The big deal for this weekend was a trip out the Wragby near Lincoln. Wragby is the home of Thornes. Click HERE for the website. They are the premier manufacturer of beehives and beekeeping equipment. The event was their summer sale. I was advised to get there early. It was supposed to open at 9am. I got there at 8.30 and was about fiftyth in the queue. By the time the gates were opened the queue was half way down the street. There was nervous chatter from the waiting crowd. When the door opened to the warehouse it all went quiet as folk concentrated on the getting though the door. Once into the warehouse it was a free for all. Thorne's had five pallets stacked chest height with flat pack brood boxes and and the same of supers. Within ten minutes of opening up the ten pallets were empty. However all that happened was that folks created stacks of there selections all over the floor so now all the walkways are blocked with anxious looking people protecting there piles of goodies. People were buying forty and fifty hives at a time. It was a feeding frenzy.
The one thing I went for was an extractor. There was only four available. I spotted them on the top of the racking. I squeezed through the crowd and managed to reach up for one. I got my hand on it so it was mine. It was worth the trip since the extractor was brand new and less than half price. I got some frames and foundation as well. Having paid for them an stacked them in the car and went back for a sandwich and a brew from the refreshment tent, then made my way home.
When I got home a put together the hives I got during the week. They are got a good as the Thornes but they are cheaper. The extra job I had to do was paint the hives with wood stain to waterproof them. The sun was hot on my back as I worked in the back garden. I had to keep an eye on the time as Miss L and I had to go to Steve for his start of summer BBQ. H had gone to for a her sister's for a charity do in Hathersage. Steve asked me to make some Elderflower champagne. Something went wrong and it ended up as a bitter syrup. Instead I took a couple of bottles of cider. I think it went down well enough.
The next morning I had to do the trailer run. After having tipped the trailer I dropped back to the house to make breakfast for Miss L and I. We had pancakes and bacon. I had too many pancakes as usual. I went back to the lottie with the express mission to weed the carrot patch. I put on my knee pads and set to. I had my radio on, the sun was not too hot and there was a nice breeze. It was easy work loosening the soil and pulling the weeds by the handful. I was able to work round the Parsnips but not the Carrots, They had been out completed by the weeds. I put four wheel barrows of weeds into the compost bins. The key thing is to get the weeds before they set seed. I harvetsed some Cabbage, Broad Beans and Beetroot. H was back from her outing but I still had to do the Bees.
I looked through the boxes but had trouble finding the queen in one of the boxes but there were a lot of queen cells, which was a worry. I resolved to go back on Wednesday lunchtime to check again. When I got home H was sleepy. She had had a poor night at the Youth Hostel so went to bed for a nap. I went over to Mo's and watered the Tomatoes. Later we sat down to a nice diner and commiserated with Miss L as her boyfriend has gone on holiday for a week. It brought to an end a busy weekend.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Monday, July 06, 2009
"If you understand me"
I took the night off on Thursday and truddled down to the lottie. Steve was there, I had a couple of bottles of lager with me so we sat, sipped a couple of bottles whilst we picked over his Redcurrrant bushes and watched the night slowly draw in.
The watering at Mo's continues. It is too hot in the greenhouse despite having all the windows and doors open, so some of the flowers have been dropping off. No flowers, no fruit. Still, there are lots of toms starting to fruit. The Red Alerts are doing very well. I will be eating them soon. It was another busy weekend. Saturday morning ritual. Poo trailer, allotmenting and Bees. The allotment is a bit weedy. I tidied up the area we dug the volunteer spuds from last weekend and raked it out. It is ready for the five trays of brassicas I have at home. I cleaned up six barrows of assorted weeds but mainly Chickweed. It had not set seed so I was able to bung it all in the compost bin. I had to start the third bin to accommodate all the green stuff. Onions are looking good as are the spuds. The down pours during the week were very handy. The vines are taking hold although one white and one red vine look badly checked. I have some lovely looking Cabbages. Still plenty of weeding to do.
I dropped the trailer off along with some Cabbage and Broad Beans off to Angie and Chris. A thank you for the manure. Then onto the Bees. I have been worrying about them. Both Hives swarmed. The Bees must have read the manual and right on cue the new Queen has been mated and has started laying. The quieter of the two hives will probably not produce a surplus of honey this year but the other one might. I decided not to use smoke on the Bees, which is the prescribed method of calming them down, whilst the hive is investigated. I find it just upsets them. Much better to just be gentle and smooth. I do get the odd bee that pings off the veil but generally there is just a mellow buzz. When I finished the bees I made a brew and had a sit in the shade of the Degsy just looking out into fields with their slight haze of red from the Poppies growing amongst the ripening wheat. Brain idling was finished along with the last of the Tea.
