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.**

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* 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.

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* 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.

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* 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.

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* 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

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

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!

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* 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.

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* 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.

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* 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.

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* 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.*

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* 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.

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* 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?

Search and Rescue

I spent the first part of the morning sorting through my beehive equipment in the store room. This seems to be a regular activity and, despite careful planning, I always seem to need to dismantle a head-high stack to get to the item I need. In this case I needed a couple of hives.* One is for the nucleus colony that I created last Thursday, and the other is for a beekeeping talk that I will be giving later on in the month.

I then decided to take the two youngest dogs for a walk.  At this point I will take a slight diversion in the narrative, and advise that 30% had tidied up the utility room.  As a consequence the dog leads were nowhere to be seen. I checked the coat rack and also the cupboard where the dogfood and other canine paraphernalia is kept. There was no sign. I then went on to check the stool in the kitchen ... an occasional site for the dumping of dog leads. There was still no sign.  At this point I called upstairs and enquired about their whereabouts. 30% advised that they had been placed in the brown handbag hanging on the coat rack ... I went with "how far down my search list was that location?" instead of "what on earth made you think that was the best place to put them?"**

We then headed out for a walk, and this was the point at which my plans went awry. 

As we headed towards the bridge over the stream Hobson and TB charged across and headed to the right. I thought they may have disturbed a pheasant. This is not unusual, so I headed to the left calling them as I walked. After about fifty yards I turned and saw no sign of the dogs. I called again and Hobson came charging towards me. Despite repeated calling there was no sign of TB ... Oh Shit!

I wandered back towards the bridge and spent a good few minutes calling and listening for him.  Now TB does like to explore, but, up until now, he has always returned reasonably promptly.  This non appearance was out of character and I was starting to be quite concerned.

I gave 30% a call to let her know about his disappearance, and she advised that she would get in the car and check out the lanes in the vicinity. I circled the small patch of woodland, where I thought he had disturbed the pheasant, calling and listening. There was still no sign. After two circuits I called 30% again and let her know that there was no sign of him. She suggested that I should start heading home.

As Hobson and I started to head homeward I continued to call TB on a regular basis.  We came to the field that leads up to the ridge near home, and, I took the decision to turn right rather than left. This would take me, roughly, in the direction that I thought TB had gone. As we reached the furthest corner of the field there is a bridleway, and, on a whim, I decided to wander down it.

As I walked down the path I could see out across the fields, so I climbed through a gap in the hedge to get a better view of the fields across which I assumed TB had run.  I called a couple of times and the little fucker appeared out of nowhere. 

It is fair to say that I was incredibly relieved. He was put on a lead and a call was made to let 30% know that he had been found.***

I think we may be considering a GPS tracker for the little sod!

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* Each hive needs a stand, floor, brood box, crown board and roof. The roofs were right at the bottom of the stacks at the back.

** When taking account of the fact that we have a cupboard filled with doggy stuff! A far more sensible place to put them.

*** Clearly he had heard me calling and headed back towards me. He actually tracked across about half a mile of fields he had never seen to find me, so there is nothing wrong with his recall and terrain crossing skills. It is just that he is bird obsessed and won't come back until he has lost interest in the pheasant.

Post Script

My normal walk is about 6,200 steps and just over two and a half miles. Today I walked about ten thousand steps and covered four miles, most of which, was across the fields.

Not quite what I expected from TB

A good chunk of today was spent bottling the last of the honey supplied by Pete.  This last bucket was slightly overweight, so I am pleased to report that it has yielded thirty two pounds of saleable honey. One might say, "Bloody Good Job" as he charged me eighty quid for this last 30 lb bucket.

Staying on the subject of bulk honey supplies, I can also report that my alternative supplier made contact today, after going quiet for over a week. He has confirmed that his honey is all UK produce and I am now just waiting for him to let me know when I can pop over and pick it up.

This afternoon I took a walk with the dogs and TB demonstrated an unusual response to a recall command.  

As we wandered down the farm track we approached a small meadow. The footpath crosses the meadow and we leave this little pasture by crossing a gated footbridge over the stream. Hobson and TB charged ahead and were racing up and down the full length of the field. All of a sudden, TB disappeared in to the brush that borders the stream. As I drew closer to the bridge, I called the dogs in, and Hobson responded promptly,* and came back to me.

Despite repeated calls, there was no sign of TB, and I started to get mildly concerned, until I reached the footbridge, and saw him on the other side of the gate, standing on the bridge deck, waiting for us. He had obviously crossed the stream further down, heard my calls, and run up the other side of the stream to meet us at the bridge.

I think I prefer Hobson's more traditional approach to canine obedience.

---

* Because he's a GOOD BOY!

Nearly done

My first task this morning was to add a syrup feeder to the nucleus colony that I set up yesterday. This is to ensure that the colony doesn't run short of food.  It also provides the raw materials for the bees to produce wax, as they will need to draw out the foundation sheets, to provide comb for the queen to lay in.

Then Hobson, TB, and I headed out for our usual walk.  In the afternoon I was back in the carport, where I applied the final coat of oil to the second of the new gates. 

As I said on Tuesday, "I just need to coat the undersides of the bottom rails, and they'll be ready to hang." 30% has already reached out to make arrangements for them to be installed.

I will freely admit, that I'll be glad to have finished this job. It really has been incredibly tedious.

A lot of beekeeping

The main event this morning was Whiffler's second follow-up appointment at the Vet's. We were seen by the surgeon who performed the operation and he was absolutely amazed by how well Whiffler was healing.  We will have a further appointment in four week's time, where the Vet will carry out a digital examination, presumably to see whether the cancer has metastasised. For the moment all we can say is that he seems to be doing remarkably well, and the daily dose of Metacam is doing wonders for his mobility.

Now on to the bees.

I am fairly certain that I am on the record that, as a beekeeper, I spend my time worrying about my colonies. In the winter I am concerned about starvation, Varroa infection and colony collapse. In the summer my concerns switch to swarming, whether they can find enough forage, and whether the colonies are being managed appropriately.  

Last week I split one of my colonies and added supers to all of the hives. So, for the past week, I have been wondering whether I have done the right thing.  I know that new queens are available to purchase, so I have a back up plan if my new queens fail to hatch or mate. My other concern has been about the availability of local nectar sources for the bees.  

In my daily wanderings I make a mental note of what is coming in to flower, so have seen the celandines come and go. The bluebells and cowslips look lovely at the moment, and the blackthorn is already in flower. The damsons are just about over, but I can see that the apples will be flowering within the next few days.

