The circle of life?

I didn't really have a plan for today. There were a couple of things that needed attending to, but I had no definite objectives. Now this is usually a recipe for inactivity, but today turned out to be quite productive.

I probably failed to mention that Rob is a tree consultant, and the large Ash by our gate caught his eye when he was here at the weekend.  He asked if there had been a large bracket fungi on the trunk, and I confirmed that it had.  Before you could say "Jack Robinson" Rob was up a ladder and knocking around the site of the fungus with a hammer. He advised that there were definite signs of internal rot, and, as a minimum, he recommended that one large branch was removed, and the tree's crown was reduced and reshaped. He said that it would probably last another fifteen or twenty years, but it is definitely approaching the end, and felling should also be considered.

As a consequence of this free consultation, we arranged for our local hedge layer-cum-tree feller to come and take a look. Tom arrived early this morning and advised that a) he was surprised we hadn't had it felled before, and b) it was too big a job for him.  30% then took it upon herself to seek out the services of a local tree surgeon to come and give us a quote ... watch this space.

Next on my list was to top up the syrup feeder on Hive #6, the nuc I established on Saturday. I then grabbed a paintbrush and applied a coat of protective oil to the bottom rails of both gates.*  

I then headed out for my usual walk with Hobson and Traitorous Bastard.  As is usual, I had my phone with me and the Google fit app recored a walk of 2.7 miles taking me approximately 6,300 steps.  The reason for recording this statistic is that I then went on to mow the lawns at the back of the house. My phone was now telling me that I had covered 11,600 steps and walked a total of 4.5 miles.

I think it is fair to say that I got a reasonable amount of exercise today.

I can also report that the weedkiller that I applied to the veg patch has taken effect, and it will soon be time to mow the tops of the weeds and get the Rotamatiser out. I had used two different brands of glyphosate, but there was absolutely no difference in performance. It'll be Resolva from now on, as it is far better value than Roundup!

I also took a wander up to the apiary and spent a few minutes watching the bees return to the hives. I have noticed that a few bees returning to hives #2 and #3 are bringing in pollen.  This is usually a sign that there is brood in the hive, which might indicate that these hives have successfully raised replacement queens ... I may give these hives a full inspection this coming weekend.

So that was Tuesday. It is quite sad that our tree is reaching the end of its life, but I am well aware of how much damage could be caused if it falls. I am also pleased that two of the colonies may have raised new queens in the past few weeks.  

Definitely a day of mixed feelings.

---

* TP and Rob had kindly helped me move them at the weekend, so the bottom rails were accessible.

Bank Holiday Biking

Saturday, 2nd May

Saturday morning was fine and I was soon wandering up to the orchard to check on the bees.  

I started with Hives #4 and #5. These were the nucleus colonies, set up in early April, and now transferred to National brood boxes.  Both colonies are expanding in size, and drawing the foundation in to lovely clean brood comb. I caught sight of the queens in both hives and am delighted with how they are doing. Hive #4 was created a week before #5 and had increased so much that I added a queen excluder and a super to deter swarming behaviour.

I then went on to check Hive #1 and soon saw queen cells.  I grabbed a nucleus box from the store room and returned to the Hive. I was lucky, finding the queen at the first attempt, and created an artificial swarm in the nucleus box.* I should also mention that the super on Hive #1 had been filled and the cells were probably around 60% capped. I added another super to the hive to give the bees in this colony something to do, while their new queen is developing.

Hives #2 and #3 were split about three weeks ago, and it is still a little early to expect to see a new laying queen, so I just checked their supers. As with Hive #1, both were filled and the bees were starting to cap of the honey in the cells. I gave each hive another super, and put the roofs back on. I'll keep an eye on the bees returning to these two hives, looking to see if they are bringing any pollen, as this is a sign that they have a laying queen once more.

TP's cousin Rob arrived in the early afternoon.  He will be joining our motorcycle tour of France in July, and, as part of our preparations, we had all decided that a couple of days riding in the UK might be a nice little taster.

Rob had, sensibly, put his Speed Triple in the back of his van, and had a comfortable drive up from down near Guildford.

We had a pleasant afternoon getting reacquainted, before 30% and I headed off in to Birmingham to see Peter Kay at the Utilita Arena.  

