tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649287062050493912024-02-07T03:03:43.743+00:00A Little IslandFlohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-27558370141705015052011-08-30T10:00:00.005+01:002011-08-30T10:23:20.234+01:00My First Foray into MushroomsWhere I walk the dog every day at the moment there is a large alder tree, and one day I spotted that it had a beautiful fungus growing on it. It seemed to have come up over night - unlikely, although I can't believe I missed it because it is so bright! I did some research and found out that it is Chicken of the Woods, aka the Sulphur Polypore, or Laetiporus sulphureus.
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<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646576355794106338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOuMhJi3I6Qsnp2VT0cW63nabQxbEDAypS02eMyfMollGmmtU4la7kZMQFgs0onjLfvKNXVDd3E_Hq6YG-hpDqe_7KDsViF9uT_woiHCVB9td3SUg93wAmVzaMKjrJxfUix8V3OUhedY/s320/IMAG2139.jpg" />
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<br /><div>Apparently this is an unmistakable mushroom,even for the completely unexperienced mushroom-forager, like me. All the signs were right - the fact it was growing on a deciduous tree, its colouring (including the waves of colour around the edges), the shape and size, its suede-like surface and meaty, fibrous texture, the fact that instead of gills, it has small pores, and the time of year.</div>
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<br /><div>Not for nothing is it called Chicken of the Woods. It is edible, apparently very pleasant (although it is better to eat the younger parts of the fungus, as the older parts can be crumbly and dry). When I peeled off a few younger lobes I was surprised by how much its inner texture resembled cooked chicken. Anyway, I brought a small amount home to try, as apparently, although edible, it doesn't agree with everyone, and it is better to try a small amount first.</div>
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<br /><div>Anyway, Mammabert sauteed it in olive oil, with garlic, and made sure that it was well cooked. She didn't really want to try it, but she did. She said it wasn't unpleasant but I don't think I will manage to persuade her to sample it again. I loved it however. It was mild-flavoured, perhaps with a slight citrussy tang, and its meaty texture reminded me of Quorn. I don't eat Quorn because a) if I don't want to eat meat, it seems odd to eat something that is produced to almost exactly resemble meat in appearance and texture, and b) it uses battery eggs, and c) I don't really like it. But I really liked this Chicken of the Woods. Like natural Quorn, but nicer, with a lovely woody smell when raw. </div>
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<br /><div>Anyway, that was my first ever wild mushroom experience, and I haven't died yet. I did a lot of research, both on the internet and in books, before I even touched the mushroom. I recommend getting a book on Mushrooms - I've been using the Collins Gem Mushrooms, and Collins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms and Toadstools. The first one is a pocket guide with clear guidelines as to what is edible and what isn't. The Collins Complete doesn't tell you anything about whether a mushroom is edible/poisonous, but has really good descriptions and photographs to help you identify. The River Cottage handbook on mushrooms is also good, although I find the fact that it is split into two sections - one each for edible and poisonous mushrooms - a bit daft, as if your average person sees a mushroom, they have no idea which category it fits into. The Collins guides are more accessible in that the fungi are grouped according to family and appearance.</div>
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<br /><div>Anyway, that was my first wild mushroom foraging experience! I found it really good fun, but please don't use this blog as the only identifier for Chicken of the Woods. Get a good book or two, research on the internet, and even ask someone you know who is an experienced mushroomer. I'm a novice, so don't take my word for it on its own. </div>
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<br /><div>Disclaimer done. Enjoy mushrooming!</div></div>
<br />Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-45360170310435996302011-08-03T18:57:00.008+01:002011-08-28T11:05:29.429+01:00Pen y Fan Whimberries
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<br /><div>Mamabert lives in Wales now and I am down for the summer. Today we went to Pen y Fan to admire the scenery and also to indulge in a seasonal treat - whimberries. Today was our first time ever picking whimberries and now I feel properly Welsh ;)
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<br /><div>Whimberries (aka whortleberries, in England, also bilberries, blaeberries, wild blueberries...the list goes on) are small and blue and taste kind of like blackcurrants but without being so sour and bitter. They grow on a scrubby little bush up on the mountains among the grasses and the heather. The juice turns your fingers (and your tongue!) a lovely purple.
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<br /><div>Here are our whimberriesin what was going to be a traditional whimberry and apple tart (in Wales a tart is always a tart, even when it's a pie, or so I am told), but that turned out to have all kinds of fruit in it...it was delicious and the whimberries were little balloons of sweetness.</div>
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<br />Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-28814140835400865872011-07-02T14:07:00.008+01:002011-07-02T14:19:13.435+01:00New Bee-Extracting MethodThe last post was apicture of us taking a wild colony from a barn wall cavity. It would have been a much easier experience if we had had our new piece of equipment which we tried out earlier this week!
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<br /><div>We'd heard about people using a hoover to literally suck up bees before, but had never tried it. So when Dad got a call about a swarm in the roof of someone's 200-year-old originally-tiled bay window, he hopped onto the internet and knocked up this contraption out of a brewing bucket!</div>
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<br /><div>We took it round to the swarm on Wednesday and it worked really well. We found that using the lowest suck worked perfectly - it sucked the bees up without hurting them. In the end we couldn't get the whole colony - inside the roof was a maze of nooks and crannies and even home to an old wasp nest - but it's nice to know that the bee hoover works and we have thought about how to make better use of it next time. But for a first attempt - it worked really well!</div>
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<br />Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-19807512673383769062011-07-02T13:29:00.005+01:002011-07-02T14:06:48.461+01:00Old Bee VideoThis is how we collected the original wall hive, who is now at Dave & Vicky's with its descendants.<br /><br />Thursday 11 June 2009<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyAe4ukRndccOT005s73Hlo7ON13VOprnY8VVy5UjNncnCWh52EH2jgzp0KogVK4C3EwMk3yz8fZs8lZ7Mk' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><br /><p></p>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-36454541243830698912011-06-27T14:53:00.021+01:002011-06-27T16:05:28.449+01:00SummerJune has been quite an unsettled month here in terms of weather - we've had scorching heat and very cold downpours! So it hasn't been the best month for the bees, especially as it is the June gap, but our hives are all doing well fortunately.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This post is a catch-up session about our latest antics and a celebration of the English countryside in summer :)<br /><br /><br /><br />To start with I should mention a fantastic microscopy workshop that my beekeeper's association organised at the beginning of the month. It was a really excellent day and we were led through the processes of identifying acarine and nosema by our regional bee inspector and two experts from the National Bee Unit - long way to come! It was a fantastic day. I learned to dissect bees in order to check for acarine - a delicate operation that involved removing the head, front legs and 'collar' of a dead bea to reveal its trachea. I managed to get a couple of good dissections and although I'm not sure how often I will have to use this skill I learned such a lot about the anatomy of the honey bee and the beauty of its construction. We also mashed bees up to release their stomach juices, from which we could detect nosema. Using the compound microscopes for this let us see not only the nosema but also some beautiful pollens! I think I was able to tell the very subtle difference between nosema apis and nosema ceranae at one point, although of course it could have been my imagination. Either way, a fascinating exploration of the honey bee and I learned s much about good disease management also. I now have a taste for microscopy, and have ordered a couple of books on the subject...who knows, maybe one day I'll get my microscopy certificate?