A quick catch up

We been out and about for the past few days, hence the lack of Journal entries.  Here is a quick summary of what we've been up to.

Friday was spent at The Malvern Autumn Show at the Three Counties Show Ground.  We had a lovely time wandering around the floral and vegetable exhibitions and the many craft and retail stalls. We also met up with Hobson and TB's breeder, as she was hosting a Parti Poodles stand at the World of Animals exhibition. She was keen to hear how TB was settling in, and was delighted that everything was going so well.

We came home with a selection of tulip bulbs, and realisation dawned that I should have purchased a load of compost when I visited the Nursery on Thursday. Oh well, we need daffodil bulbs too!

Now on to Saturday and Sunday ...

This weekend we had arranged to pop down to Aston Clinton for an overnight stay with C&S. TP had agreed to come home and look after the dogs and chickens, and he arrived home nice and early. We had time for a quick catch up on his news, before we headed down the M40 towards Thame.

As usual we had a lovely, lazy time with C&S. The afternoon was taken up with lunch and conversation, before we settled to watch the Women's Rugby World Cup.  A bottle of fizz was opened at half time and several more bottles were consumed, along with a fine venison casserole, before we eventually retired to bed, very late.

Sunday morning was, unsurprisingly, unhurried. Many cups of coffee were drunk and a fine English Breakfast, or more accurately, brunch was scoffed before we headed home.

It is fair to say that we were both a little hung over, so Sunday afternoon was mostly taken up with an extended snooze.

I'm certain I will be more productive tomorrow.

Insect pests

 Before you ask, "Yes the wasp sting is still itchy this morning"

Thursday was spent mostly in the garden.  I pushed The Beast up to the orchard this morning and finished mowing up there.  It looks much tidier and the optimist in me is hoping that I won't need to mow it again until next year.

I do have slightly troubling news. The Beast has been a little temperamental on the last couple of times that I have used it.  It has cut out and, initially, been reluctant to start. When it finally does start it will only run for a few seconds before dying again. This suggests that there is either a problem with the fuel or with the carburettor. If the mower is left for ten or twenty minutes it will start and run with no problem. 

Perhaps it is trying to tell me that I should have a coffee break?

Anyway, the morning saw me finish up in the orchard. In the afternoon 30% and I planted out the areas that I cleared at the beginning of the week.  The planting was mostly focussed on dividing up some of our established herbaceous perennials* and using them to fill the gaps. Although, a few impulse buys did find new homes out there too.

I just hope that the weather stays mild and allows the plants to establish before winter sets in. I also hope that we get a little more rain next summer too.

Final job of the day was to whizz up to the nearest Nursery and purchase a spray bottle of insecticide. I then liberally doused my row of spring cabbage ... I still can't see what's eating them but I'm suspicious it may be caterpillars?

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* Heleniums, Michaelmas Daisies

Ouch, you little sod!

Most of my mornings start in much the same way.  If I am up early enough, I will have a leisurely cup of coffee and browse the news headlines, before heading outside to let out the chickens.

This morning seemed to be no different. I exited the back door, grabbed a watering can, and filled it from the outside tap. I was about to go and top up the chicken's feeder when I felt a sharp sting at the back of my neck. I reached around and found a bloody wasp had taken a dislike to me. I dislodged the little bugger, but it was determined to have another go. I managed to swat it at the second attempt and crushed the little bastard underfoot. 

So I now have two throbbing wasp stings on the back of my neck!

As a beekeeper I get sting occasionally. Usually I am wearing a bee suit and gloves and the stings are minor.  The pain subsides within a few minutes and I forget all about them within an hour.  

Wasp stings, on the other hand, are completely different. When I've been stung by wasps previously I have found them to be very painful and I end up with an inflamed lump that can last for a day or two.  I hate the little fuckers. They sting for no reason, and they are a real pest in the apiary.

This wasn't the best start to my day! 

Right, I've finished my rant about this irritating member of the Hymenoptera, and will now recount the rest of the day.

The weather was fine and I was home alone, so I decided to drag The Beast from the shed and attempt to make the orchard look more presentable.  I spent a couple of hours heaving the mower over the uneven ground up there and by lunchtime I had cut about sixty percent of the grass.

The weather was warmer than I thought and I was absolutely shattered when I wandered back to the house for a sandwich.