We have seen Peter Kay a couple of times previously, many years ago and were anticipating a fantastic evening of comedy.  Unfortunately his show was based around material that we had seen before, and the first half was mostly Peter getting the audience to sing along to TV commercial and theme tunes from the 1970's.

The second half was better, but he was still very reliant on old material, such as misheard song lyrics and miming to songs with his shovel guitar.  There was more observational material, and it was laugh out loud funny, but, overall, it wasn't a great gig, and I'd only give it a paltry 6/10 ... I pity the poor chap sat next to me, he had travelled from Guernsey to see the show, and was of the same opinion!

---

* Hive #6

Sunday,  3rd May

We had originally planned a ride out in the Cotswolds today, but the forecast had not looked very good.  Consequently we had a leisurely morning, drinking coffee, chatting and showing Rob my bikes.

The weather improved in the early afternoon, so we all put our big girl pants on,* and headed out for a ride.  I took the lead and headed out towards Stratford on Avon. From there we headed towards Shipston on Stour and up in to the Cotswolds. A coffee break was taken at the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway station at Toddington, and we were treated to the sight of a Battle of Britain Class locomotive steaming in, and out of the station.  We headed home via Fish Hill, Saintbury Hill, Honeybourne and Bidford on Avon. 

Our route gave Rob his first experience of the North Cotswolds and he loved it. We covered about seventy miles, and were out for about three and a half hours, including breaks for drinks and fuel.

At this point I should mention that way back in 1997, I was still married to TP's mum, and we were living in Granby, Nottinghamshire.  Rob would have been about eight years old, and came up to see us with his mum and sister.  He has a photo, from that visit, showing him sat on my CBR 600 in the back garden. 

Last year TP advised us that Rob still has that photo, and it sits, framed, on his desk.  Rob was amazed that I still have the bike, thirty later, and was literally gobsmacked that the bike is in such beautiful condition. He was bowled over when I insisted that he should take for a run down the road ... and that we should recreate the original photo.

We didn't get as far as reenacting the photo on Sunday evening, but he did taker her out for a quick ride. He also had a go on the Guzzi, but is yet to be persuaded by her charms ... perhaps a little too agricultural?

Charlie joined us for Sunday dinner, courtesy of my good lady, and we had splendid time chatting and joking the evening away.

---

*  It's no fun riding in the rain, so why do it, if you don't have to!

Monday, 4th May

Charlie arrived just after eight o'clock, and joined us for a huge English breakfast.  After stuffing ourselves with bacon, sausage and eggs we headed out for our second ride of the weekend. 

This time Charlie took the lead and we headed out, skirting to the West of Worcester, and on to Bridgenorth.  From there we went on through Ironbridge, and on to Shrewsbury, where we stopped for a break and a bite to eat.

We then turned South and headed to Ludlow, over the top of Clee Hill and back home via Whitley and Worcester.

We arrived home in the middle of the afternoon, and both Rob and TP prepared to head off to their respective homes.  We had time time recreate the Honda photo, before Rob headed off with honey and eggs. He had a long drive in front of him, but at least he had the comfort of his van.

I pitied TP, as he now had a two hour ride to Cardiff on his VFR 800, after already being in the saddle for a good few hours today ... I'll wager he sleeps well tonight, I certainly will!

74 to go

Recently I have noticed that, when stocking my honey stall in the morning, an early bird has already passed by, and left an empty jar on the little stall.  Obviously the passer by is a customer and clearly I am missing a sales opportunity.

So, this morning I made sure that the stall was stocked nice and early, and I was rewarded with an early morning sale. As is indicated by the title of today's Journal entry, I now only need to sell another 74 jars before I've covered the cost of my recent bulk honey purchase.

Today 30% had an MRI appointment at midday today at the ROH in Birmingham.  I was happy to drive her in, as she is not a huge fan of driving through the suburbs of Brum.

I had also realised that we were quite close to a motorcycle clothing dealer, and 30% was quite happy for us to drive over to Moseley, after her appointment, to take a look.

The reason for this little detour is that I am only about seventy days off the planned tour to France and I badly need a decent pair of motorcycle touring trousers.  Last year I wore a pair of motorcycle jeans,* and I loathed them. They were incredibly uncomfortable and the weight, and fit, of the armour meant that they had a tendency to slip. I spent the entire tour hitching the bloody things up!