The next jobs was Degsy's tow hook or rather the step. I decided to fit a step to get into the back to motor. It is a big step up and I figure I will probably rupture myself if I try to cart a super of honey or trays of spuds into the back of the motor. I got the step from the suppliers a couple of weeks ago. The step has a bar with two holes that line up with the bolts of the tow hook. So all you have to do is undo the bolts holding on the hook, slip the step bracket up to the blots and nip it all up again. I knew this was going to be easier said than done. First I had to find a supplier of replacement bolts for the hook. The current bolts would be too short with the extra thickness of the step bracket. I also knew that I would probably wreck the bolts getting them out. I had put a spanner on the bolts during the week and could not move them. A trip out to Breedon to the caravan shop solved that problem. Just the right nuts and bolts for a couple of quid. I had guessed that the hook was held on by nuts and bolts. Some perverse hook fitter put the nuts on the inside of the hook bracket so you could not get a good purchase on the nut. I dribbled on plenty of WD40 and 3 in 1 oil and had a go at loosening the nuts, no chance. About 40 minutes of oiling and cajoling managed to get the nuts to come free. This released the tow hook assembly. Now I had the threaded ends the bolts sticking out the bracket. More oil. I gave the studs an optimistic rap with the hammer. The blows resounded through Degsy like a drum. More oil. I got the sockets and spanners out to try to spin the bolt and work it out of the drop plate. The drop plate is the lump of plate steel that has the tow hook on one end the and is bolted to Degsy are the other end. No joy. More oil. I decided that if a cut the bolt heads off I might be able to drift out the bolt shaft. Aching arms, two hacksaw blades and several skinned knuckles later the bolt heads were on the floor. Because of the awkward location of the bolts some of the bolt head still on the bolt. A very bad scenario. I got the angle grinder out and went to town on the remaining metal. I was lying on my back under Degsy, sparks shooting everywhere and dirt falling all over me from the underside of Degsy, oh and did I mention it was at least 27C. Lovely. Job done I packed away the grinder, no doubt to the relief of the neighbours. I rapped the bolts again but nothing. More oil and more hammering. Nothing, no movement at all. I the idea crept into my head that the bolt might actually be a screwed rod with nuts on both ends. So no amount of hammering would draw the "bolt". It was tea time, I was hungry and my patience was wearing thin.
H had dropped Miss L off to a party and was staying over. H and I had Tea and got the chiminia going in the back garden and lit loads of T-lights, opened a bottle of something red and just had a chat, sat by the pond as the night drew in. Then it came to me as I pondered. What I need is a big set of mole grips, better yet a set of 24" Stilsons [a type of adjustable wrench for round objects]. My Stilson went to good home along tome ago. It was too late in the day to do anything about it. Tomorrow 10am at Massey's they will have the tool.
Massey's did have the very tool. I got a stud extractor as well in case the Stilson did not work. Back home by 10.30 so everyone in the street sound be up. If they weren't, they so would be. More oil on the bolt. I tackled the left bolt first as there was room to swing the wrench. The wrench just chewed up the threads and would not budge. Then I drilled a hole in the bolt end, inserted the extractor gave it an good turn and "ping" the tool snapped. Now I had a bolt with a tool steel core. Bugger. More oil and some Tea. About this time H went out to collect Miss L and reminded me that we had a BBQ to go to at 3pm. Double bugger. More oil. I set about the right bolt. Slowly but surely the bolt turned,very slowly and making a terrible squealing noise which resonated through the body work. More oil and more turning. Then it just went loose and the bolt came out with a gentle pull with my fingers. It was a bolt just with 30 years of corrosion. Removing this bolt released some pressure on the spacer plate. More oil, tapping and oil and wiggling to get the spacer off. Still the left stud remained. At least I knew it was a smooth bolt shank and not a screwed rod. More oil and a brew. Whilst drinking my brew I pondered the bolt and idly whacked it with the hammer. This time the noise was different. I looked at the back of the drop plate and found that he bolt had moved, perhaps only a millimeter but it moved. More oil. I decided to take Degsy up the fields where I could give the bolt a good hiding without worrying about the noise I was going to make. I threw everything in the back of Degsy and set off for Willesley Woodside. I found a spot. More oil on the bolt and then gave the bolt half a dozen good blows. That was it, the studs moved quarter of an inch. More oil and then hammered from the other side of the plate. Another two more passes and the stud was getting really loose. Then I got the stud I had moved from right side hole and used it as a drift to finally remove the left stud completely. Job done. It had only taken four hours spread over two days!
When I got home it was a five minute job to put the bolts through the tow hook, spacer and drop plate. Then offer up the step bracket to the rear of the drop plate and spin on the crimp washer and nut. Nip the nuts finger tight, check the step was level and nip the nuts up good and tight. I took the precaution of Copperslipping the bolt shafts so when I need to get the bolts out they should come away a lot easier. I had a tidy up and parked the cars by the time H got back. H could see I was properly pleased with myself. I had a few minutes to go over to Mo's and water the Toms. That done I got myself showered, shaved and dressed ready for the BBQ.
The venue was in Osgathorpe. A friend of H invited us. When we got there we found it was H, Miss L and me, Kim and George [the hosts] and another couple. Kim had made enough food for fifty. Kim is Chinese and spent a lot of time in America although you would not know from her heavy accent, Hubby George is a big bluff fellow with a strange mid-Atlantic accent. He made his money in building machines that make jet engines. Interesting bloke but completely nuts. As he tucked into the wine his stories got taller and his language fruitier. The ladies drifted away leaving me and Chris [bloke from the other couple] with George. He had this strange affliction that he finished every other sentence with "if you understand me". Chris and I were in quiet hysterics as his shaggy dog story meandered to a inconclusive end, punctuated with "if you understand me" and an intense look at either one of us.
Miss L has was very impressed with the house. A sweeping curved stairs in the hall. Five double bedrooms, each with en-suite. A huge kitchen and a separate dining room. It had a huge granny flat on the side, built out over the double, double garage. The living room was the size of a small ballroom and decorated in a Chinese/American style. Beautifully made pieces of furniture including a Bar and high back stools made from Camphour wood, big vases with floral displays and a black carpet with Chinese symbols in gold. The crowning piece, for Miss L, was the Dolby surround sound projector TV hooked up to Sky. Miss L was delighted as she had all to herself until we all came inside to shelter from the wind. They live on a hillside, a good view but windy. We got away at 8pm, George had lost the use of his legs by this time but not his tongue "if you understand me".