<br /><br /><br /><br />Aside from the bees, the countryside has been absolutely stunning this year. Below are some pictures of a poppy field and a field of what I think is flax, both near our apiary site and both absolutely jaw-droppingly beautiful, the photographs hardly doing them justice.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622905385974098130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE32FSpbPJuW9LkIfSii_a31jdbNjUzPzN9nxUrCM6XfQT66Kfw4by1zeWWDGI7FcHDHYuTpzLMBKnv1qVzAaL6KaCEv9OJSxgJYoPSIiVcG4rU2k6nNvZj-D5aH51abO5VbOYMX6Bft8/s320/IMAG1511.jpg" /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622905401820344450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGipa1o4HTu6ZDy_CQxETi8RW78JoVs9rdQVb-d4R-hdBooFG2prZtx5anVTjRWLVQBz8Y_3SUaSLl5n8_5KgMsL27hSKXIUlRbjkoa1ziEYyUciJFBKQFsdB9FQ40Rwe0O4GqL3aXkE/s320/IMAG1520.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622905409041176482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdYFOqWXH_OZiOoxrsBy1LlKiMWS5LTHQev8WGxgnt-azowe8FH1uHWhjM5R_Yj6EkVZwyf4ScVBinT8DQUOook2vV9YwCkxuSnjw_yVwl9dtEdsOSy_CyxIsgqMnmw46dYYocyq2IxE/s320/IMAG1518.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622905416271104626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLkPyVSMF7CJnK8J5b8xaJW_sNDVmecDQR4bY3AwUioZexlSZ-s86gtpoAMY5W2ohBJXAboixuayNjg7IHvw29xNf-nfUQZ3iPkpO78tUVtPPttxv2ADTictV1E2WzPAI8Rd5hWTtTmc/s320/IMAG1521.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622909243145114146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWYfqkr4ag6UzTovp7kQHvdjj346v0Fd_rOdx5QAiXikAlPg9ahtUCqjv8swpW3UzmISbuFdRE1-bOfbIO5fgv5xS7_K8QksnqFOhfUO4v1JO9BM1TC9BBEAbgra1DY-tXlROa4DDX7k/s320/IMAG1530.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622909251987965666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmaeZ2t_pZhlO3Qkk-shKNo2YOL-Isj6hs_uZbNUMT-t4xm-9zZMnKnQBNd30uivKgQY5SK7hNCeTF1CYTbI1O7Q3N-xO8FTKzV8BQUVhD1g_fQUjx5bED8eCiqgHbJdzq3tTNh6LsUQ/s320/IMAG1529.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622909267630951874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXd0AWfDY5TwUvsz5ujest2XKx6SL_FGxyMNZP1C0II4cEZmxQk-c5cyzgx7E-yTQwcDkCZpnUiLIRawYa_ceyMVGT_bprms_jsNuRfH_hujtQI8ahyYZwEPfHG7Y95WCajop1JHQTsk/s320/IMAG1526.jpg" />A quick flit to the garden centre revealed some beautiful (and edible!) fuschias.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622909281980559314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3rsInewggWy7vqadVV0ipK_r8Do78F34sRpL1bPPdIuF-PBeIrvFHvIpxTF4cju7Z-soKIrPLssl8ZCpSjQn2_nlQbouoi9_Llcrj1erkUsDme98rDIlO6zZadNGO5M_fVxIcL25wWU/s320/IMAG1537.jpg" /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622909301033740914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhS0WsCjCWUL0tj3iIpT1Ra-Fqt52LRU2IetfjPC7ghmePNGjnIoT2KU_txx-g_f9kUze-VhNPdevqByD_WAsRHOIJqLSfASa_3HODgyTJ_Flicaze1UogxmN6k3__daUBj256tnr5FE/s320/IMAG1543.jpg" />And finally, I took the dog on one of my favourite walks and was absolutely struck by the beauty of nature that day. The poor dog felt somewhat neglected as I looked around me carefully, trying to look at the landscape from a Permaculture perspective. I could see that the hedgerows and edges of the woodland are naturally scalloped, a design feature that permaculturists often use on borders, and I was amazed that nature just does it naturally! Also the beauty of the chalk stream we visited was amazing. It was alive with tiny shrimp-like creatures and amazingly near to the water the forget-me-nots were still in flower, even when they have finished everywhere else! They made a very picturesque tangle with the watermint. The field around us was alive with insects and other life: a spider who had build her web in a curl in an iris leaf; dusty-brown butterflies and all different species of bees feeding off the drifts of clover; flies and hoverflies in unbelievable colours; slugs and snails in an array of shades from speckly green to dark, shiny black; mole hills; ladybirds - native ones! - feeding off clusters of aphids on the thistles; grasshoppers of every shape and size; an ant colony who had colonised an old mole hill; and every type of grass and ground-cover imagineable. The complexity of this eco-system was just stunning and what's more, it was so beautiful and tranquil.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622912933361278226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVkg18c2HUTKyKSdmJ0-qf2TTLNK1q_QOaFtcBOWGeSiIskUCgLo1xQuvS6TNqOo6iGSNvXD8ylIR_7YYCK5FSORnu2swLHRAs2yCuCt827sXSv-dAJ9dkqCTPIrI4pzZ7V82uaM3gyM/s320/IMAG1557.jpg" /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622912960297784450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFDAAW3YPouVGi2lkpXHXrEd4UAPvjQb22Sz8KleH2sFi44Zjlcxbj3JxE-pE_s8_9C1fu8b-NenpVDJ5ZgcPBBsPHNl36CuVP7fy_BPrKFCLlKUGXKFqL6JYm3m5vFC2tbW9nXRoBv8/s320/IMAG1576.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622912942446216002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblOSXyq1IcS6VV7DDUlQ1t23HaOlEbz8kpymTPGXcReA4-pfxpe7F4Nw5_D2LSyyBftJBadZDNUUOZ2n_kobQlLxFveM1-cc9yLyCPG_g8D9FIvvno_I4DLwoIEUAHa1w_2JlLLv4fvw/s320/IMAG1578.jpg" /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622912969455068002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjvIWcZ9OjYotFQb01omh3gZwsASU5NwbvfnTCCAvJ9B13aN0n8WK2stjfiSLjlUTPW7Qx1-cPnd2zRLeSIsYnZ1px4SGDm4pfiiOweRF7WCY6LBRONbdVlK9ivngE2T-kJLg4IqiAws/s320/IMAG1574.jpg" /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622912974904547538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPL_3xej4p7kCKJRtNaoNo9DY-JgnBbLxxjwhdWP69Mow3JprEQbVPXa0YRPkOkMAhDylRXCXXJ_U_Z-vl59s5r4FPms1ilr-J63G8phutthdIhj40OlFD9CVqRZKLi8yV3FI5_Kw2ZA/s320/IMAG1561.jpg" />Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-70691711828773947982011-05-28T18:39:00.006+01:002011-05-28T18:52:30.306+01:00Bees again!When we were harvesting our honey, eventually our little extractor broke and so we borrowed our association's big elecctric extractor, and got the rest of our honey. We now have 4 gallons waiting to be bottled! The frames went back to the bees - we weren't very prompt and apparently they were quite grumpy for a day or two! They're full again now though, and have new boxes to fill with brood and stores and are getting on quite happily. <br /><div><br /><div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>We went to the other apiary today, the one where we haven't harvested any honey but where earlier in the month we did a huge split, had all those queen cells etc. We had 4 busy nucs where all the news queens have mated and are laying! The nucs have all now been moved into full sized hives (OSB's). They were big and strong enough and now have plenty to keep them occupied.</div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611825703378322050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nzqb4e0i-AVOm2Do6t9jDYHcOdmjYf9dS8ZD3rbAVZOggl2hXP6KG2eFc9YpsX3njBIm6oMEBbZaBtgzzwMDno9i-iruer_jn0PftjjG3G83ch68_tqGTVY8W6DreG8fTbM_QaGdL4s/s320/IMAG1480.jpg" /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>As for the other hives, we have 2, including the big swarm we caught, that are requeening themselves. One is completely lacking in anything looking remotely like a queen, but still has a large population, so we will unite them with another colony. The rest are all doing splendidly, and one of them was so full that we had to give them an extra box today.</div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611825707064529202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgE2NcAI0-Dl4qB_iOAru_gxclwO-mt1OkiALmSb7J8W8YFpXLAwgeIsGIoEcH_sYGmIDACpan9OrK7YlU8SRnZrEtQE_06xDcpzFg19GzUAqRlka59gjhyphenhyphenjpZJHXww_G8KmIgN3-EJE/s320/IMAG1479.jpg" /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>There's some lovely forage for them in their new apiary. Lots of clovers and wildflowers, and a huge field of beans and one with what looks like it might be phacelia just coming into flower. </div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611825710819774418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkATGVmIRulg9NUFRxbx72E0PQni3UiMt58AwW7wuz8MTN56s1UDGl-yqtt5Fpo61zByX1LrR9i7kBEC3LkEdPgxOdtTesuCP7UnJmNnQN0jAzZ6l4fblKR1D0tTl4yBSEbKce9saMNTg/s320/IMAG1485.jpg" /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Altogether a successful beekeeping session, lovely to know that our homemade queens are up and running! Definitely the most successful requeening - natural or otherwise - that we have ever managed!