It will come as no surprise that a snooze on the sofa followed lunch. 

I woke feeling relatively refreshed and decided it was time to attend to item #2 on today's to-do list,

I grabbed my helmet and new motorcycle jacket from the wardrobe and headed out to the garage. I needed to pop over to Arden motorcycles and arrange for my CBR 600 to be collected.* I decided that the R1250R was well overdue for a run, so selected it for my conveyance to Alcester.

I spent a few minutes sorting out a date for my Honda to be collected and then decided that I should put a few more miles on the BMW's odometer.  I had a fast run down the bypass to Evesham before taking the twistier roads back home.  I didn't go far, but I did have fun.  I say it every time,  "I really should ride my bikes note often".

I went to Tai Chi in the early evening before settling down after quite a busy day. 

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* It needs a light recommissioning, including cleaning and refurbishment of the carburettors. I spoke to the chaps at Arden back in July, and we had agreed to defer the work until their workshop was a little less busy.

Fair Game

Yesterday evening 30% mentioned that she had received an odd message on Facebook.  A few minutes later she advised that an acquaintance* had been shooting and had come home with a brace of duck and a few partridge. He then went off to play football and, unfortunately for him, managed to sustain a serious shoulder injury. He was no longer able to dress the birds and wondered if we would like them.

It therefore came as no surprise that my plans for this morning had been upended, and, after refuelling my car and collecting top soil and soil conditioner,** we headed over to collect the birds.

The rest of the morning was spent dressing a brace of mallard and two brace of partridge. I can dress poultry properly, but I am not overly keen on plucking and gutting birds. I therefore took the easy route and simply filleted the breasts of each of the birds ... That is where all the meat is, especially on a partridge!

They are now tucked away in the freezer.

In the afternoon I used the top soil and manure to rejuvenate the areas of the herbaceous border that I cleared yesterday.  I then gave them a good watering and will leave them for a day or two before planting.

I had been gardening near the veg patch and wandered over to take a look at the Durham Early spring cabbage. Something has been munching little holes in the leaves, but I can't identify the culprit. They are netted, so it is unlikely to be pigeons or mice. It could be slugs, but the row of Savoys alongside them is untouched? I scattered a  handful of slug pellets around the young plants, and will be keeping a close eye on them. I hope it's not bloody caterpillars.

It is my aim to finish feeding the bees this week, so I also made up another six litres of syrup during the course of the day and topped up the feeders on the hives. That should be enough now. I'll remove the feeders in a week or two, and let them settle down for the winter. 

That just about covers Tuesday's comings and goings.

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* He was actually the chap who purchase The Pile from us back in 2021.  He has subsequently separated from his wife and taken up with a new partner in the village. I describe him as "an acquaintance" because on the couple of occasions I met him I found him to be an arrogant twat.  The Pile was sold again when his marriage ended, but I don't really know the new owners.

** This is a polite way of saying rotted cow shit 

Mostly gardening

 First task of the day was to finish de-nailing the last few lengths of pallet wood, and stack them in the carport.

We then decided to spend the rest of the day in the garden.

Both of us had found the hot, dry summer quite demotivating from a gardening perspective. However much water was poured on to beds and borders, and in to pots and planters, nothing looked particularly good. Especially when the garden was viewed with a parched, brown lawn in the background. The summer hasn't encouraged us to do more than the bare minimum.

Since the rains returned at the beginning of the month, the garden has totally changed. The lawns have greened up, provided that you don't look too closely, and some late colour has appeared in the beds and borders.

And, it seems, our gardening mojo has returned.

This morning we finally got around to emptying the load of horse manure from the trailer.  This was spread in a deep layer in the veg patch alongside my row of possibly parsnips.  

Whilst we are still in the veg patch, 30% has recently taken down the bean stalks and supports, and has mentioned the possibility of me building another  two raised beds.  I think this is a great idea, as I find them really good for vegetable growing. They seem really easy to weed and water, and have produced some prize winning produce.  I just hope she is either really prompt, or really tardy when it comes to ordering the oak sleepers ... I really don't fancy building the beds in the middle of winter.

Lunch was taken and we headed in to the afternoon.

The plan was to dig up the Heleniums split them and replant them in the border, alongside the path that leads to the orchard.