The watering at Mo's continues. It is too hot in the greenhouse despite having all the windows and doors open, so some of the flowers have been dropping off. No flowers, no fruit. Still, there are lots of toms starting to fruit. The Red Alerts are doing very well. I will be eating them soon. It was another busy weekend. Saturday morning ritual. Poo trailer, allotmenting and Bees. The allotment is a bit weedy. I tidied up the area we dug the volunteer spuds from last weekend and raked it out. It is ready for the five trays of brassicas I have at home. I cleaned up six barrows of assorted weeds but mainly Chickweed. It had not set seed so I was able to bung it all in the compost bin. I had to start the third bin to accommodate all the green stuff. Onions are looking good as are the spuds. The down pours during the week were very handy. The vines are taking hold although one white and one red vine look badly checked. I have some lovely looking Cabbages. Still plenty of weeding to do.
I dropped the trailer off along with some Cabbage and Broad Beans off to Angie and Chris. A thank you for the manure. Then onto the Bees. I have been worrying about them. Both Hives swarmed. The Bees must have read the manual and right on cue the new Queen has been mated and has started laying. The quieter of the two hives will probably not produce a surplus of honey this year but the other one might. I decided not to use smoke on the Bees, which is the prescribed method of calming them down, whilst the hive is investigated. I find it just upsets them. Much better to just be gentle and smooth. I do get the odd bee that pings off the veil but generally there is just a mellow buzz. When I finished the bees I made a brew and had a sit in the shade of the Degsy just looking out into fields with their slight haze of red from the Poppies growing amongst the ripening wheat. Brain idling was finished along with the last of the Tea.
The next jobs was Degsy's tow hook or rather the step. I decided to fit a step to get into the back to motor. It is a big step up and I figure I will probably rupture myself if I try to cart a super of honey or trays of spuds into the back of the motor. I got the step from the suppliers a couple of weeks ago. The step has a bar with two holes that line up with the bolts of the tow hook. So all you have to do is undo the bolts holding on the hook, slip the step bracket up to the blots and nip it all up again. I knew this was going to be easier said than done. First I had to find a supplier of replacement bolts for the hook. The current bolts would be too short with the extra thickness of the step bracket. I also knew that I would probably wreck the bolts getting them out. I had put a spanner on the bolts during the week and could not move them. A trip out to Breedon to the caravan shop solved that problem. Just the right nuts and bolts for a couple of quid. I had guessed that the hook was held on by nuts and bolts. Some perverse hook fitter put the nuts on the inside of the hook bracket so you could not get a good purchase on the nut. I dribbled on plenty of WD40 and 3 in 1 oil and had a go at loosening the nuts, no chance. About 40 minutes of oiling and cajoling managed to get the nuts to come free. This released the tow hook assembly. Now I had the threaded ends the bolts sticking out the bracket. More oil. I gave the studs an optimistic rap with the hammer. The blows resounded through Degsy like a drum. More oil. I got the sockets and spanners out to try to spin the bolt and work it out of the drop plate. The drop plate is the lump of plate steel that has the tow hook on one end the and is bolted to Degsy are the other end. No joy. More oil. I decided that if a cut the bolt heads off I might be able to drift out the bolt shaft. Aching arms, two hacksaw blades and several skinned knuckles later the bolt heads were on the floor. Because of the awkward location of the bolts some of the bolt head still on the bolt. A very bad scenario. I got the angle grinder out and went to town on the remaining metal. I was lying on my back under Degsy, sparks shooting everywhere and dirt falling all over me from the underside of Degsy, oh and did I mention it was at least 27C. Lovely. Job done I packed away the grinder, no doubt to the relief of the neighbours. I rapped the bolts again but nothing. More oil and more hammering. Nothing, no movement at all. I the idea crept into my head that the bolt might actually be a screwed rod with nuts on both ends. So no amount of hammering would draw the "bolt". It was tea time, I was hungry and my patience was wearing thin.
H had dropped Miss L off to a party and was staying over. H and I had Tea and got the chiminia going in the back garden and lit loads of T-lights, opened a bottle of something red and just had a chat, sat by the pond as the night drew in. Then it came to me as I pondered. What I need is a big set of mole grips, better yet a set of 24" Stilsons [a type of adjustable wrench for round objects]. My Stilson went to good home along tome ago. It was too late in the day to do anything about it. Tomorrow 10am at Massey's they will have the tool.