</div></div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-64215814364917844082011-05-22T12:46:00.011+01:002011-05-22T13:32:44.850+01:00Honey Harvest<div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div>There is nothing better than enjoying honey made by your own bees!</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We started our honey harvest yesterday! Dad has already harvested 9 frames from another hive, but yesterday we went up to harvest from the Four Winds bees, which are the ones that you can see living in a barn wall on the video blog (changing this soon, for the moment you can see it <a href="http://alittleisland-tv.blogspot.com/">here</a>).</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>One hive was queenless, so we gave it a frame of new eggs from the other so that they can make an emergency queen. Apparently there are lots of hives going queenless at the moment, possibly due to the very cold winter we've just had. However, we were still able to harvest a whole box from that hive, and two boxes from the other! (We don't use a super and broodbox system; we use One Size Boxes, hence why I say 'box'). Both hives have huge populations and are quite lively without being aggressive - very very lovely bees, and very hard working. The photos below show Dad and the bees' very devoted landlords/uncle+aunt Dave and Vicky having a look.</div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609514742945651234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2MRoVMBEzbXbqiFHpha3_wVAvTdG7uYlDDWUWh_rHFWSLH38D-E2EXB6IyIQegDZGblQSRgIDN8ZoU5NEZFML84yiQOt5oXyBJ5OvMyPsrIkDMxqOiBLtM-x0yqu7TFB22zTx6tMvmE/s320/IMAG1412.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609514748204673266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-yVJTqXP__JIA5UHlwqyA7XEWrEI-DUA69TNyI6eWl3kZWCd7FZ2KL_8tYtVPVMBlxHol4SvuDgYgBKzjNYzcnbVzB8q20A64joP_b3dOdu1Y4qcJr4TPXk-ufX9SPe4hBCenxGsI7U/s320/IMAG1413.jpg" /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>So, we have harvested 36 frames full of honey, and each box of 12 frames has so far given us a gallon of honey! We still have one box left to extract, and then when we press the honey out of the cappings using our cider press we may get a little more! But at the moment we have 2 gallons already, from one hive alone!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609514765975153618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcbaTYIKZX1pMQGiygFxBsKU2eVOsnxh99tOf15Le8A2rSl78xq7gbekec9Cep7DuYuvtnZCXI7YP3zzdg1Ynl5q55oPGICJ4LBM_DeyYOGuz4Eda9TRMsVgz57IUc-BcQvY66cejSrs/s320/IMAG1438.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609514758946581858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMg1A9niftjk8gHahX0XGQZFRzFGlK-GVtU-R5CoSMzidNQcJ3TxD_fQOxpTEG3Y4JIPDDZwYoTsQ8pkaKy9gBI2B1w5vOP-H_REiZv9AGTCzMf3EWRQGw7mX3muIY5MrJ_8JobfcCHc/s320/IMAG1435.jpg" /></div></div><br /><div>^ Uncapping</div><br /><div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>This is quite an early harvest, because the bees have been collecting from Oil Seed Rape, which is a spring crop and the honey of which crystalises very quickly - therefore, we have harvested early to make sure that we can actually get it out of the comb. It's a pale, light honey, not the floweriest flavour but pleasant enough and lovely and sweet. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609515211166169634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPv4Vj0egipxsv9mfj6x0YDOsW2Hn-5xzmnY5NpfWL-VYz2X7OuAzXbAlzOFqtHSpitrj8gC5z3_UnE2yqq2Y0kdLmwOz5yc6x_wDjPzBS5sszRP7YQmgPFQziK7jo1zVmQgBU1AtNAg/s320/IMAG1440.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609515215648440562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrxjpoyJY_SQvDZDlwVY1DeSfaONOZLU6klSkFGDnOsx2X37DG-OIkUzyIBbPPel8ZzgDmFG_96mzp08VzUrpkGep80-HvT0qpXz6-gg4iW_2fS0z5sPcqoeNMLtylt1-mmEX_Q5yJqY/s320/IMAG1442.jpg" /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>So at the moment we are just spinning out the honey in our old extractor that is gradually falling to bits. Hopefully though we will sell enough honey this year to be able to buy a brand new electric extractor! That's the plan. And for the moment the old one is doing the job!</div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609514768245471138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThu99hmu4-EV8cfNYRxtA4YqN8x6xTRudZP6O_UVbWVUs5dw_17BQYBB_cuIRyoV0DeLf1MS3zZWzVSNwk5CJh8phUE7_nDJ6bhY60zbR7P5Xz9V0AHIqChGCNown0JRZaFOMKp5Tjkk/s320/IMAG1432.jpg" /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-33212281443567327082011-05-14T20:10:00.002+01:002011-05-14T21:05:14.024+01:00Giving Birth to a New Queen<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxwiGQAdYX_cGYcMXYf_vMejGXZjzvXG5u3EVCZA5UKreR7vSI4pLa0IPwGdlWiWum8_8avTP4hjOiRwQCr' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-58774510786468312242011-05-14T19:13:00.002+01:002011-05-14T20:10:12.970+01:00Shaking the Swarm into a Box<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyJKVfqhrrDZrBjvP9hLaB9BnkaoHHN31SHHpGGQQTSpmo4AamMRQx8sRMwe5t26dEGXHi4AxNb9KYz9kY' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-79079207826372230882011-05-14T18:04:00.004+01:002011-05-14T19:13:03.471+01:00Chasing the Swarm<p><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwnZUjbdRFh8efgkprO_nxX8AwcmyFgRjuyGWK6c-tLkWouAb-92SgPoyPPHS6iOnoqNJCZhAKK0sPPyaLD' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><br /><p>Sorry that it's the wrong way up, I will try and rectify this at some point!</p>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-57633861866685074772011-05-14T17:30:00.003+01:002011-05-14T18:04:08.313+01:00Bees, on the day they went Beserk<p><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyTK1bYq2J42YtYHT5-Jzo4kJKYx2VHQV1dmlsOC6Y8OMEk_bPXDyHkwTKmomZprRuMdE2ezDt8HQ7Y5tsy' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><br /><br /><p></p>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-67880406508440058492011-05-14T17:12:00.007+01:002011-05-14T17:24:30.999+01:00BeesYesterday we went to see how the bees are getting on. We have one mating nuc that seems to be working, and spotted 4 new queens. At the moment they don't seem to be laying, but we're giving them a bit more time to get mated. All but one of the colonies are looking pretty strong!<br /><br /><div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606608047073176306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-1KHcMc0v6kV-AaKA9CX8uhAiobk0SeHDto8nOrz1YP9kQKacrqYUkqzzIwr4BnLreaX8Es32Kb6E3_i60PVuWUcak8IXbt9JQfMsJlf2UToQBfh6VXSbSKtNq3UKS_OgXj4cP_anyc/s320/IMAG1389.jpg" /></div><br /><div>Just as we were finishing up, however, I spotted a cluster of bees in the hedge. It was a pretty big cluster! Obviously a swarm. So we shook them into a spare box and now have another good sized hive! They'd begun to build comb in the hedge, and quite a bit of it, so had obviously been there a while. It's possible they're even the swarm we lost last time!</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606606821555546498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NhHzIEUCft0BkZyiUglNmhcn5QwYXnIy2CQZoTGkhai8vJbagDhyphenhyphenv-3uNLrmaulQYC8_8qWtwOV4Woip6VRRIqPYadBZiAM5eA3a7B7tnriduUucmcpMFNHq-vDlocTYCzA7E248CaQ/s320/IMAG1380.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606606815340158386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIORlR8fMAQOK5U6QuxF0thWIj7DvNT64AwkZU9A8dhX1SlWr5mqwuxKf_YtAnLyDsfMxv5G69PDhwwnUumJOoDJ2nWE6eEwAo419vJO7yEKCTO-3o0EQvYpZSS6UBH2Z8-t85rAtBe4/s320/IMAG1378.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606606812492365314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31yyERb-qWeVlVx1zOYDDNjofQbxJHRh50s1bjOdR1JRshRGhM9cQUVTi_1LK-j9ox9MF7SPZSpct7expHSbmaWoeuzd8lITghlF5ZsYgejaqWgv2tUd5ASXj28GXObudFu7UsbrStWg/s320/IMAG1379.