The lingering question is, "is this enough to produce a honey crop?" 

This afternoon I wandered up to the orchard to check the hives. The first thing I did was to transfer the nucleus colony, created last week, to a standard National Brood box.  The queen appears to be laying, and she now has plenty of room to expand. More syrup was added to the feeder to enable the workers to build out the foundation in to fresh comb.*

I then moved on to Hive #1 and was delighted to see that the workers had already moved up to the super, cleaned out the cells, and had started to store honey there. The super was nowhere near full, but was noticeably heavier than when I added it last week. The colony is doing well and I could see no signs of swarming, so the hive was reassembled and I moved on to hive #2.

Hive #2 was split last week, so it is currently without a queen. It needs to be left for at least four weeks, for the new queen to hatch and start laying, so I did nothing other than check a couple of frames in the super. Again, surplus nectar was being processed, and stored as honey.

Next it was on to hive #3. It was showing early signs of swarming when I inspected it last week, so I was prepared to split the colony, with a nucleus box ready and waiting. I removed the super, noting the presence of stored honey, and started to inspect the brood box. I soon found capped queen cells, and focussed on finding the queen.  She was located quite quickly and transferred across to the "nuc" along with three frames of brood, a frame of stores and a couple of frames of foundation. The nuc was relocated to its new position in the apiary and hive #3 was closed up, leaving the swarm cells to develop, and hopefully, produce a new queen for the colony.

Nuc #2 will need to be transferred to a National Brood box in a week's time, so I spent the rest of the afternoon assembling a batch of frames.  

This evening I found myself at Redditch College restaurant in the company of 30%, Mummy Sheila, 'Chelle, Tracey and Grubby Sue.  It was a Greek themed menu and the food was great. The company was brilliant too, and we had a very amusing evening. I think the prize comment was made by Grubby Sue ... She advised that she had shaved her legs and then noticed that she hadn't made a very good job of it. Apparently her eyesight is so bad that she hadn't noticed that she hadn't removed the safety guard from her razor!

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* The nucleus colony has six frames. The National Brood box has eleven, so the bees have another five frames of foundation to draw out in to comb. This is unlikely to be a rapid process. They need warm weather and a strong colony to do this

Yi Jin Jing

It will come as no surprise that this morning started with a walk with the dogs.

My plans for the afternoon were swiftly redrafted, when the rain started and graduated in to thunder storms.

As a consequence 30% and I settled in front of the television and watched The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.  Although we have seen stage productions in recent years, it has been many years since we last saw the film. It is a great movie!

This evening I returned to the PEC for the start of the Summer Tai Chi term.  Kung Po Fran took us through a warm up and the Spring sequence before introducing us to the Yi Jin Jing set. Apparently there are ten movements focused on strengthening muscles, joints and tendons. 

Fran demonstrated the first five this evening and it was really enjoyable. It's been three weeks since my last class, and it was great to be back. I keep forgetting how much I enjoy it.

Nearly finished

Tuesday was a day of two halves.

The morning was taken up by a walk with the dogs.  It stayed dry, but, again, the weather has turned very chilly.

In the afternoon I put on a coat and hat and headed out to the carport, where I applied a second coat of oil to one of the gates. 

That is one gate almost completely finished. I just need to coat the underside of the bottom rail, and it'll be ready to hang.

So, it wasn't the most exciting of days, but at least I'm a step closer to finishing the gates.

It's a dogs life

The week started with a trip to the Vet's. It was Whiffler's post-operative check-up, and I can report that all is going well. There are no signs of infection and he seems to be healing well.  We have another appointment booked for Thursday when we will be seen by the Vet that operated on him.

The only problem that I can see is that Whiffler seems to have developed a taste for pate, and I have my suspicions that we may have made a rod for our proverbial backs. 

Let me explain. Many years ago we discovered that the easiest way to get a dog to take a pill was to smear it in a glob of pate. It would be wolfed down with none of the ridiculous pantomime of attempting to poke the pill down the dog's throat, and it then being spat out moments later.

Well, Whiffler currently needs to take antibiotics twice a day, and he also needs to have a dose of anti-inflammatory pain mediation after his evening meal. The latter medication must be taken on a full stomach. We have, therefore, been using pate to ensure he takes his medication, and eats a good meal. Now Whiffler always was a very intelligent dog and I am bloody certain that he is now refusing to eat his food until 30% has stirred in a good sized spoonful of liver pate!

I think his meals may now include pate for the rest of his days.

Later in the morning we headed over to Littleton to pick up a Record bandsaw that I bought at Saturday's auction.* I was a little apprehensive, as it was bought unseen, but it seemed quite tidy, when seen in the flesh. We soon had it stowed in the back of the car and were heading homeward.

Early in the afternoon I headed out with Hobson and TB for our usual walk. Pete the Beekeeper was pottering in his garden, so we stopped and chatted for a while, before I headed home across the fields.

I then headed out to the workshop, where I spent a couple of hours assembling my new saw's stand and marrying the saw to its base. I cleaned the rust from the cast iron saw table, and gave it a coat of tool wax, before I attempted a few test cuts. It seems to be working really well, although the fence needs adjustment and I had purchased a mitre fence before I retired for the evening.

Some spare blades might end up being bought too!

---

* 30% placed a commission bid

Let's do brunch

Our relationship with Bubbles and Bobbyn, actually just Bobbyn, has cooled recently.  She is hard bloody work, so we have avoided meeting up since well before Christmas. 

It therefore came as a complete bloody surprise when 30% arranged for us to meet up with them for breakfast this morning.*  This irritated me for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, I am a strong believer in letting sleeping dogs lie, so why the hell did she reignite a relationship that was hopefully waning? Secondly, I don't like eating at odd times.**

I'm 62 years old and for a good chunk of those years I have taken a light breakfast at around 7.30 in the morning, I eat a sandwich at midday and we have our evening meal a little after seven in the evening.  I do not want to wait until ten o'clock in the morning to break my fast. By that point I will either be fucking starving, or will have already eaten a slice of toast to avoid feeling famished. 

A similar thing happened last week when we went to the Lygon Arms for afternoon tea. It was another oddly timed meal that was too late to be regarded as lunch and far too early for my dinner.

I really dislike these oddly timed meals like brunch or afternoon tea. They have a tendency to become extra meals rather than rescheduled meals and they totally mess up my blood sugar control.

So, brunch was fine, apart from the fact that I would have preferred to eat it at home about two hours earlier.  