Earlier this week I took delivery of a pair of motorcycle touring trousers from a mail order supplier, and they didn't fit either, so they've been returned, and here I was in J&S trying on a selection from the short and fat section.

After a frustrating forty minutes I gave up and headed home empty handed. I did find one pair that sort of fitted, but the armour position was not right and couldn't be adjusted, hence they were abandoned on the counter.

Back at home I went on-line again and found another supplier that supplies motorcycle trousers in five different leg lengths. A pair has been ordered and should be here in about a week's time.  I really hope they fit.

I then slumped on the sofa and had an enormous kip.  The rest of the day was spent pottering ... this is code for looking busy, but achieving absolutely nothing!

I should also report that TP arrived home this evening on his bike ... We have a weekend of motorcycling planned.

---

* With Kevlar/Aramid lining and soft armour

Coconut Panna Cotta - well worth the wait!

This morning found me circling the car park at Worcester Royal Infirmary, searching for a space.  I eventually found one, and headed over to the Ophthalmology clinic. 

I was half an hour early and expected a long wait after checking in. This was not the case, and I was called to an examination room within a few minutes of arriving. Preliminary checks were made,* and I was told to sit in another seat and wait to be called in by the Consultant. 

Again, I expected a long wait, and, again, I was wrong. I was sat no more than a minute or two, before I was seen by the Consultant. We discussed how my eyes were, and I advised that they had been very sore and gritty since the pollen season had started. I was asked to position my head in the examination frame, and had barely got my chin on the bar, when the Doctor advised that she could see how sore my eyes looked, before she had even started the examination.

We discussed my eye care regimen, and I was reassured that I am completing the correct steps. A new eye drop has been prescribed, which will hopefully, reduce the levels of irritation. She then delved in to her drawer of Medical Rep freebies and pulled out a little box. "Try this" she said "It's lovely and soothing. I don't know whether your GP can prescribe it, but I note it down in the letter I send them."  She then sent me on my way, advising that I should come back in about six months.

I was on my way home just five minutes after my scheduled appointment time. I couldn't believe how quickly I had been seen and how pleasant the Ophthalmology team had been ... Amazing!

I stopped off at my local surgery to collect a prescription on the way through the village, and was soon back at home.

I then focussed on my main objective for today, getting a couple of batches of honey warmed and bottled. As soon as the first batch was in the hot water bath,  I headed off down the road with Hobson and TB. A pleasant walk was neatly slotted in to the hour needed for the honey to liquify, and I then focussed on warming and bottling two batches in total.

By the end of the day I had bottled twenty one jars, and I have calculated that I will need to sell seventy five jars before I have covered the cost of the three buckets, purchased yesterday.  If sales stay at the current level, it should be about six or seven weeks before that point is reached.

This evening we headed in to the Redditch Catering College restaurant for their Mexican evening. Mummy Sheila joined us and we linked up with three other acquaintances from the village to form a group of six.  At this point I should make clear that I had declined the offer to attend this event. I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food, so had decided that a plate of beans on toast was far more appealing.

"So," you might ask, "Why was I sat at a table at the college restaurant?" Well, several weeks ago 30% learned that only she and Mummy Sheila were available for the event, and it would be much more fun if I came along too.

So, I came along and can report that the company was reasonable. The food was distinctly average, so I suppose that my evening was best assessed as OK. That was until the dessert arrived. I had chosen a coconut panna cotta, served with fresh fruit. It was absolutely amazing, although it did make the preceding courses seem even more distinctly average.**

---

* I made satisfactory progress down the Snellen sight chart, and my IOPs were a very satisfactory 10 and 11 mmHg.

** There is a back story to my delight in this evening's glorious dessert. Many years ago 30%, TP and I dined at The Arrow Mill to celebrate TP's birthday.  The meal was acceptable. Not amazing, but acceptable, until we selected our puddings. I chose a coconut panna cotta and waited in anticipation. It arrived, and I dipped my spoon in. I took my fist mouthful, and instead of a smooth, creamy dessert, I found myself eating something with an unpleasant grainy texture. I put down my spoon and waited to catch the attention of the waitress.  She didn't appear until both 30% and TP had finished their puds. She asked if everything was OK and I advised that the panna cotta was not very good. She simply shrugged, cleared the plates and fucked off to sort out our bill. Funnily enough, it was several years before we ate their again.