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606608052445719634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0X9vEgvv7Z8cge9cQhXE9RW2kowHgzMFNFCWdVRt_31VjAXExwy8GV_cIuGItX6A32uV_MYAwfxgxYALyN_WcHH_aW4HEE9QXK8taOMcmpTK_Ge9afBjLoIXWYNekjFR4XM_kUq8VUO4/s320/IMAG1392.jpg" /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-90536915556978216402011-05-02T18:39:00.008+01:002011-05-02T19:20:34.576+01:00Bees gone Bonkers...Yesterday was my first time beekeeping this season! My Dad has been a couple of times before this and is crazily making up frames and boxes at the moment as we are still converting to One Size Boxes, and it turns out we need much more equipment than we thought we did, and here is why!<br /><br /><div><br /><div><br /><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602183595787669810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKKNPv666aqz6Ee-75TlSHIDkRwnEkhS1_HkMW5ZAlO_PkHywA5nBr_ldIG2x9RxWkd39NmP4o9XN04_N4Tu65OqaOxs6qY63w6DPguh1hsB2_FUUVt3KQmjvRzP-GS_GUxxGFJaQ4S8/s320/IMAG1334.jpg" /></div><br /><br /><div>^ The apiary as it was!</div><br /><br /><div><br /><div>We went to visit a couple of hives we have in our new apiary. Dad had already seen them and one of them he knew was doing really well. They filled a national broodbox, 2 OSB's and a super (and no queen excluder - don't need to use one when you're using OSB's). We were checking on our honey harvest when we spotted a maturing queen cell. We went through the whole hive, and found 27 queen cells in it, with around 14 on one frame alone. 27 in one hive!!</div><br /><div><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602183602588271666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKoJkvCX9tHqdelJD1yuq1lUYi-XWS0XiLViFEdGBh8f9zzl54roteSSizJHhvJ-M9_p70uiOtfivgdwlBE_JRxrIdKcnGEnE7-xYcfHCUIAinoQ1GCO1jXn48IAgizRNR4RX20kVKwM/s320/IMAG1329.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602183590676280242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21fV_1Pb7IKeIZCFGIoy-3HVxjgMDtmV6cX6DiUHwR9T59S-XT9p1SkkvG53GytGXz5OWSR9pu2a6taNFwJM5GCRmWZN3JVns0xqp31oqeFK1jkETY1Lijtt8YSU75H9GXnT6RYzsuhA/s320/IMAG1330.jpg" /><br /><br /><div>^ A queen cell</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>They were clearly on the brink of swarming, and with that number of cells could have swarmed in casts, and we don't want to lose most of our bees and honey, so we had to act quickly! Some cells were already emerged... We tried breaking one or two cells to kill the developing queens, but instead it turned out that the queens were pretty much ready to hatch and were fully formed and wriggly! We caught them in cages, luckily, while we decided what to do.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>We began splitting the hive off, effectively doing an artificial swarm on a big scale. But we didn't have all the equipment with us, so Dad drove off to go and pick some up.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>Meanwhile, I was enjoying the sunshine when the buzzing got louder. I looked behind me and there was a cloud of bees - they were swarming right before my eyes! They drifted slowly down the length of the hedge, 2 - 3 metres in the air. I was running frantically after them - I had no equipment and there wasn't much I could do anyway, but I was trying to make sure I knew where they went so we could catch them when Dad came back. It was an amazing experience, as several times I was right in the heart of the swarm! Unfortunately though they flew over the hedge and away after a while, and despite my graceful attempt at crawling through the hedge, we had to abandon that one.<br /></div><br /><br /><div>However, when we got back to the hive the population size was still huge! We carried on with our splits, giving birth to a couple of other queens, and eventually we had everyone split off and with a few queen cells each and some stores. We went from having 2 hives in that apiary to having 9 there in one afternoon (including a little mating hive)! And they're all fairly decent sized!<br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We thought we'd done alright - pretty much averted disaster. But there was one nuc that was concerning - the one with 14 cells on one frame. We couldn't take out a few queens because we'd run out of cages. So Dad went back today with Pabi Bach to make a queen bank (the cells in little springy cages used for queen rearing and breeding) and to capture a few of the queens to put in further mating nucs. So fortunately, that nuc now has fewer queens, and we have lots of queens developing/getting ready to mate. We have offered them out to other beekeepers, to give them away. They're virgins but they clearly come from a hard-working, vigorous (and fairly docile) bloodline!<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602183610714535394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFB6oS9pGQnnCkcR1R9Z5sSQSmNNXQrkhFL7LELF-RuawhD1_kUptcmk9XfD8VdnGs52D70vZLEQph65uDgD5b8Iqdxuofnsxt0N-WSk4BmeIVh8LVPngQ8BQ4FZoVKtFNs7DcdvYtmA/s320/IMAG1339.jpg" /></div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>^ Frames of stores and some caged queens waiting for new homes to arrive!</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>It's been very exciting this weekend, and despite the fact that the last time I went beekeeping I ended up throwing up and unable to stand or breathe I'm no longer afraid. I didn't get stung but I was surrounded by clouds of bees with my veil unzipped...yes, I am reckless, but you only live once, and I do love my bees!</div></div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-62244185415442279422011-04-17T20:17:00.007+01:002011-04-18T14:53:19.598+01:00Permaculture Magazine and Flowers & Birds, etc.Thanks Crafty Green Poet for your kind comment on the last post. <br /><br />Just been reading Rebecca Hosking's blog on the Permaculture magazine site (<a href="http://www.permaculture.co.uk/search/node/Rebecca%20Hosking">here</a>). Very interesting article on holly. Lots of holly around where my mum lives in Wales, and we have a big shrub in the front garden, and it's nice to know that there are some brilliant uses for such a common plant that I once thought was only for decoration (and wildbird food - they love the berries, particularly the blackbirds). The Permaculture magazine site (<a href="http://www.permaculture.co.uk/">here</a>) is full of inspiring stuff. Check it out! <br /><br />Also been reading the magazine, and considering whether to buy Sepp Holzer's new book about his permaculture practice. He's a self-taught expert, absolutely inspiring guy. But I have no money, and want to invest in a LegMaster (probably not terribly eco-friendly, but at least it doesn't plug in and waste leccy, like so much gym equipment), so it will have to wait. Holzer's hugul beds - big sloping raised beds full of organic matter - are a really interesting idea, and one that when (in a million years) I have my dream permaculture smallholding I will definitely try. Highly recommend Permaculture mag - always something interesting, and full of really inspiring articles by inspiring people, who are practising permaculture in all different ways and on all scales. Reading the magazine is like connecting with like-minded people and sharing good ideas and exciting news. Every issue brings a smile to my face and renews my optimism for the Big Scary Future. <br /><br />The garden is looking lovely, I will post pics tomorrow. Birds singing at the tops of their voices - pigeons getting jiggy with it on our roof, and sparrows nesting under the eaves for another year. Things are in flower - forget-me-nots, violets, lilacs, the viburnums have just finished, aubretia, dandelions (NOT a weed, NEVER a weed! Tortoise fodder!), currant bushes, primroses, citrus bushes just forming litte creamy-white buds...and every apple tree we own (around 13, I think) is just popping its magenta buds to reveal beautiful snowy white blossoms. I predict a bumper crop this year. <br /><br />Pabi Bach and I went for a walk today along a canal, too. Lovely weather. On our way there we saw a whole bank absolutely covered in cowslips, and along the canal the banks were studded with primroses and violets. I absolutely love these spring flowers. <br /><br />Interestingly the blossom has all been late this year. It means that we've all been having to keep on surviving the winter for a bit longer, but there are up-sides. For example, the bees are well and truly buzzing now, especially with today's warm weather, and the blossom being a bit late has meant that they get all the benefit of it.Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-32120572323035080072011-03-06T15:57:00.003+00:002011-03-06T16:04:31.026+00:00Sunny but cold......but I have seen bumblebees, and yesterday even honeybees, all over the garden. They like the celandines, wild hellebores and crocuses, which are flowering at the moment. It's so nice to know that they are able to get out and start collecting.