We arrive home a little before midday. Obviously I was stuffed with bacon and sausage, so I wheeled out the mower and trundled around the lawns at the front of the house.  This was in the vain hope that mowing less than a quarter of an acre would go some way to counteracting the caloric overload from this morning.

Final accomplishment of the day was to hang a tapestry in the Inglenook in the living room.  This wasn't hugely complicated, but I did need to fabricate a hanging rod from an old curtain rail.  We're both delighted with how it looks in situ, and it finally means that I don't have to look at that bloody bread oven.***

---

* We ate at a cafe/restaurant on the site of the Evesham Golf Club. I can't remember the name of the place and I really can't be arsed to Google it. The food was great, the service was good and the decor made it look exactly like every other cafe/restaurant that you have ever visited. Why am I not enthusiastic about the place ... It doesn't take a massive amount of skill to cook a full English breakfast and serve it with a cup of coffee!

** There was a third reason ... the inevitable post match analysis, where each and every utterance from Bobbyn is analysed, and not in a positive way.  For the record, I don't disagree with the analysis, It is just a reiteration of points that we have discussed before.  As I said at the outset, "Our relationship has cooled recently."

*** At some point in the history of the cottage, someone installed a bread oven door in the Inglenook.  It was never operational and simply installed for visual effect. Unfortunately they didn't make a good job of it and, in my humble opinion, it made the Inglenook look really unbalanced. If I am honest I really didn't like it and was sorely tempted to rip it out and brick up the aperture. Until I get sufficiently motivated to do that, we have hung a lovely tapestry of a caged unicorn in front of it. It works so well!

A bit of mowing

30% had arranged a Theatre Day in Birmingham with 'Chelle and Mummy Sheila. They headed off a little after nine o'clock, leaving me home alone for most of the day.

This morning I did what any man would do, when not under the watchful eye of their spouse ... absolutely nothing, other than ablutions, a little light reading and imbibing coffee.

There was a bitter breeze once again, making me very reluctant to seek jobs outside, but the lawns really did need attending to.

In the early afternoon I donned coat and hat, and spent a couple of hours mowing the lawns at the back of the house. They now look much tidier, but, as soon as I had finished,  I was very keen to retire, make a hot drink, light the fire, and plonk my arse in front of it.

Whiffler starts his recovery

Whiffler, understandably, took a long time to settle last night, and was not up to climbing the stairs. As a consequence, both he and 30% spent the night in the living room.  I was informed that, at one point, 30% was sharing the sofa with both Whiffler and TB!

I woke early and took over dog care duties and can report that he seems to be recovering well after the operation and anaesthesia.  30% retired to her bedroom for a couple of hours to catch up on some sleep.

This morning I headed out for a walk with Hobson and TB. Our outward leg was down the lane, and we returned across the fields. We had another close encounter with the Fallow deer, and, again, TB needed to be gently persuaded to duck under the stile.  I'm quite puzzled about his lack of comprehension. Hobson nips under it without a thought, but TB just looks at it, like I am expecting him to climb over the top like a person.

In the afternoon I headed out to the carport with brush and can, and applied a coat of oil to the second gate.  I can now report that they both need one more coat before they can be hung.

I omitted my usual weather report, so I should mention that it was bloody chilly today. I needed a coat to keep me comfortable while I was attending to the gate, and a fire was lit as soon as I was back indoors.

Ouch!

Today was the day that Whiffler had his operation.

30% took him in to the Vet's, while I headed out with Hobson and TB for our usual walk.

It was significantly cooler today, and the weather and our schedule meant that very little was removed from my to-do list. I did add a feeder to the nucleus colony, and I also had an appointment at the surgery to review pain management for my stenosis symptoms.

The GP confirmed that my self-mediation was appropriate, but he also recommended that I refer myself to NHS Physiotherapy for guidance on appropriate back exercises.

The Vet called in the early afternoon to advise that Whiffler was out of surgery and could be collected at four o'clock.  The operation had gone well, and the Vet seemed quietly confident of a positive outcome.  We are well aware that the cancer may had metastasised,* and that Whiffler is an old dog, but we are hopeful that it will give him another year of good quality pottering and sniffing.

Shortly before four, we headed up to the Vet's to collect Whiffler.  We were briefed on his post-surgery care, drugs were handed over, and follow-up appointments were made.** Then the old fellow was brought out.  He seemed quite perky, but he was a bit wobbly. This was totally understandable when we saw the site of his surgery. You might have heard the phrase, "tear someone a new arsehole." Well, it looked like that was exactly what had happened to our poor, old dog.

Ouch!

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* Anal gland cancer can metastasis through the lymphatic system and take hold in the spine causing a variety of nasty symptoms.  

** I almost forgot to mention that the best part of nine hundred quid was handed over too. I'd also paid the roofers this morning, so it was quite an expensive day!

Just in time?

Wednesday was always going to be quite a busy day.

Our local roofing company turned up promptly at eight o'clock,  and spent most of the day giving the roof a touch of remedial attention.  The main job was to replace the cement flashing at the base of the chimney with lead flashing.  They also attended to the cement haunching around the pot, and repointed parts of the chimney.  The chaps advised that the job was definitely overdue.  They also attended to a few loose and cracked tiles, and a couple of dodgy ridge tiles.  

We are aware that we will need to have the cottage re-roofed at some point, but this remedial work will keep us watertight for a while longer yet.

Mid-morning saw me head out for a walk with Hobson and TB.  We took our normal route along the lanes to Pete's house, before returning through the fields.  

TB is now quite happy about the footbridge, and both he and Hobson charged across and headed right along the hedge line at full speed.  I followed behind and looked to the left, our normal direction of travel.  The idiot dogs had totally failed to see a group of six or eight Fallow bucks about sixty yards away.* I called the dogs to me, and they still hadn't noticed the deer.  I soon had them back on their leads and watched as the deer jumped through a gap in the hedge and headed off.  The rest of the walk was uneventful, as I selected a route that headed in the opposite direction to the one chosen by the deer.

Today was forecast to be warm and sunny, perfect conditions for my first inspection of the hives.  In the early afternoon I put on my bee suit, lit my smoker and headed up to the orchard with a trolley laden with queen excluders and supers.

I started with hive #1 and was delighted to see that it was filled with bees. There were at least eight frames with brood at various stages of development and I even managed to locate the queen.  There seemed to be some nectar being stored and I was surprised by the large amounts of pollen being packed away too.  I added a queen excluder and super to the hive and returned the crown board and the roof.  This hive had not seemed to be as active as the other colonies, so I was expecting something similar, or perhaps more impressive from the other hives.