That was the plan. What actually happened was that the Heleniums were dug up and split, and a number of new plants are now potted and sitting in the cold frame. I then spent the next couple of hours cutting back dead flower heads, digging, weeding and removing plants that are way too vigorous for their own good.*

It seems that the beds will need refreshing with some rotted manure and top soil before the Heleniums can go back in the ground. That can wait until tomorrow.

The final item to report was a trip in to Redditch. 

30% had found a gentleman advertising a little used motorcycle touring jacket for £40.**  It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but at that price it was definitely worth a look.  We soon found the chap's address and the jacket was in "as new" condition. It fitted really well, so cash was handed over and hands were shaken.

It is an Alpinestars touring jacket in a restrained bronze colour way.  It is not made to the same quality as Halvassons and Lindstrands motorcycle gear, but I can't complain for forty quid. It'll do until I find something I really like. 

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* Sedums, Mint and Day Lilies come to mind!

** I have had my Lindstrands jacket for many years and have loved it. Unfortunately it is now well past its best, and is looking quite scruffy. It is definitely due for replacement. I have to say that not a single zipper has failed, but some of the lining has started to come adrift, and the velcro fasteners have abraded parts of the outer jacket. It's a sad goodbye.

Last inspection of the year

 As mentioned yesterday, the first job this morning was to syphon a few litres of water from the Bubble Machine, and replace it with a similar quantity of Severn Trent's finest.

I can now report that The Chatsworth is operating as I originally envisaged, although I reserve the right to add a squirt of washing up liquid if the floor in the greenhouse needs washing.

It was reasonably warm this morning, so I put on my bee suit and headed up to take a quick look in the hives.  There is not a huge amount to report. They are all looking very good, and I have no concerns about their ability to make it through the winter. 

Each of the colonies now has two or three frames of brood,* with the remaining frames** becoming filled with stores. I will feed them a few more litres of syrup over the next week, as each of the colonies has a frame or two that hasn't been completely filled. I didn't see any of the queens, but I could see that they are present and still laying.  There is no longer any need for regular inspections and I will not open up the hives until I need to remove the Apistan strips in a few week's time.***  

Having satisfied myself that the bees are doing well, I turned my attention to tidying the carport. The stone trough had been delivered on a pallet and I spent the rest of the day dismantling it. Generally this involves a lot of effort, but produces nothing more than a large pile of splintered kindling.  However, on this occasion, the pallet came apart quite easily and I now have a decent quantity of reclaimed softwood ... I just need to find a project to use it now.

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* The queen will reduce the size of the colony in preparation for autumn and winter.  Most of the drones have already been ejected from the hives, as they place an unnecessary demand on the colony's stores over the winter.

** A BS National brood box holds eleven frames in total.

*** The feeders will need to be taken off at some point, but that is non-invasive. 

The bubble machine

The weather was forecast to be heavy rain from about eleven o'clock onwards. I planned my day accordingly, and whizzed around the last area of unmown lawn, before the heavens opened. It was a ten minute job, and I soon had the mower tucked away in the shed.

I then cracked on with the job I had been looking forward to ... assembling the new water feature in the ornamental greenhouse.

Conscious that my back has been giving warning twinges recently, I was very careful in the manoeuvring of the heavy stone trough. I soon had it sited in the greenhouse and the pump and grill installed.

Our morning was then interrupted by a visit from 30%'s brother and sister. They had come to collect a bicycle that was going spare, and an hour was spent catching up on each others' news.

By mid morning they had gone and I returned to the little water feature. I soon had it up and running, but a mildly frustrating aspect was that I had to remove the stones a couple of times to adjust the flow rate of the pump.

After a few attempts, I had it running to my satisfaction and I am rather pleased with the sight and sound of the little bubbling fountain.

I know the glass is filthy!

That was the point at which I made a beginner's mistake.  The inside of the trough had a slight film of algae and I decided that a glug of bleach would soon clean that up and keep the water sparkling. I added a little bleach and wandered off leaving the pump running.

About ten minutes later I went back to check on my latest creation and learnt that even an incredibly dilute solution of bleach will foam very easily when agitated ... The top of the water feature was now totally obscured by a mass of bubbles, easily 12" in height. 

We both had a good chuckle at my water feature cum bubble machine and I added drain water feature and replace water to tomorrow's to-do list.

The predicted downpour turned out to be little more than a few light showers, but I had already decided to spend the afternoon with my head in a book. An inaccurate forecast was no reason to change my mind.

