hope three young couples might find these new builds appealing and start their families here – and then return every summer.
Decorated Hedgerows
As if nature knew that a celebration was in the making, the hawthorn burst into blossom this week, decorating the lanes and field hedgerows.
Walking out across the field path overlooking Wing Road, there is the most amazing scent wafting on the air. It’s sometimes described as vanilla and almond, with a splash of spice – although hopefully not Old Spice.
After what has felt like a never-ending winter, the sights, sounds and smells of spring are finally beginning to wash over Rutland.
Coronation Street Party