It is said that ‘One swallow does not a summer make’.

While that may be true, who of us can deny that our thoughts turn to warmer days at the sight of our first swallow of the year.

Personally, it’s something I look forward to with great anticipation, marvelling at the thought of a bird weighing no more than 20-25 grams, flying 6,000 miles from South Africa to spend the summer with us, along with other migrants such as the willow warbler, the hobby and, of course, the cuckoo, now sadly becoming a rarity.

A wander through heath and moorland could be rewarded with the sighting of an adder sunning itself after emerging from hibernation.

This beautiful zigzag-patterned snake is one of only six species of reptiles that we have in Britain and, although venomous, there have only been 14 deaths from its bite in the last 100 years.

The snuffling of a hedgehog may be heard in your garden after dark as it hunts for insects in the undergrowth.

A great way to help this endangered species is to link your garden to the next with a small hole, and if you’re lucky enough to have one visit, why not put out cat meat in jelly or special hog food and a dish of water to encourage it back.

But, remember, bread and milk makes for a poorly hedgehog.

I hope to see all of the above this year – now that’s what I call Great Expectations. LB LOXLEY