This evening we headed over to Evesham to join Bubbles and Bobbyn for a meal at The Orchard Beefeater. Their company was fine, but the meal and service was really not very good. 

I ordered calamari for my starter and was startled to see small gristly looking lumps that were clearly overcooked. I tried one and was horrified to find that the chef had dredged a tablespoon of salt over the dish. It was inedible and had to be sent back.

That basically took the shine off the entire dining experience, and the best I can say is that the sea bass was mediocre, edible, but far from amazing.

So that was Saturday. My bubble machine is an absolute triumph, whilst the dining experience at the Orchard Beefeater is most definitely not!

Mostly Mowing

 This morning I spent a few minutes clipping The Rat's face. 

It makes her look completely different, and it also made me realise that she really could do with her body being clipped too.  However, that would take a couple of hours and I really needed to work in the garden today.

The weather is forecast to get very wet tomorrow, and then become much cooler at the beginning of next week. The recent mild weather and light showers have really helped the lawn's recovery and they really do need a light trim, before the weather worsens.

As a result I spent the day alternating between mowing the lawns and suffering from hypoglycaemic events.

I can report that I did all of the lawns, except for the small area in front of the garage.*  It looks much tidier, and I think the light cuts are encouraging the grass to thicken up.

I can also report that I was very tired after a day striding up and down with the lawn mower.

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* With luck I'll get that done tomorrow morning, before the heavens open. 

Avoidance, not evasion

I forgot to mention that the Tai Chi autumn term started yesterday evening.

As is usual, I was reluctant to go, and then thoroughly enjoyed the session. Our group has a few new members, and it will be interesting to see how many of them stay for more than a few session. And I was delighted to see that JH didn't attend the session.*

Anyway, that was Wednesday, now on to today.

Today was not particularly busy. That is not to say that important things didn't happen, it was just that I didn't have a very hectic day.

First job of the day was to grab the clippers and spend twenty minutes tidying up Hobson's coat. It really didn't take much effort. I did a quick whizz around his rump and then tidied up around the back of his neck. The final job was to change blades and clip his face. 

I'm not exaggerating, it only took twenty minutes and he was no trouble at all. I don't use a grooming table or any restraints. I just get down on the floor, at the same level as the dog, and carry out the clip. I am amazed that the Groomer couldn't finish the job.

Anyway, he now looks quite presentable and I plan to tidy up The Rat at some point this week too.

Today's main event was our annual review meeting with our Financial Advisor.

We spent a couple of hours being taken through our portfolios, recommended changes and tactics for avoiding paying more tax than is absolutely necessary.  I have reached the point where I will need to dip in to my retirement savings in the near future, and the FA has come up with a cunning way to do this whilst limiting tax liability and preserving as many of my Premium Bonds as possible.

Our FA is a lovely chap and he regularly reminds up that we are two of his easiest clients to manage. Apparently we have made some sound financial decisions, ** and don't spend rashly. 

I should also note that TP might do well out of this in a few year's time, as we need to think about minimising his future Inheritance Tax liabilities.

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* I wouldn't wish anything terrible upon her, but I would be eternally grateful if she never, ever attended another Tai Chis session ever again ... Mindful, she isn't!

** More by luck, than judgement!

An unexpected outcome

Today Hobson and Wilson* had appointments at the grooming salon.

It was Wilson's first session at the grooming school, and we were both a little concerned about how he would behave.  I had groomed him at home and he had been very good, but he can be funny with strangers. This was also the first occasion that he had been left in a strange place, since we adopted him in May.

We stressed that the Groomer should call us if there were any problems, and gave them free rein to do as much, or as little, as they felt comfortable with, for his first salon clip.

We left, calling in at the supermarket, before heading home.

The rest of the day was spent pottering in the garden.  30% was focussed on cleaning and tidying in the Ornamental Greenhouse, whilst I attended to a niggling problem with the lawn at the back of the house.

I have to be honest and say that none of the lawns look amazing after three months of drought, but the back lawn had a French drain installed last December, and turf above the drain has not recovered.  The seed sown over this drain didn't stand a chance in the parched conditions, and we currently have a narrow track of bare earth and dead grass crossing the lawn.