<br />This year we are leaving our spring inspection untl April, at the earliest! Our plan is to leave the bees alone much more this year. Dad has recently read Tim Rowe's 'The Rose Hive Method'. We have already switched over completely to OSB's (aka the Rose hive), but now we are going to adopt a bit more of his method, it seems. I haven't read it yet, but I have read a bit on the internet ages ago, when we first switched, and I know that Rowe's colonies are huge and never have to be fed on sugar. It obviously works for him, and it made sense to my dad, so we're going to try it! Watch this space!<br /><br />The frogs' mating season seems to have finished. A long line of clumps of frogspawn spans the shallow end of the pond. All the goldfish are now dead too, so hopefully we will have a bumper frog crop this year too!<br /><br />Yesterday we spent half an hour in the garden training our espalier apple trees. I have a feeling this might be the wrong time of year to do it, but they're such strong little trees, and doing so well - absolutely covered in buds - that I can't imagine it will do them any harm. They are beautiful, even when they aren't in leaf! And some are already meeting each other in the middle. And below them the primroses are in full flower....Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-44631902264974753032011-02-25T20:46:00.004+00:002011-02-25T21:01:48.583+00:00Another sure sign of spring...Pabi Bach took these pictures this evening. The frogs have been singing very loudly tonight...<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577734685752005954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCjkPJrFYcXud1C9fAmx_fqxJolYtIEikZX9aNKo6THbkXfeMUuuDEdkOXJL3vGfpWEET2J6PL1MygMNaqLZqnlAmfMfNrSclecrNMWyMToNi3XWn7Zn81pWS65d3E0r7MOY7qutYA1w/s320/P1090298.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577734691692828994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvckW6TqBmAD6gVtUOPCP-6gcEmW9lEae0nYSFt-hJ3jRUaxxXn_bIEAc9_WI45nSFAX06l580EyQ45NeRkDbH5iYi_U5JIgphApGZ92wISb6kFM6bLeOBzTFt2ooK_wuzWy7cxjSI9qA/s320/P1090307.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577734701384960194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuScdZmFZzaRSm0d6WWo6WQ3opMCkw9QO0E4tWOUPPOZjZpxmHVCHz8Me_vdsyTs_ABV-w8GqXUsiYmVP3y2vyIE29gkUxZ0xbN14eg13m7GN2WpZxZVBpasYxex62Qlf26KwEz-8Mno/s320/P1090305.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577734706480153554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZnNwWtlAF4WmbQlr3m75phSViGjYaRP0shsEK1vEa1tz2VSnG50nSUtxsOgV7BmCTM4xSm0n6t8M07wryNG0Ewjf462GiNg3-XTO1sAHEDFxHfWeyJ_x0ZVdbfWEfcLAoFrq0Zn0tes/s320/P1090315.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577734713761284258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7U_v2vZKiBiTB6_GJiGtV5zp2X2bVEirf5DKV8K2gzBhw3CxkUcvP8U2A9x8cyj-UhKF9PAMFwNj4DBxleTHtv4aUY0Pttq0lPh8_nzkR16GKgfTlcZArrgvHcs-Z6xDQhuxvDTk3zs/s320/P1090321.JPG" />Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-46144627935258554362011-02-20T13:50:00.008+00:002011-02-20T14:15:32.436+00:00More Spring Stuff including BeesThe viburnum bush that I photographed for the last post is now well and truly in flower. It's one of my favourite plants because it flowers so early and really heralds the end of winter. Also it has the most beautiful smell in the world, and is very pretty. And I love the fact that the blossom comes out before the leaves do! Here it is as it was when I photographed it earlier today. <div><div><div><div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575774769840919986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLhrOWGEm_pMPBfwTTDYO1JpadrMXgj9h3sIYpk3n4wZxZuS0f5opiu_GjAvvR2Lp80hbSpn1La3bRqNxp7RPdRQ72P6ZdinksjjuTsu-N11Ja966_xgvsrOM7l0S1Ei7hPAZT_wp3P4/s320/P1090284.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575774783235649746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzEJZRxiEYK6F88vogXTQyMkoPLj0uD210AL1D7RBYwjf6FmL49GzYQTXf5nEj8FHi_6kYuQQ405NrSEIwbZWvCOI4pXEQ_UZZItwKesUqDCmoDqBEItGpWP5QxJOREfmfdgalZyf8u4/s320/P1090286.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575774784627956610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LQFNaR2lw866HeDsLbCmZ2zqPF2Fi6t-fElwQl5zCxcx_It5ETJ2XXi1UQ_3Ce2Xsa3LKzgxVTaUXTCRNzVso7dLdS0o73zCmnRLoJ_LXrksWsJTz3Yel7ZRfeC2Uc4tO7Q2wwBH4hQ/s320/P1090289.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575774778268897938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcl4AcCOBsKwUv473hnbsXSFvuPWgFL-A5zwfa4mSRQlXzrPob6G5zuVgLdup77PlQ3vhmzqJ9_747ov8CznvjuhB34CtYGn8t8zwI4fvhtb_3uGfWzgIMXMbbHEyBrqYddnPpNh1GW_g/s320/P1090272.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575774772345173554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KhMU_SWf92yeBswQtmDx4CVWyn92tJvihHov4Z6IFTNpSpmY8I37t5JVwLzdJcI2zB9Lvn-tJQpLRmVu4k1tFU6V6bAQc2axuzjeE7rAZqqU7L1RHB15XfGlwnaeiveCZZk2f5S_CSQ/s320/P1090275.JPG" /><br /><br /><div></div><div>Apart from this and the other little spring things I couldn't help but stick in above, the bees are being prepped for another year. I haven't been to see them yet, but Dad has. There have been a couple of warm sunny days recently when other people we know have seen their bees flying, but we haven't been to see ours on a warm sunny day yet. Therefore we haven't opened them up yet - still way too cold - but Dad has checked on all 3 hives. One is looking very fragile, and he says that it probably won't make it as it is so weak. He still fed it though, so they have a chance. The other two however - a nuc and a full OSB - are thriving!! Apparently they have wintered very well and are still very populous colonies! All three hives have had some runny syrup and some commercial pollen patty, and hopefully these will give them a really strong start to the season.</div><div></div><br /><div>We have also splashed out on a new style of feeder that we think might work (we haven't yet found one that suits both bees and humans!) and a queen rearing kit....so it promises to be an exciting year.</div><br /><div></div><div>But even more exciting is the fact that a while ago we went to a meeting with some other members of our beekeeping assoc to discuss natural beekeeping. It's really interesting to contrast different beekeeping methods, and some members of our association are even using Warre hives now. I'm very interested in all this. I reckon that the bees have been around for 6 million years doing fine, and it's only been the last century or so that they've started having real problems, i.e. with human intervention and our delightful inventions of pesticides, the rise of monocultures, etc. Coincidence? Probably not.</div><br /><div></div><div>It was a really enjoyable little meeting, although I was quite surprised by the air of rebellion - it felt almost as if we were meeting in an underground bunker discussing a very embarrassing problem or a secret outlawed religion, which would be frowned on by senior beekeepers who practice traditional beekeeping! I learned such a lot though. We were discussing how Warre and OSB hives work, and comparing them to more traditional hives and methods of beekeeping, as well as the importance of temperature and air flow in a hive, and colony balance (worker:drone ratio, e.g). But what most interested me was the fact that different plants give bees different pollens and carbohydrates. This seems like common sense, but I had never thought of it before. So bees need a varied diet, just like us humans. No wonder beekeepers in America who do the almond crop are having so much trouble with supposed-CCD - their colonies are just not getting the right nutrition.</div><div></div><br /><div>More evidence to support my suspicion of monocultures. Everywhere I look, particularly at this time of year, there is evidence that nature doesn't support monocultures. Everything is mixed up, and as permaculturists would argue, although it looks like a mess to us, it isn't to nature. Time maybe to start planning my horticultural purchases/indulgences for this year. I still haven't got my Nepalese raspberry... ;)</div><br /><div> </div></div></div></div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-27371760679525443972011-01-30T12:43:00.008+00:002011-01-30T13:06:01.532+00:00Spring is coming...<div>Today we have done our second lot of essential garden maintenance this year. Last weekend the bees were checked on - they are all still with us (touch wood) and guzzling their fondant (homemade recipe now perfected and coming soon to this blog!). I have been clearing out the dead stuff to make way for the new stuff, and in the process it was impossible to miss the signs of approaching spring...