Busy bees

As I have a few requests for 'stock' I thought I'd venture back into the production field.

 I can't say I enjoy it as much as I did but I have to do a few things for my annual trip to Art and Garden ..details later, but if you're in the area it would be good to see you.

I was feeling in need of some cheery stuff so I produced these brooches and pendants. 

Then I got bored after making 4 things I went outside  to 'pot on' my broad bean plants which are in ridiculous pots just to start them off, and I could wait forever for the raised beds my husband promised.

(But..big update on that , next post)

Well, there I was, thinking about' The Lake Isle of Innisfree' my poem for the exhibition thinking I'd need a lot more beans to compete with old WB ..'nine bean rows will I have there and a hive for the honey bee' when I heard the sound of the ' bee loud glade' right there outside the back gate.

look

A swarm. What a beautiful noise!

Worth a silver spoon ..its June! 

So I phoned my friends who live in the next village and who keep bees to come and see. 

He came and then went off to collect his wife from work, and left me with the instruction to ask the people whose garden it was if we could go in. There is an avenue of modern houses locally known as 'cumfy 'omes', some backing onto our garden and thats where the bees were.

Imaging my horror when I discovered they thought they were wasps and had called the exterminator!!

(We are really up against it here: think 'We chop the trees down because the birds make a mess')

Anyway my friends and a woman who lives nearby whose bees they could be, arrived in beekeeper garb and investigated.

It was a huge ..maybe several swarms.

Duncan chopped the branches off, (enlarge the pics to see the bees.)

and shook them into a 'skep'. 

The woman whose bees they were had a lot of bees -too many- in her hives so my friends went home with a new hive full.

    Heres Anne taking her boxes home.

                           Here's the investigation into the owner's hives to see how many queens she has.

                               This is the best way to view the beekeeping if you don't have the gear, from the top of the pergola.

Such excitement. And I was only sewing. I do wish I could eat honey.

Anyway back to the sewing though I say it myself:

This pink velvet is LUSCIOUS!