This afternoon I liberally scattered grass seed along the route of the drain. A light covering of compost was sieved over the seed, and firmed down. I then gave the seed a good water and now I just need to let nature take its course.  The weather conditions are perfect for grass growth. The soil is still warm, and the frequent showers should provide perfect conditions for germination. I am hoping to see signs of recovery in the next couple of weeks.

The new French drain isn't the only problem. The lawn in front of the Ornamental Greenhouse is in even worse condition. I can see me having to fence it, to keep off the dogs, and then re-seed it.

Anyway, apologies, I seem to have wandered slightly off topic ... back to dog grooming.

Late in the afternoon 30% received a phone call. It was the Groomers calling to advise that Hobson and Wilson were ready for collection. I could tell, from the half of the conversation I heard, that there was more news than just that.

It appears that Wilson was an absolute star. He was described as "a complete gentleman" and was no problem to groom.  Hobson, on the other hand, was, apparently, a complete pain in the arse, and it seems that they had to abandon grooming him. 

Now this came as a complete surprise as he has been groomed there many times before. He can wriggle a bit when his legs are being clipped, but generally he is fine. The groomers had actually taken a video of his behaviour for us to see how bad he was.

In the thirty minute drive in to Stratford we imagined all sorts of horrors, but were at a loss to understand what had happened. I have groomed Hobson on a few occasions and he is no problem at all. And his temperament is wonderful. He is the most loving dog we have ever owned and we were totally confused by the news.

When we arrived we saw that Wilson looks absolutely fantastic in his new clip, whilst Hobson had been washed, dried, brushed and his clip was probably about eighty percent complete. We were shown the video and neither of us could really see what the fuss was about. It seems that he was pawing at the groomer when she walked in front of him. There was no growling or anything like that. He was just playfully pawing at her while she tried to clip him.  We agreed that we would groom Hobson at home from now on, and Wilson was booked in for a solo visit in six week's time.** 

On the way home we both agreed that Hobson hadn't really been a problem dog. Without doubt, the trainee will encounter far worse in their grooming career. We have heard of dogs that need to muzzled and tranquillised before they can be groomed. Hobson was being playful and just needed a firm hand.

Oh well, it looks like three of our dogs will be having a daddy haircut from now on .. and a trainee groomer is in for a few surprises in their chosen career.

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* We may well have found a suitable alias for Wilson. He was going to be called Mummy's Boy, as he showed a strong preference for 30%'s company, and was never far from her side. But he has recently seemed to have realised that I am not as unpleasant as he initially thought, and has taken to sitting at my feet, or even curling up beside me on the sofa. Traitorous Bastard, or TB for short, may well be his new epithet.

** Remember that Whiffler was retired after his last grooming session.

Restocking the stall

My objective for today was to get another batch of honey bottled and ready for sale.

It's not a particularly arduous task, but it is time consuming. Each batch of honey will take a couple of hours to clarify in the hot water bath, and I tend to process two batches on each occasion. This will yield about eleven pounds of honey,* which should keep the stall stocked for a couple of weeks.

The preparations include sterilising jars and making sure that my work area is clean and tidy. It is no surprise that I don't achieve much else on a day like today.

Previously I used to bottle all of my honey immediately after extracting it from the frames. This seemed to be quite efficient, but I found that the crop would often crystallise in the jars. Set honey doesn't seem to sell well to my clientele, so I found myself struggling to clarify honey that had already been bottled.

Bottling a batch every couple of weeks seems to be the best way forward. I rarely have problems with crystallisation and honey is far easier to bulk store in lidded, food safe buckets. 

So that was my Tuesday, honey bottling interspersed with general pottering ... actually I stuck my head in a book whenever I could,** although 30% and I did head out for a short walk with the dogs in the afternoon.

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* 22 x eight ounce jars.

** It is interesting that as soon as autumn arrives I tend to read again. All summer my reading has been limited to news websites, the New Scientist, and general crap on the internet. Now the leaves are turning I find time for a good, and regular, helping of fiction.

A stocktake

 I didn't really have any plans for today.

I knew that I needed to top up Hive #2's feeder this morning, and I guess that nudged me towards a day focussed mostly on beekeeping.

I have been thinking about increasing the number of hives I have next year, and had assumed that I had enough equipment. For some reason I decided to check my beekeeping equipment to see whether this assumption was valid.