Have I developed Telepathy?

Earlier this week I finally managed to finalise arrangements to collect three buckets of honey from a new supplier.  The timing was fortunate, as I am down to my final jar from the last batch from PtBK.

So, this morning found me out in the bright sunshine attempting to locate the headquarters of my new supplier. After a minor detour, I eventually found his cottage, knocked on the door and introduced myself.  He is a full-time commercial beekeeper with about three hundred colonies. He seems very knowledgable, and the honey was beautifully presented. It had been pre-filtered and would just need to be warmed so that it could be poured in to jars.

It is expensive at £125 per bucket,* but there will be less wastage and, with bulk honey in short supply, beggars can't be choosers! The Apiarist advised that he would offer a discount on future purchases, so I am hopeful that he has a healthy harvest and is more inclined to offload his stock.

I headed home via Alcester, dropped a parcel off at the Post Office,** and picked up some staples from the supermarket.  I was home with sufficient time to take a walk with Hobson and Traitorous Bastard, before lunch.

Immediately after lunch I was required to set up the MacBook, so that 30% could attend her on-line speed awareness.  I must report mild annoyance that I got snapped at, because 30% hadn't bothered to properly read the instructions for joining her bloody course. In fact, there seemed to be a fair bit of abdication of responsibility, as she simply forwarded the joining instructions to me, and left it to me to get MS Teams installed and set the machine up.

I then manage to find time for a brief snooze, before Boring John*** turned up at the gate. Months ago I had offered him a large block of weathered concrete. I have a vague recollection that he wants it to mount a water feature, but, to be honest, I do try to forget anything John says as quickly as possible.

I did my best to provide as little assistance as possible with loading the block in to his pick-up. It was very heavy and I really didn't want to injure my back doing someone a favour. We actually managed to get it loaded relatively easily, but I did have to endure a lecture about the fact that Rudolph Diesel didn't actually invent the diesel engine. I tried to make interested noises, while simultaneously wishing John would just shut up and fuck off. 

Eventually he left, leaving me to enjoy an hour of solitude.  I topped up the feeders on hives #4 and #5 and the relaxed further before heading in to the village for this week's Tai Chi session. 

This evening we completed a warm up, and the Spring sequence, before we completed the first seven postures of the Yi Jin Jing sequence. The class ended with Kung Po Fran guiding us through the final three postures of the sequence ... I swear that one of them is call Pouncing Tiger, which suggest that I may have developed some form of unnatural mental ability.

---

* Over the past couple of years Pete's prices increased from about £60 to £70, and the last bucket was £80.

** A pair of Motorcycle touring trousers that were a horrendous fit

*** The husband of one of 30%'s chum; Lesley ... I'm not overly keen on Lesley either

I am not a polished public speaker

... Neither am I a professional beekeeper, but I am a reasonable motorcycle tinkerer.* And with those three statements I have neatly summarised my day. I will now elaborate a little.

First job this morning was to wander out to the garage and fit the new battery to the Guzzi. It wasn't an overly arduous task, and I soon had the bike reassembled, with the trickle charger reconnected. I now have to choose from three bikes for the planned ride out this coming weekend.**

The rest of the morning was taken up with loading the car up with beekeeping paraphernalia, in preparation for this afternoon's talk at the Parish Education Centre.  I also took the opportunity to skim through my notes in an attempt to make my delivery a little more polished.

As for the talk, despite some nervousness it went well. I would guess that there were a couple of dozen in the audience and they seemed to be quite happy with my little lecture. I stumbled a couple of times, and actually felt happier when I abandoned my notes and talked off the cuff for the last portion of the presentation. A few questions were asked, and answered, before I was rewarded with a HUGE slice of coffee cake.

30% also managed to sell the last of our honey*** to members of the audience, while I had a novel and incredibly interesting experience ... demonstrating the elements of a bee hive to a visually impaired friend.  This is not something that I have ever done before, but it was great fun to think about the hive in a new way and allow a friend to experience it with her sense of touch and smell.****

The feedback I received was that my talk was both interesting and enjoyable. I have also been asked to bring honey to the next meeting of the Tuesday Afternoon Club, as we had managed to leave people wanting more.  As I said at the beginning of this entry, "I am not a polished public speaker," and I have no plans for a repeat performance ... keeping bees and selling honey is far less stressful.