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567962098871615842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxQM3POrAMugwTMMGT8_jv0b4ZkoF7Nne_p3ZvlNgnUYnLGApTOBWipq-1ZrzDIPiaqs1O33ildZLJFEUZPskeeCfDYRUJ5dzm4bBPM0r16WhtoeYSdYSSYWoZq4ExHEULVWe09COb48/s320/P1090199.JPG" /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>^ Chicken sunbathing</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567962107756928850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF02vSUezB2K4zPvrj4g6OJDw8qtLs3UdN8BpUeo2_rfYWw2KyiOc0PAJ5fqDhw0n6QgVsAM0KIS9sCdNUUnaLLDMvzmgNOLWtnKZLCD_6WJ1X3DyLKiNa6qbJMgt9ZJBV48NxTt9bY4s/s320/P1090202.JPG" /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>^ the ducks going crazy and twittervated. The other day they were even trying (and failing) to fly. Bless them.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567962112778660914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76oymYeql3KvepI50IasqjzhTb-dckcbS2vhjptFXlSKP2vHV7zmWJY0rsUsxDg42JVyspOC9TFLDU-XoLutQdi_xWrJOsd1lHpzSJA_ISAsYsf0dfHMy_OtTtIHniXEaDQtgh65WWnU/s320/P1090205.JPG" /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>^ Some himalayan Viburnum coming into beautiful flower.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567962116916852354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1xM7qR-b7ILiWkVQe_JqlOemWyrgLqLKmfLAQViuGaFedocm51E5YQhpRokF3lfZKTJVlG-64A8U0s-PAyrSE_el9MnuXcx-Hy2U6YkUXLFH3b9kVSBwlkmkoOYAEflYHRL2IDR7k9Y/s320/P1090212.JPG" /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>^ Catkins on the hazel tree and a blue sky ^^</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567962121763641058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWiuTuU02w4RxDSzFJRWRx_zI0r7w6kCzTTRiliI8EWL__VcrL3DbrLxZNn1YWDEAynascfMb3A79hLm_Ki-wSwSQo6KSaQcHXAi3_Iodz2EuS5s7MqULxw2kujARAHAgjDxU_A-LKgI/s320/P1090259.JPG" /> </div><br /><div> ^ The first crocuses... </div><div><br /> </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567963973808077154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43E5cH1jd2f6xwf80iborrFrPPpU8qyjIQKPOtKUf5ZBuDQqrypSpMG-7SYf5Rs5Kv1UE_04VUpnnPOJ-MkYDSn4oqohFEoTyiy_2kVdm4Gk7ydtSwLyYBMFpH5Aw73Z3LNMElOMnqn0/s320/P1090261.JPG" /><br /> ^ ...and the first snowdrops.<br /><br /><div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-32780999152369163392010-11-09T19:21:00.003+00:002010-11-09T19:33:07.663+00:00More recycled dress<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigO42jbe6Dyvvy-rDzKoMjYkKfUlfRPZdyeJuFs_11eDoWeiFmTcs1Iip616O_VwTHx5_7chI6Ief5oLMEHOwDsG4SNzGYfiKw_8TrEOuBGNAy3KvMfoGiOZseFtgCU4dYjr5lxsvQrww/s1600/sdgjgfkjhfkjhfjf.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 191px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537632352440520354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigO42jbe6Dyvvy-rDzKoMjYkKfUlfRPZdyeJuFs_11eDoWeiFmTcs1Iip616O_VwTHx5_7chI6Ief5oLMEHOwDsG4SNzGYfiKw_8TrEOuBGNAy3KvMfoGiOZseFtgCU4dYjr5lxsvQrww/s320/sdgjgfkjhfkjhfjf.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>The dress has worked out really well so far, and I still haven't used most of the fabric - should be enough to make a nice poufy skirt.</p><p>The really great thing about recycling textiles is that there is so much you can do with them. Any off-cuts from the dress can be spun into a yarn, used to strenthen some felt or can go to Mammabert for her to hook into a rug. And if it all goes wrong you can use it to stuff a cushion or whatever. </p><p>Also it's so satisfying to be able to wear something different to what everyone else has got. It makes me sad when I see girls the same age as me slapping on make-up in the wrong shade and wearing ridiculous unflattering get-ups just because it's fashionable. They look like clones. Sometimes I honestly cannot tell them apart. I have certain style rules that I go by - I go for practicality (why are so many ladies' clothes completely devoid of pockets? Some of us have handbags that are too full of food and literature to fit our phones in!), elegance, and the hippy-ish quirky look that suits my personality best. If in doubt I ask my mum, who likes all the same stuff as me and whose style I admire, or my dad who (surprisingly, as he's a fairly blokey bloke - rugby, DIY, anything vaguely computer-related, cheffy chopping in the kitchen) who has unfalteringly excellent taste and always chooses amazing gifts - he just understands what makes women look nice. So they are my style gurus, along with Lord Bath - who else can work yellow and rainbow colours so well?</p><p>So yes. I am enjoying this project. Who knows, I might (eekk...probably won't though!) get it finished in time for the Winter Solstice or New Year.....? ;)</p>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-68341035654063426562010-11-07T16:14:00.010+00:002010-11-07T17:35:42.654+00:00Cider TimeApologies for the long, blogless gap!<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div>Today we have finally collected all our apples together (homegrown and scrumped) and have pressed them into juice, which we will then turn into cider!<br /></div><div>Here are some pictures of the stages of the process that we have carried out today, and below these are some photos of the beautiful autumnal countryside behind our house, and my latest creation: what will hopefully turn out to be a Victorian-ish-style dress made from an old shirt and an old size 20 tartan dress. What you see there are the minute has been made simply from 2 sleeves. I'm making it up as I go along, pinning the fabric to the dummy and tacking it in place. Fingers crossed it turns out ok! Apologies for the quality of the photos, I took them on my phone.</div><br /><div></div><div></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536861141409200002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJUlLjCfYJqichKMXmkdoI6YPQbXaqASasKozFyD1_PYWswPPOLSFFpStZZhxM-vYlYCE2Xgv2pAIBZkG1vo6hfoO3GIw-UCEQDOcswHmcIrzfbfoJkYxqU6wgMuRu-1ZGlkBE5peMGI/s320/IMAG0200.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536861148090526786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-p4T4OKTwvLxfhl4a9vxU0pBdfj7Oe3kIy8YuOOI3efKnG6heYo1OjD0ib8Wvf3nftAO5QqV6grvIuA2DrZ7LDca3GcGPc9jRsceCRZ3EQYY5KxQRjk-riY6ryZ6WGl-YTKwBiG4rpI/s320/IMAG0201.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536861137531193170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56_gn35oJtnOo4O2j97dmEHUFom0YtMzPE27JoZ7y5C8RNIgUBQIn4qmlYXwDUuoggk-tJHQgBazliyYZb6tM_xZMu21qhbboEJkkwey9qA0P74jnisvkukX2YWlm7A3puhoyy53qhhI/s320/IMAG0198.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536861151986921314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH07s227LHMCKbV3uqbg_IJMelIqYu4-1bSQbx3kV19OSCht2_siQ8HrCUkhPeeHxImgAEM6fzV_uuxhFnRBZKFpvXvdr3qZtk6PN7FswYAT23TMjG5kwwJSchw9NX_5DUiUVgbkz5uGw/s320/IMAG0208.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536861155196406242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgT1xokU0ie2fSVMmZGZCDym2mdyyD5LAhk9ImbT7wH_7qwcE6EUfNivniqbW_qCDBFkZ32tA04KkpFFSG6QxdsLguWDAKumciPM5DjzQB7C70VqOLz0b70wXGEnCzBS-Hk9s7sHW6io/s320/IMAG0203.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536862351815479634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRu6Vp2nFGMN2flFyz7XHA5H3eH1BGn10TDJPZL4G1hc3ijA65NBxtbaxHWpLTTt7tRePMkvOgcDSpHc0rgGH14LxBg3lLfOIynCpSbWMT4h-eQDOD-Wh9QxptXWq-uNlyqJvT6yZD6kc/s320/IMAG0065.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 192px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536862356792041282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtKRUWaxAPkQo27cQuIS6HPOnaAa7V-O477wjJWfyUqfm5WM4SibS6UHxePljJnJpjVBwZVhHif6L7vUaxDKWY46SbObRk0qirC7j8hyphenhyphenQJ3t8yd9RFI82g6yom8oyKBGE3y4qWLDNYtQ/s320/IMAG0066.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 192px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536862361731503522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-TpkCq9UJ5ogOX_Rmd6P5l95SdlYMRIZVN_75Le9GDVY_AV1ubQDnI3dN1IBMqeOWOWtHjCDN1IY5Ru0QlAfMdqXcUwL4a_tXbHzGjLFbl9op02QaWwDRkdCWuiKNAyRHi-ZVL8oocw/s320/IMAG0165.jpg" /></div><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-80814347135405439452010-09-08T10:17:00.007+01:002010-09-08T11:08:27.523+01:00Recycling Insulation!!My Mum has an elderly friend who buys readymeals made my a local company that delivers to her door. To insulate the food they package it with this - WoolCool, insulation made from wool.