Over the course of the morning I checked brood boxes and supers and determined that I could, potentially, have up to eight colonies.  A check on feeders and other paraphernalia made me realise that six was a more realistic target.*

As I worked my way through my inventory, I finally got around to cleaning the pile of hive components that had been abandoned in the carport at the end of 2023.**  This included an hour spent on my hands and knees with a hot air gun, cleaning the wax from a pile of queen excluders.

By the end of the afternoon my equipment was tidied away and a shopping list had been drawn up, detailing a few essential items.

I'm feeling quite optimistic about my plans for expansion.

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* It is necessary to have spare hive components in case of damage, the need to house a swarm, perform splits and shook swarms etc.

** 2023 was the year that I had a very bad back. I was not able to inspect my colonies and they all failed. Towards the end of that year, as my back improved, I managed to get up to the orchard and take a look at the apiary. I was presented with a very sorry scene, moth eaten frames, crumbling comb, hive floors littered with dead bees.  A dead colony is a very sad sight. Six dead colonies was even worse.  I burned the wax moth infested frames and stacked the empty hive components in the carport. They have sat there until today.

"The Chatsworth"

Over the past few weeks I have been pulling together the components for a water feature.

This "feature" will take the form of a stone trough, with a low fountain bubbling through, and over, a layer of water rounded pebbles. The trough, pump and mesh to support the pebbles have all been sourced from eBay, and the pebbles have been turned up by the plough in the field upslope from the cottage.

This morning I amused myself by trimming the plastic grid to fit the shape and contours of the stone trough. It took a while, and several trial fits, before it slotted perfectly inside the rim of the trough.

I couldn't restrain myself and quickly filled the trough with water, located the pump and installed the plastic grid. A dozen or so pebbles were arranged above the pump and The Chatsworth* was powered up for the first time.

I am absolutely delighted with my little fountain. It looks and sounds delightful, with the water gently splashing over the pebbles.

We really can't wait to get it installed in the Ornamental Greenhouse.

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* This inaugural model is named in honour of the superb fountain at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.  I bought a 1,000 litres per hour pump, and, after a trial in the utility room, realised that it needed to be adjusted to its lowest setting, to avoid wet ceilings and flooded accommodations. 

Nothing, Zero, Nada

Saturday didn't see much happen.

I headed over to Childswickham for a morning of clay pigeon shooting. I had a pleasant enough time, but my shooting was well off target. 

In the afternoon we headed over to Redditch to make a few purchases from a retail park, and, as a result, I am now hoping for a great night's sleep on my new pillows.

That's it. My knee is improving, but still bloody painful, so I am spending as much time as I can sat with my head in book.

Let's do lunch

I had invited Grandad Jack over for lunch today.

I hadn't seen the old bugger for a few months and felt it was time to catch up on his latest news.  30% is also very fond of the curmudgeonly old sod, and hadn't seen him in an age, so she too was keen to catch up.

Now Jack has fairly recently been given the all clear after surgery and chemo/radio therapy following the discovery of a tumour in his neck. He has made a fantastic recovery, but still has difficulty with eating solids.

Under normal circumstances I would have prescribed a home cured bacon sandwich, which will heal anything, but I was aware that Jack is not yet ready for anything that substantial.

I therefore got busy in the kitchen this morning and cooked up a pan of cream of tomato soup. It was well seasoned with plenty of garlic and black pepper, and a heavy handed glug of double cream added a richness to the tasty soup.

Jack turned up at lunch time and we had a splendid few hours chatting and catching up on each others' news. The soup was a big hit, and he even went for a second helping.

We made sure he went home well provisioned, sending him off with another portion of soup, eggs, honey and a jar of crabapple jelly.

When he sent a WhatsApp thank you message, he advised that he had scrambled a couple of our eggs and had them with a slice of hot buttered toast for his supper. He actually managed to eat the toast, which was the first time he had eaten bread since his operation.  We were both quite touched that he attributed this dietary milestone to the quality of our eggs ... Bless him!

So that was my Friday.

I also found time to wander up to the orchard and remove the obsolete brood box from hive #2.  There were still a few bees clustering in the brood box, so my use of a clearer board was, at best, only partially successful.  I shook the remaining bees in to the brood box and reassembled the hive with a feeder positioned above the crown board.  I made up about four litres of syrup and poured this into the feeder towards the end of the day.