While on the subject of selling honey, I'll be popping just over the border in to Warwickshire tomorrow, to collect three buckets of honey from a new supplier.

---

* Within self-imposed limits

** The Enfield needs a few hours of tinkering before I even attempt to kick start her in to life.

*** 10 jars

**** A hive has a unique aroma due to the presence of beeswax and propolis. It is a lovely, faintly aromatic aroma, which wafts up, as the cron board is lifted.

A quiet day

The time had arrived for Traitorous Bastard's monthly trip to the Groomer's. 30% ferried him over to Stratford-on-Avon and then headed off for an informal event with a sub-sect of the coven.*

I was left home-alone, so Dog #4 aka The Rat was recruited to fill the vacancy left by TB, when I headed out for this morning's walk. 

Now The Rat has a bit of a reputation for being slightly maniacal. She adores a walk and literally prances from one side of the road to another, and charges all over the place.  She does have reasonable recall and will, sort of, walk to heel, but she much prefers to do her own thing, which basically involves checking out every possible sight and scent, with scant regard to commands issued by her Master!

Our walk was the usual route out as far as Pete's house, and we returned across the fields.  Before she left, 30% joked that The Rat would abandon us and go feral, living with the foxes and other wildlife.  I pointed out that The Rat was probably too feral to be accepted by the foxes ... They may stink, have mange, and eat roadkill, BUT they do have some standards!

Back at home, the new battery for the Guzzi arrived at lunchtime, so this was unpacked and connected to a charger. Out of interest, I tested the voltage of the old battery, and it read 10.25 volts** ... It was definitely the right move to order a new one.

I then spent a while gathering various items of beekeeping paraphernalia for tomorrow's beekeeping talk, before heading in to Stratford to collect TB. 

Stratford's traffic system never fails to infuriate me, and it was the usual stop/start crawl through town. Fortunately my homeward journey was far less congested, so my humours were back to normal by the time we arrived home.

So, Monday was a relatively quiet day and the beekeeping talk is nearly upon me. It is surprising that I am becoming a little nervous as the clock counts down.  I am well aware that it is a little chat to a couple of dozen folks in a Parish Hall, but, weirdly, I am getting quite apprehensive about it.

---

* I am led to believe that it was a trip to Rowberry's Nursery, featuring coffee and lunch ... and a shed load of gossip!

** i.e. knackered!

The Apiary

 This is an attempt to summarise the history of each of my hives, focusing on the origin of each queen.

This is very much a work in progress, so it may well be revised or abandoned, if it isn't working for me.

Hive #1 

• Originally started as a nuc from Pete in late Aug 24
• Queen stopped laying in late spring 2025 
• Replaced with a 2025 queen from Honeyfields Bee Farm
• Early May '26 - Colony split and queen moved to Hive #6

Hive #2 

• Originally started as a nuc from Pete in late Aug 24, 2024 Queen. 
• Colony failed over the Winter of 2024/25
• April 25, replacement nuc from Pete. 
• Colony split in Summer of 2025, Queen transferred to Hive #3,
• Colony has locally mated 2025 queen, Hive #2 Queen was parent
• April 26 Colony split and Queen moved to Hive #4
• As at late April '26, Numerous queen cells present in Hive. 

Hive #3 

• Split established in 2025 with Queen from Hive #2. 
• Supercedure immediately after split created.  
• Resulting colony had a locally mated 2025 queen. Original Hive #2 Queen was parent
• April 26 Colony split and Queen moved to Hive #5
• As at late April '26, Numerous queen cells present in Hive. 

Hive #4 

• Nuc established April 26 with queen from Hive #2

Hive #5 

• Nuc established April 26 with queen from Hive #3

Hive #6

• Nuc established early May '26 with queen from Hive #1

Another battery needed?

I wandered up to the orchard this morning to liberate the chickens. I glanced up in to the apple tree, and noted that the swarm was no longer there. I checked the nucleus hive, that I put out yesterday, in the hope that the swarm had taken up residence.  Unfortunately the box was empty, and there was no obvious sign that the swarm had settled elsewhere in the orchard ... this is not a huge disaster as I have, potentially, five viable colonies in the apiary at the moment.