<br /><div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514474213959993890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVE5aRdNW87wTvdYJ8d54uILFrFI_M942VxmHBJ0JNMrD5aNGNFvRxn7_dJG7nxZfCY_YVO3r8rYhuJGygn5HToCzrgnSlebToBVo7B7CCEGndsSflorOJ3a4ThDOsfSPTSckr4I9Wk58/s320/P1080889.JPG" /><br /><div>Sheila never knows what to do with the packaging once she has got her delivery. The WoolCool is expensive and the p&p is expensive accordingly. Usually she would just throw the packaging away, but luckily for me Mum suggested she donate it to my spinning and felting efforts, so I have just been given a load of free fibre!!</div><div></div><br /><div>The wool is clean - no dags or anything, except a bit of plant matter here and there - but uncarded. The fibres are quite short as it's off-cuts. It's all natural colours, with everything in there from white to black. It's coarse but not unpleasant. So I am experimenting with it...</div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514474221277024562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzINkK-Sii-NQuz8LYQebDnP1tpQ4RXRSGyyk2Ls-BDqiYvauVt5NO67qaY5DrpbYBRpdFk-0Uqoi4awbVhaHElBMHb_P_ztUo0C_e7GZZIKVgH7Ll0j1T9m7dbcnWifSgXypNh5bVZo/s320/P1080890.JPG" /><br /><div></div>^ Thick and knobbly yarn spun for Mum to try rug-hooking or peg-looming with<br /><br /><div>I suppose it's good that wool is now used for insulation, as otherwise it would just get thrown away - apparently it is now actually classed as a useless animal by-product!! What waste! So at least it is getting used. But there are still so many things it could be used for before being put to insulation. Even if it isn't nice enough to wear as clothing, it could be used for furnishings, rugs, bags, slippers, stuffing for soft toys...and then used for insulation when the item was worn out. But at least I now have my hands on it and can try making some woolly wonders.<br /></div><div>On the plastic bag around the wool, it says "it is totally sustainable, recyclable and biodegradable". Well, they got the last two right, but sustainable? Really? Last time I looked current global meat (and therefore by-product) production was absolutely UNsustainable, and we are heading for a future where people will have to settle for eating less meat and meat production methods will have to change drastically.</div><div></div><br /><div>So, I'm happy, I've got wool ^^. But it makes me sad how a useful commodity - a commodity on which so much of our civilisation has been built! (Just look at Britain's medieval wool economy!) - is wasted, or at the most mislabelled and used once, still probably destined for landfill. </div><div> </div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-66690916186794402112010-09-07T17:14:00.006+01:002010-09-07T17:26:05.037+01:00Yarn Design<div>I've been carrying on with spinning the yarn for my Blue-Faced Leicester wool jumper.</div><br /><div></div><div>The first sample I spun was a little bit on the thick side, so I went on to spin a skein slightly thinner (below right). I spun it kind of worsted-ish, spinning with the fibres in a straight line. It's a lovely yarn, still a little thick in places, but fluffy and soft.</div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514208589287850178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnnR6unv7JNARm8IzjcM6BA36eVprL9mWIwOtX9E68oPYMPdzx9xq2SSbqI1tZng3N7kbXmS_w_5_CQRxWqCaG3hOo3HzJwexN45OUle3bDyhC4UEQoIOv0GjPNdboldONXKiPMTwCIU/s320/P1080886.JPG" /><br /><div>^ Newest yarn concoction on the left</div><br /><div></div><div>However, it is a bit loose. The commercial yarn I'm trying to imitate is quite springy, and so this required me to change the way I was spinning. I change to woollen-ish instead, this time folding the roving in half so the fibres were also bent in two, and spinning from the fold. I find this makes it a bit easier to control thickness and doesn't blend the lovely oatmealy colours so much. It also produces a more dense and springy yarn, although it isn't as soft as the worsted-y one - I still need to find the perfect technique, or maybe I'll just alternate worsted and woollen throughout the jumper...don't know how this will work. But I'm really enjoying spinning a little every evening now (seems a more attractive prospect now autumn's on its way - didn't really want to be spinning wool in the summer!) so I am on my way...</div><br /><div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-74451091683225825372010-09-05T14:06:00.002+01:002010-09-05T14:21:18.945+01:00A Nasty ExperienceYesterday I had my first ever allergic reaction. And unfortunately it was to my own bees!<br /><br />Dad and I went up to treat with Apiguard and put some solid floors on for the winter. Both of the colonies we looked at were doing great - lots of fliers still out foraging, huge populations but still plenty of room for them to be comfortable...all was going fine until we lifted the first hive up so I could slip the solid floor in underneath...<br /><br />I have to say here that no, I was stupid enough not to wear gloves. Those bees had always been pretty docile, and the only gloves I could wear were sticky and horrible, so I thought I wouldn't bother. Big mistake! And I have swollen up pretty badly in reaction to stings in the past, to the extent where a doctor gave me an epipen, but I have always ignored her advice to "get a new hobby". <br /><br />I don't know what made the bees unhappy, but as soon as I went to slip on the solid floor I was engulfed in a stinging cloud of them. I walked off quickly to try and get away from them, but there were still quite a few determined to make sure I stayed away from their home. I got stung 10 times - mostly on the hands and wrists, once on the head through the top of my veil! I've been stung worse than this before - 12 stings all up my legs one time - but never in such quick succession and in such a concentrated area. So my body reacted pretty badly.<br /><br />I began to feel dizzy, my vision was going black and pixilated at the edges, and I started to find it hard to breathe. I sat down to try and stop myself from feeling dizzy, but it didn't work, and I still couldn't catch my breath. Eventually I started to feel nauseous - actually a relief, because it seemed to make my breathing calmer. Poor Vicky and Dave, the friends whose garden we keep them in! I ended up vomiting on their lawn, but atl least after that I began to feel better. The most stupid thing was that through all this my biggest fear was "oh God, I really do NOT want to have to stab myself in the leg with an epipen". Such a wimp!<br /><br />Today I feel fine. Hands pretty swollen and itchy, but not as bad as they were last night, when I couldn't take the top off the peanut butter jar and appeared to have no knuckles, just podgy flesh. Feel a bit rough but I feel more sorry for the bees. When a bee stings you, it can take her two days to die, her insides falling out of her abdomen...I tend to try and squash bees that sting me to put them out of their misery, but I didn't yesterday. Poor bees.<br /><br />But oh well, Mother Nature gave me what I needed - not only did my body manage to take care of itself, but I got a real stinger of a reminder to respect my bees for the beautiful and ferocious animals they are.Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-42088525728034771852010-08-22T19:02:00.011+01:002010-08-22T22:25:29.604+01:00FruitThis week we've been doing a bit of fruit picking, and smacking our lips in readiness for the fruit that is yet to come. <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><br /><div>Our earlier-fruiting crab apple tree was almost bent double under the weight of fruit this year. We picked the fruit slightly unripe to relieve the tree, and ended up getting over 25kg of apples! So far we have boiled the fruit and strained it through a jelly bag so we get only the juice and not the sour, bitter pulp. The pulp's now on the compost heap, and the juice will be turned into jelly, syrup and all manner of delicious things. You can see the colour of the juice is a really pretty pink colour. Although crab apples are quite sour and you wouldn't really wanna eat them, the juice is delicious when sweetened and processing them fills the house with their lovely fragrance.</div><div></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508343417647071922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDizoLj1sUsMAs0WAFI78Eq7Ac68U9mHmZtYzwHkBJlU20cOc0yMZqUslUyMUHpExXKsUuVkz6dPOxOBSiE5MQGA4Jx7zWFrtd6K92rgRCGaHdkJW5A_GIMbuHJX1vY-H5EMNrG3RGMws/s320/P1080722.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508343428180749282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmKZJXCObHnsrrXakAGlclxg1gBcN1yE__-ZQtKXuh7XcL17wvOsyn08TpsZlVEgNLJEuyyTjWrA37vLlFQarQ93UX4ASkDMAsatFtK5Mps5Ebq3RXd3I5huB4Elh2x9BESov3w5ngEw/s320/P1080723.