Bailey Frame Change completion

It is now twenty one days since I relocated hive #2's queen bee to the upper brood box as part of the Bailey Frame Change process.  All of the brood in the lower brood box has now hatched, which means that the lower brood box, with its dirty old comb can be removed, without impacting the number of bees in the  colony.

The first thing I needed to do was to place the upper brood box on a new hive floor, and then check through the frames. There were plenty of bees and stores, and the brood nest now seems to be spread across three frames. I didn't see the queen, but the presence of brood indicates that she is in there and laying. 

Next I removed the lower, now obsolete, brood box from the hive stand, and replaced it with the brood box that houses the queen. I now had two options. I could attempt to shake the bees from the obsolete brood box in to the chamber with the queen, or use a clearer board to separate the two brood boxes, and hope the bees move down out of the obsolete box overnight. 

I went with the latter option, and will see whether it was effective tomorrow.  I will also start to feed hive #2 tomorrow, once I complete the consolidation to a single brood box.

I then went on to check hives #1 and #3. Both hives are in great condition. The bees look really healthy and have plenty of syrup stored for the winter. They are already starting to cap off the stored syrup, which indicates that every thing is heading in the right direction. I spotted both queens, and I also noticed that almost all of the drones have now been excluded from the hives ... the bees know that the summer is over.

During this morning's Apiary inspection I heard Phil the Postie sound his van horn. Phil is, understandably, a little nervous of Wilson,* and this is his signal that he has post for us. On hearing the horn I started to jog from the Orchard to the front of the house. En route I managed to twist my knee and ended up limping up to take receipt of the parcel.**

I don't know what I've done to my knee, but it is really bloody painful. I spent the remainder of the day resting the injury. The knee has been strapped and plenty of painkillers have been consumed.  I abandoned any thoughts of fishing with Bubbles and did little other than read.

I really hope it is not as severe as it feels at the moment.

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* He is a lovely dog, but is incredibly territorial. Let's just say that he is a big softie if you know him, but a snarling, leaping maniac if you're a stranger!

** It turned out to be some Knapweed seeds purchased as a gift for 30%

Rain stopped play

First job of the day was to pour a couple of litres of syrup in to the feeders on hives #1 and #3.  We both then ventured in to the vegetable garden. 

30% continued with the removal of the runner bean vines, which were cut down and taken up to the orchard for composting. The bamboo teepees were dismantled and tucked out of the way in the carport roof space. 

I grabbed a hand fork, a bucket and a kneeling pad, and set to weeding around the leeks and back towards the area, recently occupied by the beans.  As we did this the breeze freshened and dark clouds appeared on the horizon.

Showers were forecast and I really didn't fancy being on my hands and knees in the veg patch in a cloud burst. I did, however, really need to get my Spring Cabbage planted out. These had been sown at the end of July, and were just about ready to be put in the earth alongside my row of Savoys.

I grabbed a watering can, a trowel and a length of string, and soon had a new row marked out. I only had ten Durham Early plugs to plant out, and forty minutes later they had been firmed in to the soil. 30% assisted with getting the row netted,* and now I just need to keep them watered and weed free over the coming months.

The showers arrived in the early afternoon and were quite frustrating.  They didn't produce a great amount of rain, but they made everything too wet to continue weeding or mowing. Actually that's now quite true ... 30% persuaded me to take the Beast up to the orchard and mow over the runner bean vines. I can report that these have been chopped in preparation for composting and I also had a trial mow of the orchard.**

This evening we headed out to the Palace Theatre in Redditch for a comedy club night.  We had a great time and were surprised and delighted to discover that the star act was Ed Byrne.  We have seen Ed on many occasions over the years and never tire of his anecdotes.

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* The butterfly numbers are now declining, but the bloody pigeons will destroy them, given the chance.

** It looks a little better. I need a dry couple of days to get it tidied up before the wet weather sets in.

Medical Stuff

 After several months of mostly waiting,* today was the day that 30% had her consultation with her Neurology Specialist.  It was also the day that I needed to visit the dentist's to have a crown fitted.

Basically it was a day of medical stuff.

30%'s appointment wasn't until late in the morning, so I spent the first couple of hours pruning the ornamental crab apple in the front garden. I had just about finished, when it was time to tidy myself up and head over to the hospital with her ladyship.

The consultation was informative, but, unfortunately, not definitive.  Medications were revised with the aim of countering some of her symptoms, and she has been referred for surgery to deal with her severe carpal tunnel syndrome. A course of physiotherapy has also been proposed. 

