Blooms, birds and buds

Well, we think the IT gremlins have been banished back to the furthest reaches of the IT network.  A few things are still behaving a little oddly but we're putting that down to everything settling back in.  It certainly made for an eventful start to the week!
Other than that little burst of 'excitement' it' been rather boring out here this past week.  More swifts have arrived and are screaming overhead; the martins are settling in, chattering away to each other in the artificial nests and are busy refurbishing some of the real mud ones, we were on the point of putting out some water and 'clarts' (that's mud) when the heavens opened and drenched everywhere.  The blackthorn is in full bloom, the plum tree has a little blossom but the apple trees are only just beginning to bud up, the bramley as usual lagging behind the crab apples; the elder is covered in flower buds.  The horse chestnuts and sycamores are nearly in full leaf, the beeches are just opening but strangely the oak and ash are not far behind; the ash in the corner of the garden has had leaves for a week whilst the sycamore above the hedge is only just unfurling and my pair to watch for ash before oak are vying with each other to see which can open first, I'm putting my money on the ash this year.  And then, just to highlight the ludicrosity of this year, the Christmas cactus is flowering again.

Back in the office and a large Weekly edition has just gone to print, 73 adverts for jobs, 48 of them paid posts and all bar 10 came direct to CJS. There's plenty of news this week plus the Training Calendar for July.