Country diary: Swallows on the wire, berries in the hedges | Virginia Spiers

St Dominic, Tamar Valley: So far in early autumn, an abundance of ash keys and plump acorns - and the apple and pear trees are heavily ladenAt last, Atlantic weather has set in, bringing much-needed rain to green the hard-grazed turf and fields of cut hay and silage. A few late swallows swoop between hedgerows along sky-reflecting Summers Lane, and dart beneath the gate of the adjoining pony-trodden field. Before the rain, a battalion of 50 swallows gathered on wires by Corneale farm, perhaps in anticipation of the journey home.After the unusually early harvest of cereals (completed by mid-August), the earth beneath the stubble is softened; maize puts on yet more growth and should provide lots of fodder when gathered next month. Livestock farms are self-sufficient in winter feed, but some straw for bedding has been bought from upcountry, costing up to ?120 per tonne. Continue reading...