Just about bordering on odd, I see things through different eyes.The heading says it all - I live, I love, I craft, I am me...

17/05/2021

Where've I bee(n)๐Ÿ recently

You see, the thing is  this ..... no hang on, I'll say at the end.

Last Friday my lovely colleague and I went off on a training day. We are learning how to be bee๐Ÿ keepers. Where we work we have a small apiary and the original bee ๐Ÿkeeper just did not come back after the autumn.   
Fortunately for the charity a very kind and extremely knowledgeable lady stepped in and monitored the hives over winter and spring while the charity decided what to do. 

It was very obvious that the bees๐Ÿ needed to be looked after and I found myself putting my hand up (carefully and after much thought) and for good measure, a colleague was 'volunteered' along with me so that I would not be๐Ÿ solely responsible.
So, with plenty of discussion both at work and with our lovely but temporary bee keeper๐Ÿ we were initiated into a bee๐Ÿ keeping course which, 'thanks to' the lockdown meant our classes were all on zoom (appropriately named I though). 
We muddled through, both the course givers and the students. Technology failed, we had lagging, the internet was intermittent, the course givers struggled with modern systems, but we all survived the seven week course (mostly due to reading books and absorbing as much info from our temporary bee๐Ÿ keeper who we gently pressganged into being our mentor). 
As restrictions lifted,  we finally got an onsite visit to the association's apiary. It was a bit of a logistical nightmare clearing the day however we managed.
There were six of us in total and I have decided that bee๐Ÿ keepers or beeks as they affectionately call themselves - are a species unto themselves. Enthusiastic, mostly retired, bumbling characters. Full of knowledge and desperately keen to share - even if it meant all of them told us the same thing at the same time at increasing volume to ensure their story was heard....
Two of the experienced beeks were stung - the bees๐Ÿ were inside their protective hoods, one of the beeks did a flappy hand dance and ran off to his car while our mentor, when she removed her bee๐Ÿ suit back at the car - found it was full of stings - probably 18 - 20 little stings stuck into the fabric on her back. We were quite cheerfully told that this can be normal - you can't be a beek without a few stings ..


We were there for several hours as we observed the inspections - my colleague taking a greater part in the process while I took photos. I was very quickly nicknamed ...The Lassie with the camera. We were congratulated on our calm manner 'especially as we were novices' and all I could think of was the retreating back of the bloke who'd been stung. He was a loud, animated and full of jovial banter - may be the bees๐Ÿ had heard all his stories before.


It was an interesting day - full of new folk, new stories, new skills to learn and we have been invited to go back - so we obviously did not disgrace ourselves!

Oh - yes, so what was I going to tell you at the beginning?

I am rather allergic to bees............................. ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ

13/05/2021

Bluebell walk




We have rituals that are so special to us that when we miss them - we truly deeply miss them. 

Last year, no thanks to lockdown, we were unable to walk up a favourite hill and immerse ourselves in the bluebells.  We first went as part of a works outing in 2013 - and we fell in love with not only the flowers but the hill itself often returning to include it in our walks around the Dales. 

There was a gentle sweet scent on the air, drifting around on the gently warm breeze.  We found a spot just off the footpath, with a gently sublime view and we ate our lunch in companionable silence, apart from the bird song and crunch of dog biscuits as Moss tucked into her snacks.



It was a lovely walk and as we arrived back at the van Himself noticed a sharp shower flying up the valley towards us, so we quickly stepped out of our boots and retreated inside, lit the kettle and sat listening to the rain hammering down on the roof - safe and warm clutching a mug of tea. 

It felt good to have been out, it felt even better to have beaten the rain and kept dry ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿผ‍♀️๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿฝ‍♂️๐Ÿพ๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒผ๐ŸŒน





06/05/2021

Hello

 If you wonder where I am at the moment - I am here .... Kitchen Garden Diaries 


I have not abandoned my blog - far from it, my stories are there, they just need to find their way out and through my fingers on to the keyboard, in the meantime - please pop over and see where I have been working since January - hope you enjoy xxx