Massey's did have the very tool. I got a stud extractor as well in case the Stilson did not work. Back home by 10.30 so everyone in the street sound be up. If they weren't, they so would be. More oil on the bolt. I tackled the left bolt first as there was room to swing the wrench. The wrench just chewed up the threads and would not budge. Then I drilled a hole in the bolt end, inserted the extractor gave it an good turn and "ping" the tool snapped. Now I had a bolt with a tool steel core. Bugger. More oil and some Tea. About this time H went out to collect Miss L and reminded me that we had a BBQ to go to at 3pm. Double bugger. More oil. I set about the right bolt. Slowly but surely the bolt turned,very slowly and making a terrible squealing noise which resonated through the body work. More oil and more turning. Then it just went loose and the bolt came out with a gentle pull with my fingers. It was a bolt just with 30 years of corrosion. Removing this bolt released some pressure on the spacer plate. More oil, tapping and oil and wiggling to get the spacer off. Still the left stud remained. At least I knew it was a smooth bolt shank and not a screwed rod. More oil and a brew. Whilst drinking my brew I pondered the bolt and idly whacked it with the hammer. This time the noise was different. I looked at the back of the drop plate and found that he bolt had moved, perhaps only a millimeter but it moved. More oil. I decided to take Degsy up the fields where I could give the bolt a good hiding without worrying about the noise I was going to make. I threw everything in the back of Degsy and set off for Willesley Woodside. I found a spot. More oil on the bolt and then gave the bolt half a dozen good blows. That was it, the studs moved quarter of an inch. More oil and then hammered from the other side of the plate. Another two more passes and the stud was getting really loose. Then I got the stud I had moved from right side hole and used it as a drift to finally remove the left stud completely. Job done. It had only taken four hours spread over two days!
When I got home it was a five minute job to put the bolts through the tow hook, spacer and drop plate. Then offer up the step bracket to the rear of the drop plate and spin on the crimp washer and nut. Nip the nuts finger tight, check the step was level and nip the nuts up good and tight. I took the precaution of Copperslipping the bolt shafts so when I need to get the bolts out they should come away a lot easier. I had a tidy up and parked the cars by the time H got back. H could see I was properly pleased with myself. I had a few minutes to go over to Mo's and water the Toms. That done I got myself showered, shaved and dressed ready for the BBQ.
The venue was in Osgathorpe. A friend of H invited us. When we got there we found it was H, Miss L and me, Kim and George [the hosts] and another couple. Kim had made enough food for fifty. Kim is Chinese and spent a lot of time in America although you would not know from her heavy accent, Hubby George is a big bluff fellow with a strange mid-Atlantic accent. He made his money in building machines that make jet engines. Interesting bloke but completely nuts. As he tucked into the wine his stories got taller and his language fruitier. The ladies drifted away leaving me and Chris [bloke from the other couple] with George. He had this strange affliction that he finished every other sentence with "if you understand me". Chris and I were in quiet hysterics as his shaggy dog story meandered to a inconclusive end, punctuated with "if you understand me" and an intense look at either one of us.
Miss L has was very impressed with the house. A sweeping curved stairs in the hall. Five double bedrooms, each with en-suite. A huge kitchen and a separate dining room. It had a huge granny flat on the side, built out over the double, double garage. The living room was the size of a small ballroom and decorated in a Chinese/American style. Beautifully made pieces of furniture including a Bar and high back stools made from Camphour wood, big vases with floral displays and a black carpet with Chinese symbols in gold. The crowning piece, for Miss L, was the Dolby surround sound projector TV hooked up to Sky. Miss L was delighted as she had all to herself until we all came inside to shelter from the wind. They live on a hillside, a good view but windy. We got away at 8pm, George had lost the use of his legs by this time but not his tongue "if you understand me".
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Degsy
We got a new member of the family at the weekend. Degsy, a 1981, 88inch, 2 1/4litre petrol Land Rover. Miss L provided the name "Degsy". I said to a Landy owner that I know that I did not want a project just something with a long MOT that started on the key. When he stopped laughing he explained by just owning a Landy you have a project on your hands.
As predicted the "project" began by fixing the unblinking front indicator. In the best traditions of Land Rovers, giving the indicator bulb a wiggle fixed the problem. Did I mention that I have had to buy a few bits to make it comfy. New seats and inertia reel seat belts, a couple of wiper blades and lens for some of the lights, oh, and a mirror. Sounds like the project has begun.
As predicted the "project" began by fixing the unblinking front indicator. In the best traditions of Land Rovers, giving the indicator bulb a wiggle fixed the problem. Did I mention that I have had to buy a few bits to make it comfy. New seats and inertia reel seat belts, a couple of wiper blades and lens for some of the lights, oh, and a mirror. Sounds like the project has begun.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Busier still
I forgot to say that last week I had to do the Lottie meeting and follow up with the minutes, I had to go to Harrogate to see clients on Monday. I had lunch in Harrogate wandering round Harlow Carr because it is just across the road from one of my clients offices. I took a long detour to Manchester to see my Mum and Dad. Dad been out of hospital for a few weeks now and is beginning to perk up. We chatted for a few hours. I passed over the swag. I had had to take some frames out of the hives and one of them was full of honey. I roughly extracted the honey from the frames and filtered it. I got a jar and a half. Jean had the smaller and Dad the larger one. Then home. I arranged that I would go on to Tuesday morning to see a motor I have been pursuing. It car checked out so we shook hands on it and arranged to pick it up this weekend [27th June] brother Al's birthday, coincidentally. I missed fencing for the first time in ages, I was knackered. I am very busy at work and had to go to London on Friday for an all day seminar. It was good but tiring.
Saturday was the big day for which I had been waiting months. I have managed to track down a Series III Land Rover for money I was prepared to pay. It is a bit scruffy but then it was first registered in 1981! It has a full MOT good tyres, starts first time [touch wood] has various new parts and not much rust. It is marine blue with cream hard top. Miss L and I got up early to get he train from Burton to Shrewsbury via Birmingham. We got to Shrewsbury without a hitch Peter picked us up and ran us out to Llansilin where the landy was stored.