I moved to hive #2 and gave them a good puff of smoke before opening up the colony.  It was filled to bursting with bees. There were so many, considering that many would be flying on such a fine day, that it was difficult to check the frames for brood, disease or signs of possible swarming.  I inspected as carefully as I could and soon saw signs that the colony was preparing to swarm. I saw a few queen cups, and encountered open queen cells as my inspection progressed.

I didn't want a strong colony to swarm so I replaced the crown board and headed back to the store room to collect a nucleus box and some spare brood frames. I had made the decision to perform a split of the colony, and planned to relocate the queen, a couple of frames of brood and plenty of nurse bees to the nucleus box.  The only problem with that plan was that it entailed locating the queen in a hive that was filled to overflowing with bees.  Fortunately the God of Beekeeping** smiled down on me and I managed to find her ... at the second attempt.

I assembled the nut with a couple of frames of brood, a frame of stores and a couple of frames of foundation. I shook in a couple of frames of nurse bees and moved it about six feet away from its parent hive. I'll add a feeder tomorrow and give them a couple of litres of sugar syrup. That should encourage the workers to start building comb on the sheets of foundation.

The parent hive will now be left for at least four weeks in the hope that a new queen will hatch, mate and start to lay ... I just hope that the weather stays fine and that there are sufficient drones in the area.

Hive #3 was similar to the previous hive, but not quite as advanced in the development of swarm cells.  This was fortunate as I do have another nucleus box, but I had no spare brood frames available.  I continued with my inspection and was very happy with the state of this colony too. I'm just well aware that it will need to be split next week, unless the buggers swarm beforehand. 

I spent an hour in the workshop this evening assembling a batch of brood frames and can also report that I have made contact with a Beekeeper in Studley, who may have a couple of buckets of honey available ... watch this space.

So, in case it isn't clear, the title of today's Journal entry comes from the fact that a) we seem to have had the chimney repaired, b) I managed to restrain the dogs, and c) I inspected the hives just in time.

---

* They were originally a hunting dog. My two obviously didn't get that memo!

** Apparently it's Aristaeus.

That's quite enough for today

The plan for today was to bottle a couple of batches of honey.  I set to work straight after breakfast, and soon had the first batch clarifying in a hot water bath.  

I also realised that today's honey bottling efforts would leave me with only about twelve pounds of honey in the bucket.  I have reached out to a couple of local Apiarists for a new supplier of bulk honey, but have yet to find anyone with any spare.  I even reached out to a chap in Monmouth, who had thirty buckets available, but he had sold out already!

I took the dogs out for our usual walk in an interval while the honey was liquifying.* We, again, headed out to Pete's house and returned across the fields. I can report that Traitorous Bastard is becoming far more confident in crossing the footbridge across the stream. Perhaps the troll has moved on, or has decided that the local Fallow deer are a more tasty treat?

The afternoon included a short snooze on the sofa, before I headed out to the carport.  TP had given me a hand to turn the new gates around, when he was here at the weekend, so I was able to apply a coat of protective oil** to the other side of one of the gates.  I hope to have them ready for installation shortly.  The only tricky task will be getting access, so I can oil the bottom rail of the gates.

I had planned to perform the first full inspection of the hives this afternoon, but the weather was quite breezy, so I decided to leave that until tomorrow.

I was also quite tired after what had turned out to be a busy day.

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* This last batch from Pete has set like concrete!  Previous batches have been thick and viscous. This honey has set hard and breaks apart in chunks after considerable persuasion with a spoon.

** Osmo UV Protection oil

Afternoon Tea

It's Easter Monday and there were hordes of walkers out and about.

I headed out with Hobson and TB and we took our normal walk as far as Pete the Beekeeper's house. On our return we, again, cut away from the road and headed down the footpath across the fields.

Traitorous Bastard was slightly less apprehensive of crossing the footbridge, but was totally confused later when he was expected to duck under a stile.  Hobson dipped under it with barely a break in his stride, but TB just stood there looking bemused.  I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that he is a definite Townie with no understanding of our Country ways.  TB was eventually persuaded to duck under the stile, when I grabbed his collar and gave a gently tug.

This afternoon 30% and I headed over to the Lygon Arms at Broadway. We had been gifted a voucher for afternoon tea by Bubbles and Bobbyn and we had made our reservation for four o'clock.  I grew up less than three miles from The Lygon, but have never before visited.  It had a reputation, much as the rest of Broadway does, of being filled with International* tourists. I can confirm that this little Cotswold village lived up to its reputation and was very busy in the early Spring sunshine.

We settled ourselves at our table and had rather splendid afternoon tea. There was endless tea or coffee, a variety of sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, and a selection of cakes and gateaux.  There was plenty to eat and neither of us had any complaints, although we had researched the cost of this gift, and I'm not sure that we had consumed ninety quids worth of food!** 

So that was it for Easter Monday, apart from one thing ... as the day drew to a close I noticed that my stenosis symptoms seem to be slightly improved. It's could be just that I have had a good day, but I am hoping that it may be easing, as it did after a few weeks last year.***

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* My Dad used to refer to them in a dismissive tone as "Yanks" or "Bloody Foreigners" 

** About four years ago we were gifted a Champagne afternoon tea at The Grosvenor in Chester.  It was unbelievable!  I have never eaten nor drunk as much in an afternoon and we both rolled out of the hotel bloated and tipsy.  I haven't a clue how much it cost, but it did make The Lygon's fare look rather penny pinching.

*** It played up a few weeks before I went on the Black Forest motorcycle tour, and subsided slowly over the following weeks.

Have we found a Troll?

Today is 30%'s birthday, so the day started with coffee in bed, followed by the opening of cards.

We spent a leisurely morning pottering around the house and TP turned up just after midday.  We all lunched together before TP and I headed out for a walk with the dogs.

We headed out as far as Pete the Beekeeper's house, and then turned to head home. On a whim I decided to head homeward via the footpath across the fields,* rather than my normal route along the lanes.  After a few hundred yards we came to a footbridge over the stream.  Hobson and The Rat charged across it, and headed off in to the next field.  Traitorous Bastard stepped on to the bridge and froze!  For some reason he was very perturbed by the wooden slats of the deck and would not cross. I tried calling him, but he was having none of it.  In the end I put his lead on and gave him a "heel" command.  This seemed to work and he crossed the bridge. His nervousness was still apparent, but at least his willingness to comply with the heel command overrode his apprehension and nervousness about the footbridge.

