Finally some produce!

Now I know I have a reader - posts for Suzi!
So, have been locked out of my allotment for the past 3 weeks so haven't been able to check anything.  Finally got a new key today and popped in to discover a bountiful harvest of tomatoes. Got some peppers from my brother and a couple of "supermarket" standard heads of broccoli - very pleased. Add to that some refined beeswax, small tub of honey and some eggs and I must admit I'm feeling rather pleased with my efforts :)

The honey and beeswax came from some wild comb my bees constructed in their hive in some space next to a feeder. Inconvenient but a lovely little unexpected treat. 

Ok, not a lot of spring!

My apologies to my reader for the delay in putting out a post. So spring did somehow spring, not that a lot of the country noticed and it would appear that we have some summer now. My allotment has turned into a weedy wasteland due to some neglect but at least things are growing finally - if only we could eat thistles!!

I had a lovely crop of rhubarb and this year discovered the joys of rhubarb and ginger. 

The gooseberry bush is so heavily laden with fruit that it looks like someone has sat on it. I hope that the sweetness of the current strawberry crops will transfer to the gooseberries, which on a normal year are sweet enough to eat off the bush....

BUT the most exciting news of all - my bees are coming this week!! My queen (we're calling her Latifa, obvious I know but hey ho) is laying!!!!! Watch this space for bee news!!!

Meanwhile a nice pic of a chicken....

Bee update

We've had our bees now for just I've four weeks. They seem to have settled well and numbers are increasing well. They were a bit jumpy (literally jumping from the hive onto me) during a hive inspection the other week. I discovered that they had been raided by a couple of stupid bumble bees - they were being killed on the bottom of a couple of frames, so I guess they were feeling a bit more defensive than normal. Otherwise they have proved to be very docile bees, we haven't noticed any extra in the garden - which is good, I didn't want a garden full of bees!!

So now we just have to hope they find enough forage to make honey to see them through the winter, and we have to patiently wait until next year for our share!

Here are some workers on a frame of foundation, with their nasonov glands exposed, fanning any strays home! 

Bees have arrived

Went to pick up my nucleus of bees on Friday. Slightly unnerving driving half an hour with only a bit of mesh held in place with three drawing pins between us and 10,000 bees!!

The transfer went very smoothly, unfortunately didn't spot the queen, very hard to as she's not marked, but she was def in there somewhere! Only gave the bees a gentle puff of smoke & they were very well behaved, I think perhaps they were very pleased to be out of their hot nuc box....

Transferred 5 frames, all covered in brood and capped honey with a little bit of stored pollen too. 

Can't wait to see what they've done in a weeks time....

Finally ..... SPRING!

Well finally it seems that spring has sprung in lovely Oxfordshire.  The ground is warming up, the trees are finally getting some leaves and the cherry trees are nearly finished blossoming.
My chickens are very happy with this improvement in the weather; still have one not laying (and don't have the time to study them to work out which one it is...), but they are pottering around the garden all day, enjoying the new freedom of complete free-ranging. Bingo continues her fierce hunting, and was seen with a mouse in her beak last week, while Ginny has taken an alternative approach to finding food, and is harassing the blackbirds that visit the garden every time they get a worm out of the ground.  She has discovered that if chased around enough, they will drop the worm - I do feel sorry for the blackbirds though as I'm sure they have young to feed.
My allotment, although slightly unkempt looking, is perking up too.  Leeks planted out last autumn are finally starting to look more like leeks and less like blades of grass, and the gooseberry bush has flowered and has tiny gooseberries on - can't wait for them to be ready.  I've planted a good deal of brassicas and leeks in my polytunnel to bring them on out of harms way of slugs and pigeons, and have started to rotivate the outside beds.
Yesterday I had my first beekeeping practical lesson with the Oxfordshire Beekeepers Association www.oxfordshirebeekeepers.com.  A group of us visited their teaching apiary, donned beekeeping suits, feeling like astronauts and got to inspect some hives, pulling out the frames and identifying what we could see. We then learnt the art of smoker lighting, and putting together frames.  It was really interesting and I can't wait now until my bees arrive for my hive at home, all of whom will be called Derek!

Spring???

Despite the spring equinox having passed now, there are very few signs of spring in Oxfordshire. I visited my allotment yesterday to find a very chilly scene, tiny leeks and very few garlic bulbs picking their heads out of the soil. However in the protection of my polytunnel my narcissi have come up and are flowering. I was able to pick a lovely bunch of "spring"!! I also have some growing outside, and although they are up, no buds in evidence yet.
This morning we have woken to more snow, no one is impressed any more, especially the chickens!!

Funny funny chickens and impending bees!!

This picture was taken just as we sat down to lunch on Sunday (not a roast chicken!!). As soon as we were seated the hens came over and stood at the window peering in!! V funny.
I am now officially a beekeeper - albeit one without bees!! Have enrolled onto a beekeeping course, once I have a few lessons under my belt will take the plunge and get some occupants for my hive - so exciting!!