A holiday in County Durham meant lots of time outside, walking and watching, and lots of time to sit outside the door of our lovely 400 year old cottage on the banks of the River Tees and enjoy the river and birds. It teemed with life from garden birds such as our resident blue tit and great tit families, visits from the nuthatch and greater spotted woodepecker, the turquiose flash of the kingfisher and the wren all outside our back door. The swallows nested in our eaves and the swifts screamed with joy as they swopped and soared. On our travels we saw over 45 different birds, from the red kite, to the meadow pipit , oystercatchers, skylarks, and a new one for me the ring ouzel. We saw the tiny bank vole, the hardy sheep of the Pennine slopes, squirrel, two humped camels, pigs, and so much more. It was a joy. I have to sort my photos of the butterflies and huge number of wildflowers and see if I can identify them. Dragons were in short supply but I did manage to find some damsels along the way. The beauty of the countryside was overwhelming - Teesdale, Swaledale, the Pennines and Wensleydale. Such beauty and all just a few hours up the road. A real breathe of fresh air - and the fantastic eggs from our resident hens. Does it get any better?