TB comes across as quite a confident dog, and this is the first time, since he came to live with us last May, that he has demonstrated apprehension on one of our walks.  In retrospect it is quite possible that he has never walked across a footbridge before today, or perhaps he sensed the presence of a Troll?**

This evening we headed over to The Arrow Mill for 30%'s birthday dinner.  We were a little apprehensive, as we had not eaten there for many years after receiving indifferent service and a truly terrible dessert.***  On this occasion I can report that the food was lovely and the service was great.  The terrible dessert was still on the menu, but I made a different selection.

So, I think we all had a relaxing Easter Sunday. It was nice to have TP join us to celebrate 30%'s birthday.

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* We have had reasonable weather for a while, and I was hopeful that the fields and footpath would now be dry underfoot. 

** They do, after all, like to take up residence under bridges

*** It was a coconut panna cotta that had a horrible grainy texture.  I abandoned it after one mouthful and did advise the waitress that it was terrible. She just shrugged and carried on clearing the table.

On the go

 Today I seemed to be on the go from the start.

After breakfast I headed out to choose a birthday card for 30% and get some fuel for the car. Normally I would have said "fill up the car," but the price of diesel has sky rocketed as a result of Trump and Netanyahus' little exercise. Consequently I shoved forty quids worth in the tank and preyed that sanity might prevail .... fat chance!

On my return I headed out for a walk with Hobson and TB. We returned with just enough time for me to have lunch before I was out again.

I spent a blustery couple of hours at Cotswold Shooting Ground attempting to hit some clays.  I was not very successful and my score was a paltry 36/80.

I headed home and settled on the sofa for a restorative nap, before lighting the fire and settling in for the evening.

In retrospect, I may have been "on the go" for a lot of the day, but the only worthwhile achievement was  the selection of a suitable card for 30%.

An Arsehole

 So, yesterday's Journal Entry was about Whiffler's arse cancer. Today's entry is about an arsehole.

Both 30% and her nephew, Oswald celebrate their birthdays in the first week of April.  30%'s brother always arranges a joint party as an excuse for a family get-together, and today was the day. 

The little gathering was fine. A great spread was laid on the table and Oswald was engrossed with his cards and gifts.  The family assembled and pleasantries were exchanged.

Everything was as agreeable as it could be,  considering the fifty two year age difference of the birthday girl and boy, and the very cramped conditions of the venue.  

Everything was going amicably until the black sheep of the family turned up ... 30%'s half sister.  Now I could go on for several pages about what a complete waste of fucking skin this individual is, but I will simply record one of her utterances that shows what a fucked up parasite she really is.

She was bemoaning the fact that her upcoming hip replacement will mean that her benefits are likely to be reduced, and went on to tell us exactly how much she manages to extract in benefits. The taxpayers among us were horrified when she announced that she had received a back payment of several thousand pounds in sickness benefit and advised that, "she had worked hard for that money."

Basically the lazy bitch's definition of working hard is filling in a few forms and blagging about her health.  Her poor health that is a result of years alcohol and drug abuse.

She's not an arsehole, she's a cunt!

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* She can still go to the gym regularly and seems to exhibit no mobility issues.

Arse Cancer

It is a joke in this house that any extremely irritating, and I mean EXTREMELY IRRITATING, person may be cursed with arse cancer.  Obviously this is not a serious wish, but just a way of reducing the level of extreme annoyance that some people trigger.  I can't think of anyone at the moment, but I am sure that if I thought hard enough I might find a global political figure towards whom this curse might be appropriate to launch.

This ridiculous and, possibly, bad taste joke came about when I was suspected of having prostate cancer last year. I know that it is a urogenital condition, but we all know how it is initially diagnosed. So, for a few weeks in 2025 I had a potential case of arse cancer.

So why am I rambling on about this today?

Well, this morning we took Whiffler down to the Vets for a follow-up consultation.  The Vet showed us his blood results, and all were perfect, apart from a very high calcium level ... a clear indicator of certain cancers.

She had suspected that it might be an anal gland tumour, and had emptied his anal glands last week. She re-checked today and thought she could feel a small lump. A colleague came in and confirmed the diagnosis, so there we have it ... Whiffler has arse cancer.

We discussed the two alternatives; palliative care, or surgery to remove the gland. In consideration of his age, the Vet agreed that either was appropriate, suggesting that he might have six months with palliative care, and maybe two years if the surgery was performed ... provided he had no other health issues.*

We went home to think about it, having been advised that any surgery should be performed promptly.**

It didn't take us long to decide that he should have the operation and he is booked in for the ninth of April.  We are well aware that he will probably only be with us for another year, at best, but he is still alert and moves well.  Removal of his anal gland is a straightforward procedure and will mean and end to the current symptoms.

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* He is already showing signs of arthritis, but is still moving well, and there are effective pain medications.

** We were also given an estimate of £750 for the surgery

Stump Removal, Phase 2

Hobson and Whiffler were booked in for a bath and clip today, so 30% headed off to drop them off with Sarah* just after breakfast.

I headed out for my usual walk, but this time I took Traitorous Bastard and The Rat.  I have to report that The Rat throughly enjoyed her excursion, but is nowhere near as well behaved as Hobson or TB.  She charges around like a thing possessed, and pays scant regard to requests to heel or come back.  It is fair to say that she had a great walk and even attempted to engage in play with TB.  TB was quite bemused by this.

In the afternoon I executed phase 2 of my stump removal project.  I took much the same approach as I did for phase 1.  I peeled back the turf and excavated the soil to expose the roots. On this occasion I encountered a couple of lateral roots that were far too large to be chopped out with an axe, and, after clearing away the soil, I broke out the chainsaw to cut them away from the stump. One was the size of my thigh and about 5' long. The other was slightly smaller, but still worthy of the Stihl.

I can report that another square yard of the root wad has been removed and I am now able to see a slight improvement in that area of the garden.**

30% collected Whiffler and Hobson in the afternoon. I can report that they both look splendid, but poor Whiffler was absolutely shattered after his day out.

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* Dot 'n Dave's daughter-in-law

** I've tried to turn a blind eye to the stump and root wad. It's a bloody eyesore, but I'm well aware that there are more important jobs to attend to.  Now I've started I'm very keen to progress and get it sorted.

Getting our ducks in a row

TP will be here at some point over the weekend and this is both welcome, and convenient.  Welcome, because we enjoy his company and are keen to catch up with his latest news, and convenient because I have two very heavy wooden gates that need to be turned around, so that I can oil the reverse sides.  We can then think about getting their installation arranged.