The ride home was an adventure. I said I would see Peter back at his house but what with Shrewsbury having a festival, learning how to drive a car that weighs over two tons and has drum brakes to stop with and needs double de-clutching I got disoriented and could not find Peter's house. I gave up after an hour and chugged back to Moira. 40 mph is the max speed. Not only the max speed but also the brakes can manage to haul it up if the brake pedal is stamped on from 40. The noise of the off road tyres drumming on the road is colossal above 30mph. Miss L and I had too have a break and found a nice gastro-pub near Telford, The Wicketeers. After a short break and food we set off again. I had got the hang of steering and changing up and down gears. You just have to watch out for "modern" cars cutting into the space you have left for stopping and then they jump on their brakes. More than one eager driver had to dodge back out of the space i.e. my braking zone, when two tons of Landy blotted out the sun in the back window of their car. I was not being mean just doing best I could with what I had. One thing is for sure people hear you coming and the smart ones get out of the way.
We got home in one piece having covered 100 miles without incidented, if a little deaf and a little poorer. The Land Rover has been christened "Degsy"by Miss L. I had enough time to do the poo run before I had to be home to meet Jim & Soo and get ready for a party. Casandra's boy is 21 and was having a party. He is a Star Wars nut so Sandra aranged for Jim, Soo and a friend, Stuart, to do a guest appearance. They all belong to a Stars War society [apologies if a got it wrong] but they do charity events as characters from Start Wars [I got that bit right]. Jim and Stuart are Imperial Stormtroopers and Sue is a Imperial Officer. They have all the kit including voice boxes which gives an extra element. Alex was detained by the "Stormies" and read his citation before been permitted to continue the party. The Stormies stayed around for pictures. It was completely out of the blue for everyone, Casandra had not told anyone. Click HERE for 99th Garrison website. The party began to wind down so home again. H was away at the 40 anniversary do for the Open University so missed the trooping.
Because we had not over indulged we were up at a respectable time on Sunday. I made the full English. Over breakfast Sue was daft enough to ask what I had in store for them until H turn up. H was schedule to be home about midday. Bees and lottie anyone? We all piled into my car, not Degsy, and went off to see the bees. It was quite a dull morning. I parked the car next to coppice and we walked the half mile across through the tunnels to the apiary. We gave the bees a good coat of looking at and had a walk round the meadow, then it was back to the car. Stuart was interested in having a look at the lottie. We trundled over there and had the place to ourselves, more of less. I go the fork and spade out of the car along with the baskets and proceeded to dig up the remaining "weed" potatoes. I was wrecked after took rows even with Sue helping. so Jim and Stuart finished off the remainder, it was getting hot by now. We bagged three shopping basket worth of earlies and I got the cabbage patch cleared. We came home to find H had got back early. Unfortunately Stuart had to go so we sent him off a with load of spuds, a bottle of Cider and a bottle of Elderflower syrup. H made dinner for us all and we had a very pleasant afternoon.
I forgot the mention a little adventure. Jim did not miss Degsy sitting on the drive. Eventually curiosity got the better of him we went for a poke about the motor. Jim said he had never driven a land rover so I remedied that straight away. I got Degsy off the drive, pointing the right direction and handed it over to Jim. I jumped in the passenger side. Shall we say it was a revelation. We did a circuit of the district and when we came back Jim was very pleased that car manufacturing has moved on enormously since 1981 in Solihull. You laugh alot in Degsy, from fear, survival or happiness I am not sure which but any car you drive after a old land rover feels like a Bentley.
Saturday was the big day for which I had been waiting months. I have managed to track down a Series III Land Rover for money I was prepared to pay. It is a bit scruffy but then it was first registered in 1981! It has a full MOT good tyres, starts first time [touch wood] has various new parts and not much rust. It is marine blue with cream hard top. Miss L and I got up early to get he train from Burton to Shrewsbury via Birmingham. We got to Shrewsbury without a hitch Peter picked us up and ran us out to Llansilin where the landy was stored.
The ride home was an adventure. I said I would see Peter back at his house but what with Shrewsbury having a festival, learning how to drive a car that weighs over two tons and has drum brakes to stop with and needs double de-clutching I got disoriented and could not find Peter's house. I gave up after an hour and chugged back to Moira. 40 mph is the max speed. Not only the max speed but also the brakes can manage to haul it up if the brake pedal is stamped on from 40. The noise of the off road tyres drumming on the road is colossal above 30mph. Miss L and I had too have a break and found a nice gastro-pub near Telford, The Wicketeers. After a short break and food we set off again. I had got the hang of steering and changing up and down gears. You just have to watch out for "modern" cars cutting into the space you have left for stopping and then they jump on their brakes. More than one eager driver had to dodge back out of the space i.e. my braking zone, when two tons of Landy blotted out the sun in the back window of their car. I was not being mean just doing best I could with what I had. One thing is for sure people hear you coming and the smart ones get out of the way.
We got home in one piece having covered 100 miles without incidented, if a little deaf and a little poorer. The Land Rover has been christened "Degsy"by Miss L. I had enough time to do the poo run before I had to be home to meet Jim & Soo and get ready for a party. Casandra's boy is 21 and was having a party. He is a Star Wars nut so Sandra aranged for Jim, Soo and a friend, Stuart, to do a guest appearance. They all belong to a Stars War society [apologies if a got it wrong] but they do charity events as characters from Start Wars [I got that bit right]. Jim and Stuart are Imperial Stormtroopers and Sue is a Imperial Officer. They have all the kit including voice boxes which gives an extra element. Alex was detained by the "Stormies" and read his citation before been permitted to continue the party. The Stormies stayed around for pictures. It was completely out of the blue for everyone, Casandra had not told anyone. Click HERE for 99th Garrison website. The party began to wind down so home again. H was away at the 40 anniversary do for the Open University so missed the trooping.