It seems that her problems may well relate to a birth defect, and she has been referred on to Specialists at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham.  There is no guarantee that the ROH will proscribe further treatment, so it seems she is on another waiting list, and, in the meanwhile,  just needs to manage her symptoms.

This might sound rather negative, but we actually see it as positive. There were no mentions of tumours or new conditions. It seems likely that this stems from a condition that she has had all of her life, and management of symptoms may well be the way forward.

The consultation was obviously the most significant new of the day.

We returned home, and I then headed off for my dental appointment. I stopped off at the feed store on the way home, and picked up a bag of layers pellets.

I arrived home close to three o'clock, had a late lunch, and then had a snooze on the sofa.

The late afternoon was spent moving the crab apple prunings to the bonfire in the orchard and mowing the grass in front of the garage.

As afternoon became evening we headed down the lane with the dogs for a rather pleasant walk.

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* The wait for Nerve Conductivity tests and an MRI scan were ridiculous, especially taking in to account the fact that I was given an MRI in less than a fortnight when I was checked out for possible prostate cancer earlier in the year.

Getting my steps in

After yesterday's brief outing with the mower, my plan for today was to get the lawns mowed at the front and back of the house.

I needed the early morning dew to dry off, so it was convenient that 30%, first, wanted to drop off a roll of fabric and some seat cushions at an upholsterer in Cropthorne.

This little run out, actually consumed most of the morning, as we had stopped off at Goll's Nursery on the way home. 

I did, however, find time to run the mower around the back lawn before we had lunch.

The afternoon saw me out at the front of the cottage dealing with the front lawn. I am really pleased at how a couple of weeks of light showers and quick run over the lawns with the mower has made the place look a lot tidier.  The harsh, hot, dry Summer had not been kind to the garden!

So, that was Monday. I seemed to walk a long way without going anywhere, but the garden now looks cared for. 

The problem is that I keep seeing little jobs that need to be attended to ... The ornamental crab apple at the front really does need pruning.

It's finally growing again

Saturday wasn't entirely taken up with showing veg. I did find twenty minutes to put feeders on Hives #1 and #3. I poured a couple of litres of syrup in to them, and closed up the hives.* 

So that was yesterday, now on to today.

This morning I did something that I haven't done for months** ... The recent showers have had an amazing effect on the lawns and the brown, parched turf has greened up incredibly quickly.  They haven't completely recovered. There are still brown patches, and the new growth is quite thin, but they look a lot better than they have since late Spring.

I decided it was time to drag out the lawn mower and tidy them up a little.  I am hoping that a light trim will encourage the grass to shoot from the base, and thicken out the sward.

I didn't get very far with my mowing, but I did manage to tidy up the grass paths around the tomato greenhouse and veg patch. I also finally pruned the cooking apple tree that sits by the gateway to the orchard.  

I have had to duck under  a couple of branches every time I head up to check on the bees or chickens, and now we are getting rain I get a regular drenching from the foliage too.  It's a little thing, but my walk to the orchard is now much easier.

Late in the mooring I got a call from the Opticians. They advised that my varifocals were ready for collection, so I abandoned the mower and headed in to Alcester to pick them up.

So that was my morning. Amongst all of that, I also managed to make up another four litres of sugar syrup, which will be fed to the bees, once it has cooled sufficiently.

TP arrived just before lunch for a flying visit. He had spent Saturday in Nottingham with his mother, celebrating her birthday, and had decided to call in for lunch and a catch up. We had a lovely couple of hours exchanging news and we even managed a walk down the lane with the dogs.  

He headed home midway through the afternoon and we returned to our Sunday pottering. 

I checked the two hives and both colonies had each taken two litres of syrup down in to the hives. I added another couple of litres to each feeder and made a mental note to buy more sugar.

As the afternoon turned to evening, our thoughts turned to supper. 30% really fancied tomato soup, so I was persuaded to don my virtual apron and knock up a batch of soup.

So that was Sunday, I see a lot more mowing over the next few days!

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* It's not good practice to disturb the colonies too often, so this activity was done swiftly, with minimal impact on the bees.

** I checked, and the last time I mowed the lawns was on the 10th June. That was the back lawn. I hadn't mowed out the front since the 25th May.