With TP arriving in a few days, today my focus was on applying the second and final coat of oil to the second gate.  I can report that this has now been completed, and I'm hoping that the gate should be dry by the time he turns up.

I also wandered up to the hives and added a pack of fondant to hives #2 and #3.  I still haven't performed a full inspection of the colonies yet.  I plan to do this during the next spell of warm weather. I can see that the queens are now busy building up the colonies, and I'm wondering how soon it will be before I'm adding queen excluders and supers.

Tree Stump Removal, Phase 1

Now that the grass has started growing, I am, again, having to manoeuvre the mower around the stump and root wad of the conifer that blew over during Storm Darragh.  

The stump and root wad is quite a feature in the front lawn ... an unwelcome feature.*  It needs to be dug out, but last year I focused on processing the trunk, branches and brash, leaving the stump for another day.

I think that day has finally arrived.

I am conscious that my back is playing up, and have decided that I am going to approach this job in small stages. Today I planned to peel back the turf from about a square yard of the root wad, cut out any roots projecting from the stump, level out the earth with the surrounding lawn, and relay the turf.

30% wisely suggested that I walk the dogs in the morning. I could then attack the root wad in the afternoon and then collapse on the sofa to recover.  I followed her advice and this afternoon saw me out on the lawn with a spade, and axe and a mattock.

I am pleased to report that the lawn feature is somewhat reduced in size, and the improvement has already got me planning phase two of this garden project ... I reckon phase four will be the stump grinder!

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* When the tree blew over it lifted about three square yards of lawn around the stump.  As the trunk was cut away, the root wad settled, but sits about a foot above the level of the lawn. Basically I have to dig out a large amount of earth, chop away any roots projecting from the stump, and level out the ground.  The final stage will be to hire a stump grinder to deal with the stump.

A lazy day

Yesterday's theatre trip meant that we didn't get home until close to midnight. Combining that with the loss of an hour, as a result of the transition to BST, meant that we both lacked energy and motivation today.

I did manage a walk in the afternoon, followed by a monumental kip, but that was about it.

Most definitely a lazy day.

A night at the theatre

A good chunk of today was spent bottling a couple of batches of honey, from the bucket I bought yesterday.

This last batch, from Pete, is a late Summer crop from 2025, and has set with a very coarse crystal structure. It is also incredibly sweet, and floral, compared to the previous buckets. It'll be interesting to see whether anyone comments on the change in flavour.

I can also report that the change in price hasn't seemed to dampen custom, as two jars were sold this morning at the new price.

In the afternoon I took my usual walk with the dogs and am slightly saddened to note that we have lost two of the Crested Cream Legbar hens today. Both seem to have been subject to feather pecking by the other birds. This is common, and they were clearly at the bottom of our little flock's pecking order.  30% and I plan to increase the size of the hen's run, in the hope that it will reduce the amount of bullying that takes place.

I can also report that we had a late night. 'Chelle joined us for an evening at The Hippodrome in Birmingham.  We went to see a performance of Priscilla Queen of The Desert, and had a fantastic time. It was the same show as the amateur production that we saw in Pershore back in 2024, but, obviously, performed by a different cast and production team. 

Both were brilliant, but I have to say that if I had to make a choice, I preferred the intimacy and joy of the PODS production. Its moments of madness were an absolute delight.

I've been expecting this

It is now almost two years since I first started to buy bulk honey from Pete, and resell it under my own branding.  I'm guessing that I have purchased a 30 lb bucket every six weeks, apart from the five or six months when I was selling the 125 lb crop I took at the end of May 2025. 

I suppose that I could search through previous Journal entries to come to a precise number of buckets, but that sounds like far too much trouble. Suffice to say, I am certain that I have bought a lot of honey from Pete over the past couple of years.

Now I am aware that Pete likes to hold a full year's harvest in reserve, in case he has a bad year.  He does, after all, have his own customers and outlets to support. I therefore came as no surprise that he was less keen than usual to sell me another bucket, when I contacted him this morning.

It seems that he has exhausted his 2024 stocks, and would need to supply me from his 2025 reserve.  We had a long chat and I made certain that he understood that I was a) very grateful for his support, and b) very aware that his bulk rate was well below market pricing.* Pete suggested that I should explore alternative suppliers, and consider raising my prices in an attempt to slow down sales a little.

The net result of this conversation is that I have increased my pricing by 25%,** changed my sign accordingly, used chat GPT to produce a customer friendly explanation for the price hike, and 30% has posted on the village FaceBook page to make our clientele aware.

I was a little concerned about increasing the price, but I do consistently forget to take account of the time I expend in caring for the colonies and bottling the honey.  After all, why shouldn't I get some recompense for my labours?  It was rewarding to see that one individual responded to 30%'s post by saying that £5 was still good value for local honey and "objectors" should buy the "sugar syrup of European origin sold as honey in the supermarkets"

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* Current bulk rate is around £3.50 per pound

** to £5 per 8oz jar

Unfortunately it wasn't a great surprise

The weather has turned cold again. Fires have been lit in the evenings, and neither of us is particularly keen to spend much time in the garden at the moment.  It's certainly been too chilly to attempt to apply another coat of oil to the gates.

Basically I have had a lazy day.

I did head out in the morning with Hobson and Traitorous Bastard. We took our normal walk out as far as Pete's house  and we did have an extra exciting moment when a squirrel darted across the road a couple of yards in front of us. I had the dogs on the lead at that moment and the buggers nearly wrenched my arms form their sockets. I was lucky I didn't end up on my arse!

The afternoon was quiet and a fire was lit to ward off the chill before four o'clock.*

The Vet rang us to let us know the results of Whiffler's blood tests. Whilst his kidney and liver functions seem normal, his blood is showing high calcium levels. This is an indicator of cancer** and additional scans have been suggested to attempt a diagnosis.

30% and I discussed this and we are both in agreement. He is an old dog, in his twilight years. He is currently alert and pain free. Our decision is to manage him to ensure that he has a good quality life. We will make the decision to have him put to sleep, as soon as he cannot be kept pain free. Chemotherapy is not a path we wish to follow for a dog of his age.

30% had a follow on call with the Vet in the early evening and has booked him in for a follow-on consultation. That will be to determine the best approach to managing him in the coming months.

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* The US/Israeli attack on Iran has caused a doubling in the price of heating oil, and we have become more conscious of our consumption. We have plenty left in our tank, but we'd like that to last as long as possible, in the hope that prices will fall back.  The thermostat has been adjusted, and we are less likely to put the heating on for an while in the middle of the day ... Thanks Donald!