Because we had not over indulged we were up at a respectable time on Sunday. I made the full English. Over breakfast Sue was daft enough to ask what I had in store for them until H turn up. H was schedule to be home about midday. Bees and lottie anyone? We all piled into my car, not Degsy, and went off to see the bees. It was quite a dull morning. I parked the car next to coppice and we walked the half mile across through the tunnels to the apiary. We gave the bees a good coat of looking at and had a walk round the meadow, then it was back to the car. Stuart was interested in having a look at the lottie. We trundled over there and had the place to ourselves, more of less. I go the fork and spade out of the car along with the baskets and proceeded to dig up the remaining "weed" potatoes. I was wrecked after took rows even with Sue helping. so Jim and Stuart finished off the remainder, it was getting hot by now. We bagged three shopping basket worth of earlies and I got the cabbage patch cleared. We came home to find H had got back early. Unfortunately Stuart had to go so we sent him off a with load of spuds, a bottle of Cider and a bottle of Elderflower syrup. H made dinner for us all and we had a very pleasant afternoon.
I forgot the mention a little adventure. Jim did not miss Degsy sitting on the drive. Eventually curiosity got the better of him we went for a poke about the motor. Jim said he had never driven a land rover so I remedied that straight away. I got Degsy off the drive, pointing the right direction and handed it over to Jim. I jumped in the passenger side. Shall we say it was a revelation. We did a circuit of the district and when we came back Jim was very pleased that car manufacturing has moved on enormously since 1981 in Solihull. You laugh alot in Degsy, from fear, survival or happiness I am not sure which but any car you drive after a old land rover feels like a Bentley.
On the run
Life has been very busy recently and at the same time the clock has ticked by very slowly. Go back three weekends and I cannot think what I did. I think it rained. I did the trailer run for sure. I did look at the bees. I watered Mo's greenhouse a couple of times through the week.
The next weekend it was Miss L's 17th birthday. I organised to do a job each evening to get ready for the party on the Sunday. One of the jobs was to plant out the bedding plants that have been growing at Mo's. Another evening it was tidying up the back garden. Do the weeding and cutting back the Willow revealed loads of Strawberries. The Blackcurrant have been devastated by greenfly but the leaves started growing back. I had to do the poo run and sorted out the bees. Whilst at the lottie I did a bit of weeding. The "weeds" were spuds that I had missed harvesting last year. I treated them as earlies. The weeding cleared the way for more brassicas. Jean and Peter came over for the party. I got home not long after they arrived. We had a pleasant afternoon together wandering round Repton at the open gardens event. Very interesting. We also managed to get tea and cake. Once home and tea [the evening meal] had been taken, Peter and I took the dog for a stroll to the Railway. And then we had a long walk back but softened by the few pints of Guinness.
Sunday was the day of the party. We had breakfast quite early. Peter and I made ourselves scarce whilst H, Jean and Miss L got the food and house ready. Peter and I went to have a look at the historic railway at Snarestone and then took a look at the bees. We got home in time for a brew and to get smartened up. We had lots of folks come and it was a very pleasant afternoon.
The next weekend it was Miss L's 17th birthday. I organised to do a job each evening to get ready for the party on the Sunday. One of the jobs was to plant out the bedding plants that have been growing at Mo's. Another evening it was tidying up the back garden. Do the weeding and cutting back the Willow revealed loads of Strawberries. The Blackcurrant have been devastated by greenfly but the leaves started growing back. I had to do the poo run and sorted out the bees. Whilst at the lottie I did a bit of weeding. The "weeds" were spuds that I had missed harvesting last year. I treated them as earlies. The weeding cleared the way for more brassicas. Jean and Peter came over for the party. I got home not long after they arrived. We had a pleasant afternoon together wandering round Repton at the open gardens event. Very interesting. We also managed to get tea and cake. Once home and tea [the evening meal] had been taken, Peter and I took the dog for a stroll to the Railway. And then we had a long walk back but softened by the few pints of Guinness.
Sunday was the day of the party. We had breakfast quite early. Peter and I made ourselves scarce whilst H, Jean and Miss L got the food and house ready. Peter and I went to have a look at the historic railway at Snarestone and then took a look at the bees. We got home in time for a brew and to get smartened up. We had lots of folks come and it was a very pleasant afternoon.
Monday, June 08, 2009
An Aborted Weekend?
Heavy showers were promised for the weekend except no one told the rain clouds. It rained Friday evening and was still raining the next morning. Saturday was quite nice but I was at work but later in the day it started raining, heavily and continuously for hours.
I was glad to get this week over at work. I had a "do" to go to in Canary Wharf which ended being a very long day and interfered with my work schedule. Friday was no better. To end the week H and her friend, Casandra, had organised a trip to Sir John Moores to see a play. Casandra's hubby, Tony and I were "invited". At 18.30 we had a Tea at Casandra's to set us up for the play. We had a lovely Tea and a few drinks. The play was a touring production by the Ratatat Theatre Company. Click HERE for their website. It was really quite funny although it took a while for the red wine to clear the day's nonsense from my head. The play was a two-hander and with only thirty odd people in the audience it was, what I believe theatre journo's would call, "intimate".