Shortly after breakfast I headed out with Hobson and TB for our usual walk. On our return I could see that 'Chelle had dropped in for morning coffee, so a fun hour was spent chatting with her and 30% on the patio.

In the afternoon I assembled another batch of frames, as these are needed for the demo hive that I will be taking to my beekeeping talk on Tuesday.

I then wheeled the Honda from the garage, turned on the fuel tap, and attempted to get her started. I expected some reluctance, as I had been advised to run her, with the fuel tap off, until the carbs were drained of petrol, when I put her into storage at the end of last year.  With each push of the starter button, the engine turned over, and fuel was pulled in to the carbs. Unfortunately the battery was less and less vigorous with each attempt, and I gave up before I killed it. The bike was returned to the garage and reconnected to its trickle charger.

I retired to the house and idled away an hour, before returning to the garage. This time she fired up straight away. I threw on my jacket, helmet and gloves and headed off down the lane. I didn't go far, as she is not yet taxed, and there is no way I am going to tax her this close to the end of the month.*

The ride out was lovely and, despite being cautious because of new tyres, the little Honda still delights on twisty roads.  I made a resolution to get out on her as much as possible,** having finally got her back in running order.  She needs a little tidying up, but still looks lovely and is in great condition for a thirty year old motorcycle. Perhaps, as it suggests in the title of today's entry, a new battery might be needed?

So those were the newsworthy items from today. The only other news was that our gate installer called to say that he'll be here at the beginning of June ... as soon as he gets back from his three week tour of Scotland!

---

* If you reading this and are unfamiliar with UK road fund licensing, every vehicle used on British roads must have paid its Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). This can be purchased for a 12 or 6 month period. Any vehicle without VED must have made a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN), and must not be used on the road until the VED is paid. VED can only be purchased for full months, so if you pay the VED after the first day of the month, one will be paying VED for days already passed.

** Obviously I rode her to our new house, when we moved here in 2021, but her fuel pipes and carburettors became inoperable due to damage by modern fuels shortly afterwards, so she hadn't been ridden for a good five years before she headed off for refurbishment last year. I can't remember the last time I rode her on a regular basis ... I'll bet that it's ten years, or more, since she was last ridden in anger.

Read the bloody label - Idiot!

I was wandering around a sunny garden this morning, after returning from this morning's walk.  I could hear a significant buzz from the orchard and wandered up to investigate. As I walked through the gate my attention was drawn to the boughs of the large cooking apple tree, and I could see a lot of bees flying around one particular branch. Closer inspection showed a swarm clustered there.

I glanced across to the hives and I could see that the face of hive #2 was covered in bees. This was a sure sign that a virgin swarm* had emerged from this hive and settled in the nearby apple tree. I hope that there is another virgin queen still in the hive, and that she mates and returns to continue the colony.

It would not be possible to shake the swarm form the tree, so I put out a nucleus box nearby, in the hope that the virgin swarm would be attracted to settle in it ... Although I don't think I'm that lucky!

In the afternoon I mixed up a couple of batches of weedkiller and sprayed the veg patch. I then went on to remove the side panel from the Moto Guzzi.

The Guzzi's battery charger has been displaying error lights on and off throughout the winter, and it is highly likely that its ten year old battery is on its way out. I ordered a new battery, and then started to have a nagging suspicion that I hadn't mixed up the weedkiller in the correct proportions.

I retured to the potting shed and re-read the instructions ... Oh bollocks! I had totally cocked up the mixture and had applied a far too diluted mixture. It was therefore necessary to nip out to the Nursery, buy another bottle of concentrate and re-apply the weedkiller.

The veg patch now has Roundup on one half and Resolva on the other. I believe the they are both glyphosate based, so it'll be interesting to see whether there is any difference in performance.

---

* A swarm contains one, or more, unmated queens

Holiday planning and the bees

It was a gentle start to the day, as I would not be walking the dogs this morning.

The reason for this adjustment to my normal routine, was because 30% had a physio appointment at the hospital in Worcester. We had therefore arranged for her to attend the appointment, and then meet up with B&H for lunch afterwards.

A little after midday we arrived at The Swan at Whittington. Drinks and food were ordered, and gentle teasing and leg pulling took place. We then attended to the main agenda item, which is the planning of next year's holiday.