** High calcium levels tend to indicate mid to late stages of cancer

Why did we buy it?

If I am truly honest, I have been pondering how to relocate the large leather armchair, that has dominated one corner of the living room for far too bloody long.

It was commissioned on impulse by my dear wife a few years ago, and I wasn't sure about it from the outset.  The key word in the preceding sentence is impulse." 30% tends to swing from extreme procrastination to impulsivity, and the large leather chair was ordered without sufficient any thought to how it would fit in to the room.

When it arrived, I think it is fair to say, that we were both quite shocked at how large it was, especially as the living room is modest in size.  Over the years were have come to tolerate it,* but certainly not like it. For the record, I do not find it at all comfortable.

Having acquired a pair of Stressless chairs for the seating area of the dining room, I suggested that we might like to replace  the monster with a smaller chair, more appropriately proportioned to the room, and probably more comfortable too.

Hence this morning was spent heaving the monster up a steep, narrow staircase with a quarter-turn in it! I am pleased to say that we managed it, without falling out, or over, but I was shattered by the exertion of heaving a huge chair over the newel post at the top!**

The new Stressless chair now sits in the living room and looks brilliant. The room looks far less cluttered and we both find the chair pleasant to sit in.

The rest of the day involved a dog walk in the afternoon, before we headed in to Redditch to attend the Chuckl Comedy Club at the Palace Theatre. 

Russell Kane was the headline act, and I have to admit that he does tend to give me the ick. I find that he can be a bit manic/angry/preachy, which can overshadow his material. However this evening there was a great compere, and opener,*** and Kane was actually quite good, once he had stopped improvising and settled in to his material.

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* I refuse to sit in the fucking thing, going with the incontrovertible argument of "30% chose it, she can sit in it"

** It now lives in the corner of the main bedroom, and looks far better there

*** I won't bother mentioning the second act.

Whiffler has a check-up

Whiffler is nearing the end of his twelfth year,* and has been showing his age for a while now.  He is probably best described as creaky.  He still loves a walk, but not too far, and will even break in to a short sprint. However, when he is at home, his preferred activity is to snooze in one of his favourite spots.

Recently we have noticed that he is drinking and peeing more than usual, so this morning we took him up to the Vet's for a health check.  The Vet gave him a through going over, and Whiffler even obliged by giving a urine sample, so she was able to confirm that he isn't diabetic, but the very dilute urine confirmed that he is drinking a lot.

She checked his gait, and he is showing a little stiffness. We have recently started giving him a joint supplement, and she confirmed that we should continue with that. A couple of blood tests were also taken, as the Vet is of the opinion that he should be able to go through the entire night without needing to be taken out for a pee.  She is of the view that there is something that is causing his need to drink and pee more often.

We now wait for the results of his tests.  We are both well aware that he is a good age for a large dog, and that he is in his twilight years.  Neither of us want to write him off yet, but I think we are both aware that the diagnosis may not be welcome.

I think this is a case of preparing for the worst, whilst hoping for a positive outcome ... at least for a while longer.

In the afternoon I took Hobson and Traitorous Bastard for a walk down the lanes.

I then managed a quick kip, before 30% and I headed towards deepest, darkest Halesowen.  In fairness I should clarify that I have never visited this part of the West Midlands before and found myself driving through very pleasant suburbs. The reason for the visit was that 30% had found a Stressless recliner on Facebook Marketplace, and we had gone to take a look.

The chair was in lovely condition and was accompanied by a matching footstool.  A deal was struck and the chair was loaded on to the back of the car.  We are both delighted with our purchase, but I am a little concerned ... The chair is destined for the living room, and this means that the enormous leather, wing backed chair, it will replace, will need to be manoeuvred up the narrow staircase to its new home in one of the bedrooms.

That ain't gonna be fun!

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* He will be twelve on the first of July

Dogs and Doctors

This morning started with a walk, accompanied by Hobson and TB. We took our usual route out towards Pete the Beekeeper's house, where we did an about-turn and headed back home.

Although our walk only takes an hour, it seems to consume the entire morning. It must be the obligatory coffee on our return that fills the rest of the time before lunch ... and also the fact that I am rarely ready to start my day before ten o'clock!

30% headed out just before lunch with Dog #4 aka The Rat.  The Rat had been booked in for a bath and brush with Dot 'n Dave's daughter-in-law, Sarah.* 

The bath and brush would take a couple of hours so we lunched and then headed over to visit Dot 'n Dave. Unfortunately Dave has badly damaged his knee and is currently in plaster and fairly "out of it" on prescription painkillers.  He is in a lot of pain and, understandably, frustrated by the enforced immobility.  We did our best to cheer him a little and reinforced our previous offers to assist in any way we could.

Sarah called at around two o'clock, and we headed just down the road to collect The Rat.  She looked absolutely marvellous after her wash, and the big surprise was that Sarah had clipped her too ... I was expecting to have to give her a clip** over the next few days, but she's even had her claws clipped.  Hobson and Whiffler are also booked in for baths in a couple of weeks. It'll be interesting to see how she gets on with those two.

I wasn't able to crack on with oiling the gates as 30% had an appointment at the ROH in Birmingham this evening.  

We had an amazingly traffic free drive in, and she was seen early too. The consultation was inconclusive, but suggested that her spine is actually in very good condition. Blood samples were taken and another scan was arranged. Her GP has also been directed that she needs to be seen by other Specialists.

To take a glass half full perspective, there was no bad news.

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* Sarah learnt to groom at the same school that all of our dogs have attended as models. She absolutely adores Standard Poodles and was really keen to get her hands on them ... Her rates are also very reasonable

** I wasn't really looking forward to giving her a clip as my back is playing up at the moment and I generally clip her whilst kneeling or being over her. This can be quite painful after an hour , or so.  It is fair to say that I was very envious of Sarah's pneumatic grooming table.

What is it with bloody cyclists?

Sunday started with a trip down the road to the local Nursery. Three bags of rotted manure were purchased and two of them were dug in to the raised beds, as soon as I got home.

At this point I will make mention of the cyclists I encountered on this little trip. 