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508344761789837314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQbxcvOwp7lQoUEI6sMNjAFtVSkgHgqelcIhvMKcckbUOQE6QKkj2ErotMGs6bz_vCjCoXkk_iXgyDxufaJXYtR5cljbTTQvWEi-yrX3p-HpIQqEzPUJceLKMPWu7AxnJqXwG4dBa-1o/s320/P1080734.JPG" /></div><div></div><br /><div>Pabi Bach and I went on a long forage earlier this week to check our favourite damson, sloe and blackberry spots. None of the fruit is ripe yet! The sloes are blue and just beginning to turn, the damsons are hard as bullets and the ripest wild blackberries we could find were just turning red! Our domesticated bramble has already yielded a few sour fruits but it looks like Grandad John was right when he prophesised that the blackberries would be late this year... it was a lovely walk though, and Pabi found some elderberries - not so good for jam (they have absolutely NO pectin in them at all) but fabulous for homebrew...</div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508347092514107954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFVHo5-fZJD7eN6AUYGppVq0y6b8UBvgMH2eZag1G_0uEj4T2jPv-ON3sy2flOpYVyigX9LDZj3JyMs7z8dsgFeHLbpVfQJ3psICocdaOY0X0Y1xlQPs-Ekj7Z304q_ijyZgjcjiQlsI/s320/Photo-0023.jpg" /><br /></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508344768283087826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLkUG4zVRHZKJX09x116tUEL7u_If_juKWrqIhIxEcGS5OURiZHyQ3lVTrthn2hkL2zvaM1DiInj4o6L9-f1PIdoRRqDftdLQx_huj_SKGu4ZRvdBTov5qQMrxOfyMxI27jN384GWwbY/s320/Photo-0013.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508344781522926530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvRu6sWIc9P0ivI3sSIKKrLzbM86HS2ceVeMOYT7qlroG35JGsgaC-fOg0_KEfz-5wbilCHMXIVXwliqcTedEdvEHy_LE7zcsa3grrX8MkB860nSKXGTFHpFAnkV3-aG2OKX0vp5WedI/s320/Photo-0019.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508344772835914994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqcmVEM6VMIzY93jpbQk_8RJ45IlIvHfcONjeGGxNyV08xs21t_Inap3OcRMYPAFwSJt7FSBteI-VIm6G9nSliCXXb_4uqkxlyat1U_8SB4QHeXTRXLRwEeWPXh5B-VuIpKVT7tS5yEo/s320/Photo-0014.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508347082837049858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-Qv0EnSHKMu5RxZJys_QCGFBCDoi50QPCNq_lfbASBg5FmHqGvha428AQzyjUjy8gZ9xcXPc6cY2o72j2ZXFg6ghewcYZ2fzA5Cjql0W2UabsXPUpcGRVV0S9szVOdF0N875txTqOqM/s320/Photo-0026.jpg" /></div><br /><div></div><div>The ivy is near to flowering. Pabi and I found 4 different varieties in one small stretch of woodland on our walk. Ivy flowers are a crucial autumn feed source for the bees.</div><div> </div><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508347087968704946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOEUx81oJb50qBCDH9VasgRNCC7i_Ivyl8OCklj-wvVJVr_IVmdioYVKBfE9uvAhJBESF7kNLLmJsrhTU08dZht8rJCt35tgON8COPe5MqEg6NsHXODQIyPyWW0BX5qD7adRhfn9pUUI/s320/Photo-0025.jpg" /><br /><div>We also took Dad to pick some more mirabelles. They're nearly finished now, although there are some real whoppers on the higher branches, shame we couldn't reach them... but anyway, Dad has worked really hard and today he made Mirabelle Cheese (like a really thick jam) and Mirabelle chutney. The whole house smells wonderfully of vinegar and spices now! Both the cheese and chutney began life as Mirabelle juice and pulp (fruits boiled and then sieved) with sugar, and then we just varied the ingredients, adding cider vinegar, an onion, and 1/4 tsp each of crushed allspice berries, mustard seeds, ground ginger, and grated nutmeg.<br /></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508343430194901138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLu3Z1XIrHmwzHEeYOAa3Lj0wlqhGqHGcw-HuDdw-gsA5LkohWFr04vCtNJfMMaBhZKzx8pSJcXkWIUAW6WKT1qyZPAmXWS5Mvle9NVCOeV0SHAzyet3yrwv6h4HfCQpq-todj2X8B8W4/s320/P1080733.JPG" /><br />Pabi and I are off on holiday this week, but when we get back hopefully the sloes and damsons will be lovely and ripe...as long as the farmer doesn't (brutally and destructively) flail the hedgerows before we get home!</div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64928706205049391.post-42251580404100676622010-08-16T21:22:00.008+01:002010-08-17T12:34:22.860+01:00Watermelon Curry and other Culinary AdventuresDad went to a music festival over the weekend, and came back with a watermelon and some greengages he found in a hedgerow! Greengages are one of my absolute favourite treats; their season is so short and they're harder to find than other types of plums, but I think they have the best flavour. We used to eat them on the beach in Brittany, getting sandy and sticky with juice all at once. I can't believe he found them just growing in a hedgerow! <div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506339796744485698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9X3ZyySmVrfE2XI947thpJcKD4c_7pQdSE9s0YdI3DKJzaxKCF-v1FVD0zE_1_CJ481xxChrRjwdmmqz-BfRyrpucjz_CTvRHvaL9pWCwhbcji2eMyHZ2XLno7DaFvzfkYqc__95bVY4/s320/P1080682.JPG" /> <div></div><br /><div>Anyway, there was this watermelon, and I had no idea what we were going to do with it. Then I remembered that at Christmas my grandparents gave Pabi Bach and I a book called 'The Modern Vegetarian' by Maria Elia, and that there were a few recipes for watermelon in it. So we chose the 'Watermelon curry with black beans and paneer' - only without the paneer, and with mixed beans and chickpeas instead of black ones.</div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506339809285205474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySsO7KFyPT5x3d42YlEldif2e7_YqiiTNDSJ4PwxRWCS4skR7NmY4QLLSOfYahPPRgALn4R6DSrcCmKVPnPsMIx-2CSqAag2Yvcz3_fNN85hQVCCi8aCuHPB0iNwgOm8-Xy_BB5sF_EE/s320/P1080685.JPG" /> <div></div><br /><div>It's a really delicious recipe - Pops found it a bit hot but the mixture of spicy and sweet is really refreshing and brings out the flavour of the watermelon (and I like it hot - as far as I'm concerned a curry's only good if it makes my nose run!). I know it sounds weird but as you cook it it starts to smell delicious. It's got a sweet edge but looks more like it's cooked with tomatoes than strange pink fruit!<br /></div><div> </div><div>It's a really interesting book actually; the recipes are so original and pieced harmoniously together from many different cuisines. It's a bit adventurous for everyday, but we've tried a few things from it and they've all been delicious. And if you have a sudden surprise watermelon sprung on you there are actually a total of 4 recipes for it. Definitely recommend it, and for everyone who likes their fruit and veg - not just vegetarians.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Anyway we made the curry. It was delish. And in the cooking process we discovered a couple of ways of eating raw watermelon which are delicious.</div><div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>The first is to sprinkle your watermelon chunk with salt and tuck in. Yum! Try it with pepper too.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The second is to chop up your chillis for the curry. Then plonk a load of watermelon on top of where you've just been cutting chilli. Take a bite. Hot but heavenly!!</div><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Apart from this we also stewed the more squooshy of the greengages. I stoned some more mirabelles and we had these fresh for pudding, along with some of the apple and blackberry mixture from Sunday lunch and then banana and Ambrosia custard. Lush.<br /></div><div>Yesterday we had Grandad John (adopted, but nonetheless adored) round for Sunday lunch - roast lamb for the meat eaters, all the veg (including our slightly unusual family tradition of having spicy roast butternut squash and/or aubergine with the usual potatoes, peas, etc) as well as the first of our runner bean crop! And Pabi Bach cooked a delicious Blackberry and apple pie with a pastry lattice top. Everyone tucked in, but I'm afraid that yours truly ate it for a midnight snack before I could take a picture to show you all. But it was beautiful. And delicious.</div><div><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506339814532708610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97c-a3fjrV_h4US9CQ2gd17rfDRWdnwkYmP6Gr9kYCU2R7kXilQUKZGkEcMSQO_dT_e6A7dVb9DIgv1K18sKUAqLEtC7YKtRrQqOeRhI2OcJQ_y5_cXxPXLYsCNa_w53zmCxAbaJOViY/s320/P1080680.JPG" /> <div> ^ no picture of the pie, so flowers from our garden instead ^^</div><div><br /><div></div><div>Anyway, off round to Mum's tomorrow night for more culinary fun... ;)</div><div></div></div>Flohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16354342406296967785noreply@blogger.com0