Saturday was a wash out because of work and rain. It did give me chance to sow ten trays of assorted seeds, Broad Beans, Cabbage, Lettuce, Caulis. I also did Cucumbers. It took me three trips to get all the trays over to Mo'. I watered everything and took a few minutes to tie back the Tomatoes. They are doing very well and have lot of flowers. Sunday' outlook was little better than Saturday. I had to do the trailer run in and out of the showers. At one stage I was sat in the boot of the car watching the rain bounce off the trailer for ten full minutes. I can report the drain I put in a few months ago did a very fine job. H and I decided that we would go over to the Bees just to check on the river. So heavy was the rain I thought I should check the level. We got all the Hiking waterproofs out, threw them in the back of the car and drove over to the apiary. We parked in the coppice and got togged up. We walked the quarter mile through the tunnels to a tattoo of rain on the plastic sheeting of the tunnels. We had a nice chat even if it was half shouted so as to be heard over the din. The rain eased off for a while so I was able to pop the lids off the hives and have a peek in. Everything look snug but one hive gave me pause for thought. The flight board was littered with dead bees. There was a load more on the grass outside the hive perhaps as many as fifty. House bees were dragging some more bees to the entrance and kicking them out. Was this the dreaded CCD? I sat in the rain, in the wet grass in front of the hive and ran the possible scenarios through my head. I could see straight in the hive entrances. The bees were huddling together for warmth, as you would expect, but others were going about the hive quite freely. There were bees coming back in from foraging. The other hives was fine. It has always been a bit stronger. The dead bees were by the hive. CCD hives have no bees. I put it down to possible robbing. There were a couple of Wasps flitting about. I figured that the dead bees were those killed in defending the hive. It was also possible that the dead bees were foragers that had reached the end of their life but the bad weather had kept them in the hive rather than them dying whilst away from the hive. In any case I resolved to have a long lunch on Monday and go over to see them.
My brain was idling so I sat down with pencil paper, a tape measure and some of my bee gear and designed a tool box for my bee fettling kit. It might never get made but it passed on hour.
Monday was given as sunny periods and broken cloud. I left the office at one o'clock. It had not rained all morning and was reasonably warm with a light breeze. When I got the apiary the bees were flying freely so I felt happy enough to fettle the hives. I did the weaker one first. There were no dead bees present in or on the flight board. The bees were busy feeding and foraging. I found a sealed Queens cell which indicates they were about to swarm. I picked out the cell and looked for the Queen. I could not find her but brand new eggs were present. There was also a lot of bees. A sure sign that the colony had not swarmed. I rearranged a few frames which would kid the bees that there was more space, a tactic to prevent them swarming. I have ordered some more super frames. When they come I will make up super and plonk it on the hive. Bees swarm when they feel constricted. By making the hive bigger I hope to persuade them to stay put. I also fitted a entrance block which will make the bees job of defending the door way much easier. The entrance block will allow perhaps a dozen bees to pass in and out whereas the standard entrance will let hundreds come and go at once.
I looked through the stronger colony. I cleared down a couple of preparatory Queen cells but otherwise all was well. I saw the Queen which is always a bonus. The last job was to top the feeders up. The bees were greedily scoffing the syrup and settled down very quickly.
I do not think I will ever be a pipe smoker. I can not keep my smoker running. The straw I use in the smoker gives off a harsh smoke which just upsets the bees. Next time I think I will not use the smoker unless the girls are not playing ball.
I did not need to go over to the river. I could see it from were I was stood. It was still a foot from the bank tops but a good foot or more higher than we had seen it before. The rain has stopped for some time so I reckon the waters will subside.
Monday evening was dry and fairly sunny so I resolved to take the pumpkins and Squashes to the lottie to be planted out. That is just what I did. I did a bit of weeding and came away. I can say with some confidence that I will not be short of Pumpkins or Butternut squash. It was nice to have a couple of hours just pottering about. The Sweet Corn is getting established. I aways look forward to fresh corn cobs.
I was glad to get this week over at work. I had a "do" to go to in Canary Wharf which ended being a very long day and interfered with my work schedule. Friday was no better. To end the week H and her friend, Casandra, had organised a trip to Sir John Moores to see a play. Casandra's hubby, Tony and I were "invited". At 18.30 we had a Tea at Casandra's to set us up for the play. We had a lovely Tea and a few drinks. The play was a touring production by the Ratatat Theatre Company. Click HERE for their website. It was really quite funny although it took a while for the red wine to clear the day's nonsense from my head. The play was a two-hander and with only thirty odd people in the audience it was, what I believe theatre journo's would call, "intimate".