I met two groups within a hundred yards of leaving home, and pulled up on the verge to allow them to pass safely. Barely one of the ignorant fuckers could be bothered to acknowledge this courtesy.  I am well aware that cyclists should be given priority under the UK Highway Code, and I do follow this rule. However, it is rare that these Lycra clad buffoons ever acknowledge that someone has gone out of their way to allow them to proceed safely.  Fundamentally a lot of them are just fucking rude, and I have encountered others that are literally dangerous!*

Anyway, rant over, and now on to Sunday afternoon.  A couple of hours were spent applying a second coat of oil to the first of the new gates. 

Once that was done, I put on my bee suit, lit my smoker and added a pack of fondant to hive #1.  The bees are now flying regularly and it won't be long before I lift the crown boards and give the colonies their first inspection of the year.  I am hoping they will be needing supers in early April.

The final news for today is that I had a call with TP and Charlie, and we finally agreed dates for our motorcycle tour to France in July. I can now report that my Le Shuttle tickets** have been purchased and I will be away from 10th July, returning on the 19th.

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* Please don't misunderstand me. Most cyclists are well mannered and ride safely. However, as soon as they join an organised group, put on Lycra and start getting competitive they seem to loose any sense of personal responsibility, personal safety and good manners.  They ride like arrogant pricks, and will happily cause long queues, apparently, simply because they can!

** I cashed in my Tesco Clubcard vouchers and managed to reduce my ticket price by £94 ... Result!

Mostly mower related

It came as no surprise that the new gates had not dried sufficiently for a second coat of oil, so I spent the morning fixing the drive belt on the Mountfield mower.  This is the second time I have had to perform this minor repair, so it was reasonably straightforward to get it back up and running.

Having fixed the mower, I spent the first part of the afternoon mowing the lawns at the front. I can also report that the cowslips in the verge are finally starting to peep out from amongst the grass.

I was also brave enough to make a start on removing some of the smaller surface roots from the large conifer that blew down during Storm Darragh.  The large stump is a huge pain to mow around, and I inwardly curse each and every time I attend to the lawn. The only problem is that I am well aware of how hard it is to remove a large tree stump.

I have played this game several year ago and am in no rush to make my back worse than it already is.  My plan is to deal with it a little at a time.  My next objective is to dig out and level a few square feet of the ground lifted by the roots as the tree fell over.

I'll see how that goes before I start making any rash commitments about removing the rest of the stump.

Spring has certainly arrived

I woke up this morning in a fair degree of discomfort.* 

It is nowhere near as bad as it was back in 2023, when I could walk no further than about fifty yards. This morning it was just general discomfort in my lower back, and left hip with occasional twinges in my left shin. I'm no expert but these seem to be mild forms of the symptoms I experienced as a result of formainal stenosis.

I decided to cancel plans for a walk with the dogs, and made an appointment with the GP instead.

I then headed out to the garden and took the lawn mower out on to the back lawn. My thinking was along the lines of, "I can always abandon mowing if my back hurts too much."  I got the mower running and the bloody thing threw its drive belt within the first five minutes. This meant that I had no powered assistance, and had to push the mower up and down the sward.  It is a good sized lawn and I was pretty tired by the end of it.

Lunch was followed by a lengthy kip, and I then headed out to the store room. My afternoon was spent sorting through my collection of supers. I now have three piles; supers with no frames, supers with frames of foundation and supers with frames of drawn comb.  

My preference is always to give the bees supers with drawn comb. This means that they can start storing nectar with minimal effort spent building or repairing comb, as they would if given frames of foundation.

It's still a little early to be adding supers to the hives, but it won't be long before I open them up for their first inspection of the year.

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* I also woke after a night of very strange dreams. This was unusual, as I rarely remember my dreams, but could recall several from last night. I'm not going to recount them, as I am a strong believer in the view that there is nothing as boring as listening to someone else recount their dreams.

Have I overdone it?

Thursday was very similar to Wednesday. I started out with an early morning walk with Hobson and TB.  This time my blood glucose control was far better, and I made it home without having a hypo.

The recent fine weather has meant that the lawns have really started to grow, and they really need cutting. I used the spare time before lunch to mow the lawns and paths around the greenhouses and the veg patch. I also moved the tree ferns back to their shady spot* under the variegated maple, and relocated a couple of pots of tulips to sit outside the ornamental greenhouse.

In the afternoon I grabbed my brush and pot of timber treatment, and applied a first coat of oil to the second gate.  The instructions state that it should be applied thinly and should be dry within twenty four hours. When I oiled gate #1 yesterday I brushed the oil out as much as I possibly could, but it had tacky patches when I checked today. It seems that I am going to have to leave at least a couple of days between coats. Perhaps the weather could do with being a little warmer?

So that was Thursday. I must admit that my back was twinging after walking, mowing and applying a coat of oil to a large wooden gate ... where are my painkillers?

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* Actually not yet shady, as the maple hasn't yet come in to leaf

Oil and Water?

We were up and about early this morning and slightly concerned to note that our water pressure was very low. The kettle and a few jugs were filled, as a precautionary measure,* and we set about our day.

30% headed off towards Evesham to meet up with Jules and I set about my morning ablutions, only to find that we now had no water at all. Oh well!

I headed out down the lane with Hobson and TB, and we had a lovely walk in the spring sunshine until I noticed that I didn't feel quite right. Unfortunately my blood sugar had plummeted with a corresponding drop in my energy levels.  I had a snack and eventually made it home. The rest of the morning was spent doing very little.

I did make a cup of tea for the water engineer who had positioned himself by the water main access point just outside the cottage. Allegedly he was there to bleed any air locks from the main, following the repair of the burst. I think he had found himself a cushy little job in the sun and intended to have quite an easy day.  Anyway, the water supply was reinstated shortly after lunch.

In the afternoon I grabbed a paintbrush and applied the first coat of protective oil to one side of one of the new gates. It's not a particularly arduous task, but I do find painting quite tedious. I am also very aware that it is easy to see where I have applied the first coat of oil, but it is going to be a complete pig of a job to make sure I don't miss any spots when applying the second.

So I have two gates, and each one needs two coats of oil. I can only coat one side at a time, mainly because I can't stand the tedium of painting and the dogs need a walk. This means that I have eight sessions of painting before this job is finished ... another eight days!  I will also need to find someone strong enough to assist in turning the gates around at the mid point of the job ... each one is six feet wide, five feet high and made of hardwood. They weigh an absolute ton!

Final activity of the day was the regular trip to the Parish Education Centre for my Tai Chi class. There is not a huge amount to report, other than an interesting shamanic breathing meditation as the final exercise ... most unusual!

Perhaps I need to seek out a state of mindfulness when I am applying coats of oil to the gates?

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* I also reported the low pressure via Severn Trent's website