Surprisingly this will not be another narrowboating adventure. We will be going much further afield, as we are planning a safari holiday in Africa. Various options have been explored and we have settled on a tour in Zambia and Botswana, that will include a visit to the Victoria Falls. Our preferred dates are a fortnight at the beginning of July '27, and H has been tasked with checking availability, securing the appropriate discounts and making the booking.  30% will need to ensure our dog sitter has the availability to accommodate our mutts, whilst B and I sit back and do nothing secure in the knowledge that we would only get in the way!

After a pleasant and productive lunch, we headed home, and I assembled my beekeeping kit.

I needed to move the nucleus colony, that I created last week, to a full sized brood box.* I also needed to check the other new hive (Hive #4), perform a full inspection of hive #1, and just check the supers of hives #2 and #3.

The transfer of the nuc to hive #5 was swiftly performed and all seems well. The queen is laying and her colony is starting to grow in size. This nucleus colony is being fed syrup, and this is making it easy for them to both build comb, and lay down some stored food.

Hive #4 is also doing well. This is the nucleus colony created with the queen from hive #2.  They were moved in to a full sized brood last week and, consequently, are a little larger than #5.  They are being managed in the same way as Hive #5.  Basically the plan is to get them to increase in size, so that the brood nest is covering at least six or seven frames. At that point I may even add a super and see if I can get a small honey crop from them. later in the year.

I then went on to inspect hive #1. They seem to be bringing in surplus nectar and I estimate that the super is, perhaps, three quarters full. They are not yet capping off the cells in the super, so we are way off harvesting honey at the moment. The inspection of the brood box then followed, and all was well. There were a few queen cups to squash, but no serious signs of swarming. This colony is also incredibly well tempered. So, I have a calm colony that is reluctant to swarm ... I really should look to rearing a few queens from this hive!**

I then checked the supers on hives #2 and #3. Both were slowly being filled with honey. There was no point inspecting the brood boxes as both hives are raising young queens at present. I would not expect these to have mated, and be laying for at least another couple of weeks.

I can report that all seems well in my little apiary.

Next on my list was to get the mower out of the shed and perambulate around the front lawn, and the verge outside the cottage. I didn't get as far as mowing the grass around the garage, but that five minute job  can wait for another day.

---

* This will be hive #5. I plan to create a separate Journal entry that briefly summarises the origins of each of my hives.  For example; Hive #5 is a nucleus colony created in April '26 with the queen from Hive #3.

** Desirable genetics?

Getting my steps in

It will be no surprise that the morning started with the usual walk out as far as Pete the Beekeeper's house.  This is a little under three miles, or about 6,200 steps.  Those are my statistics. I haven't got a clue about the dogs as they are forever running to and fro, and darting through the hedges in to the adjacent fields. I wouldn't be surprised if they covered another couple of miles.

In the afternoon I dragged  lawnmower from the shed and attacked the lawns at the back of the house. I had almost completed the back lawn, when I realised that my blood sugar was dropping. As a result a snack and a short snooze was needed to recuperate. 

I then returned and picked up where I had left off. The back lawn was finished, and I went on to mow the lawns around the greenhouses and veg patch. 

I didn't have my phone in my pocket, so don't have a record of the steps, but I'll wager it was another three or four thousand.

I will freely admit that I was quite weary at the end of that, and was glad to plonk my bum on the sofa.

This evening I also managed to persuade 30% to listen to a rehearsal of a talk about bees and beekeeping, that I will be giving for a local group next Tuesday. She says that it will be fine, although, apparently, I do say the word colony quite a lot ... I'm not quite sure what I could say instead?

So, that was Thursday. I'm hoping that I sleep well after quite a lot of physical and mental activity today.

Sorting out the chainsaw

Wednesday wasn't the busiest of days.

I took my reasonably regular walk in the morning, and had planned to mow the lawns in the afternoon. That was until I remembered that I had a Tai Chi class this evening ... I didn't want wear myself out in advance of this week's session.

Instead, I wandered in to the workshop and attended to the chainsaw.  When attacking the tree stump, earlier this week, I managed to hit a stone and run the blade through a patch of clay surrounding a root. As a result It was necessary to spend a happy hour removing the blade and bar, and removing the oily, sawdusty crud that had collected at the base of the bar.