Saturday was a wash out because of work and rain. It did give me chance to sow ten trays of assorted seeds, Broad Beans, Cabbage, Lettuce, Caulis. I also did Cucumbers. It took me three trips to get all the trays over to Mo'. I watered everything and took a few minutes to tie back the Tomatoes. They are doing very well and have lot of flowers. Sunday' outlook was little better than Saturday. I had to do the trailer run in and out of the showers. At one stage I was sat in the boot of the car watching the rain bounce off the trailer for ten full minutes. I can report the drain I put in a few months ago did a very fine job. H and I decided that we would go over to the Bees just to check on the river. So heavy was the rain I thought I should check the level. We got all the Hiking waterproofs out, threw them in the back of the car and drove over to the apiary. We parked in the coppice and got togged up. We walked the quarter mile through the tunnels to a tattoo of rain on the plastic sheeting of the tunnels. We had a nice chat even if it was half shouted so as to be heard over the din. The rain eased off for a while so I was able to pop the lids off the hives and have a peek in. Everything look snug but one hive gave me pause for thought. The flight board was littered with dead bees. There was a load more on the grass outside the hive perhaps as many as fifty. House bees were dragging some more bees to the entrance and kicking them out. Was this the dreaded CCD? I sat in the rain, in the wet grass in front of the hive and ran the possible scenarios through my head. I could see straight in the hive entrances. The bees were huddling together for warmth, as you would expect, but others were going about the hive quite freely. There were bees coming back in from foraging. The other hives was fine. It has always been a bit stronger. The dead bees were by the hive. CCD hives have no bees. I put it down to possible robbing. There were a couple of Wasps flitting about. I figured that the dead bees were those killed in defending the hive. It was also possible that the dead bees were foragers that had reached the end of their life but the bad weather had kept them in the hive rather than them dying whilst away from the hive. In any case I resolved to have a long lunch on Monday and go over to see them.
My brain was idling so I sat down with pencil paper, a tape measure and some of my bee gear and designed a tool box for my bee fettling kit. It might never get made but it passed on hour.
Monday was given as sunny periods and broken cloud. I left the office at one o'clock. It had not rained all morning and was reasonably warm with a light breeze. When I got the apiary the bees were flying freely so I felt happy enough to fettle the hives. I did the weaker one first. There were no dead bees present in or on the flight board. The bees were busy feeding and foraging. I found a sealed Queens cell which indicates they were about to swarm. I picked out the cell and looked for the Queen. I could not find her but brand new eggs were present. There was also a lot of bees. A sure sign that the colony had not swarmed. I rearranged a few frames which would kid the bees that there was more space, a tactic to prevent them swarming. I have ordered some more super frames. When they come I will make up super and plonk it on the hive. Bees swarm when they feel constricted. By making the hive bigger I hope to persuade them to stay put. I also fitted a entrance block which will make the bees job of defending the door way much easier. The entrance block will allow perhaps a dozen bees to pass in and out whereas the standard entrance will let hundreds come and go at once.
I looked through the stronger colony. I cleared down a couple of preparatory Queen cells but otherwise all was well. I saw the Queen which is always a bonus. The last job was to top the feeders up. The bees were greedily scoffing the syrup and settled down very quickly.
I do not think I will ever be a pipe smoker. I can not keep my smoker running. The straw I use in the smoker gives off a harsh smoke which just upsets the bees. Next time I think I will not use the smoker unless the girls are not playing ball.
I did not need to go over to the river. I could see it from were I was stood. It was still a foot from the bank tops but a good foot or more higher than we had seen it before. The rain has stopped for some time so I reckon the waters will subside.
Monday evening was dry and fairly sunny so I resolved to take the pumpkins and Squashes to the lottie to be planted out. That is just what I did. I did a bit of weeding and came away. I can say with some confidence that I will not be short of Pumpkins or Butternut squash. It was nice to have a couple of hours just pottering about. The Sweet Corn is getting established. I aways look forward to fresh corn cobs.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
New Potatoes
This week I have been able to have new potatoes from the greenhouse. Hens egg sized things and very tasty. I planted six seed potatoes, two in each tub. I harvested two tubs which have given me enough spuds for a three or four dinners for H, Miss l and me. The tiny spuds can go for potato salad. A particular favorite of Miss L. The tubs have been recycled to accommodate the Melons over in Mo's number two green house. Since I transplanted them, less than a week ago, you can see they have established very quickly.
We have had some Strawberries from Mo's number one greenhouse. We have not had many but I did the indoor strawbs as a bit of a test and I bit later than I might have. I will be making a more concerted effort on early strawbs this during this winter. The Tomatoes are coming on a treat. A couple of trusses are in flower on all varieties. The curbits are all ready from planting out. I hope to do that this weekend. If I can get done what I want the greenhouses are going to be quite empty.
I have been tasting the Cider. It does not taste like much to me. I think it is a bit dry for my taste but it does pack a mighty punch.
I topped up the syrup on the bees Monday evening. Miss L came along for the first time and gave her seal of approval on the set up. The sun has been beating down on the hives this past week and had evaporated some water off the feeders. This action left a crystallised crust on the surface of the syrup. I bashed it up and added the fresh syrup. That should hold them until the weekend.
I have to go into work on Saturday morning which is going to cramp my style for the weekend.
We have had some Strawberries from Mo's number one greenhouse. We have not had many but I did the indoor strawbs as a bit of a test and I bit later than I might have. I will be making a more concerted effort on early strawbs this during this winter. The Tomatoes are coming on a treat. A couple of trusses are in flower on all varieties. The curbits are all ready from planting out. I hope to do that this weekend. If I can get done what I want the greenhouses are going to be quite empty.
I have been tasting the Cider. It does not taste like much to me. I think it is a bit dry for my taste but it does pack a mighty punch.
I topped up the syrup on the bees Monday evening. Miss L came along for the first time and gave her seal of approval on the set up. The sun has been beating down on the hives this past week and had evaporated some water off the feeders. This action left a crystallised crust on the surface of the syrup. I bashed it up and added the fresh syrup. That should hold them until the weekend.
I have to go into work on Saturday morning which is going to cramp my style for the weekend.
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