I then reassembled the saw, and spent another hour sharpening the chain. It has been a long time since I last did this* and I had forgotten that it is quite a tedious and repetitive task. On this occasion I clamped the bar in the engineer's vice in the garage. This made the job significantly easier than previous attempts, where it had been necessary to try and both hold the bar still, and file each cutting link. With the bar clamped I could concentrate on filing the cutters, and the job was finally finished.

A test cut confirmed that the saw was cutting well, although I think a new bar and chain may soon be needed.

This evening's Tai Chi class was very similar to last week. Further elements of the Yi Jin Jing sequence were practiced and we were all forewarned that the Lying Tiger move may be a little painful for one's knees.

---

* I have the saw serviced fairly regularly and it always comes back with a nicely sharpened chain.

Dont you all look lovely!

Spring is definitely here.  the weather is much drier and the sun is now making regular appearances. The winds are still chilly, and we are still getting light frosts overnight, but I'm sure that the temperatures will become more clement in the near future.

This morning started with my usual walk.  After TB's antics on Sunday, I have been far more cautious about letting him off the lead, and we have avoided the fields and woods for the past couple of days. I can report that he has been well behaved and seems to stay a little closer to me when he is off the lead, perhaps he scared himself when he got himself lost after chasing pheasants the other day?

Hobson, on the other hand, was a little sod this morning.  He didn't stray that far away, but frequently disappeared through the hedges in search of birds. He was also far more intent on their scents and showed reluctance to come back when called.

With the weather warming my thoughts have turned to motorcycling, and I spent this afternoon taking the bikes out of their Vac Bags. I can report that the time spent cleaning the bikes last autumn was well worth it. The bikes have emerged beautifully clean, without a trace of dust or corrosion.  

It may be a bit of a faff packing and unpacking the bikes in and out of the large, heavy duty bags, but I will definitely be doing it again at the end of this year. I should also mention that folding up a 2m x 3m bag on a windy day is not the easiest task either.

Now I just need the temperatures to rise a little further and decide which bike to take out first.*

---

* TP and I have a loose plan to have a ride out across the Cotswolds with Charlie and Rob over the early May Bank Holiday weekend. I suppose I had better start planning a route.

Stump Removal, Phase 3

After yesterday's escapade  I was far more cautious with TB. He was allowed off lead, but spent far more time restrained, particularly in the areas where game birds were more likely to be present.  I also kept to the lanes, rather than allowing the dogs the freedom of the fields and woodland.

After a thankfully uneventful walk, the rest of the day was spent in the garden.

Job #1 was to repair the screening for our oil tank.  The tank would be visible from the road, were it not for the row of thorny shrubs that grow in front of it.  These are, or rather were, tied in to a flimsy trellis to keep them trained as a screen.

The winter gales have blown them down, and destroyed the trellis, so 30% and I set about a repair.  The trellis was held in place by two 6' posts.  These are still standing, although they are a little wobbly!  I decided to use four 7' lengths of roofing lath to replace the trellis, and we soon had them screwed to the posts.*

It was then a case of considerably reducing the volume, and height of the shrubs, before we tied them back in to the new supports.

First job after lunch was to haul the prunings up to the orchard and dump them on the bonfire. I can report that they really were bloody spiky, penetrating my clothes and the thick leather gloves I had worn as a precaution.

After a coffee break, I gathered an axe, spade, chainsaw and wheelbarrow, and headed out on to the front lawn. It has been a couple of weeks since I last attacked the tree stump and root wad, as I have been focussed on getting the new gates treated with preservative oil.

It may seem odd, but I really enjoy the physical work of digging out the earth and sawing away the roots.  It took a good few hours, but I can report that another square yard of lawn has been levelled. The turf has been relayed and grass seed has been scattered on the bare areas.  The excavated earth has been piled up in the orchard, and will be reused, when we attempt to sort out the edging of the herbaceous border at the back of the house.

The only problem is that I was a little over enthusiastic with the chainsaw, and hit a stone, when attempting to saw through a root. It may be time for a new chain, or an hour spent sharpening the one on the saw.**

The messy stump root wad is now greatly reduced, and will only need one more assault before it is time to bring in the stump grinder.

---

* I have my doubts about how long this repair will last, but the tank is screened, the drive looks a lot tidier, and we didn't spent too much time with this temporary fix.

** It is the original chain, and I have had the saw for more than fifteen years. Perhaps it's time to treat the saw?