Another swarm of bees has taken up residence in our apiary
“Are you sure that they haven’t moved from number 11 to number 10?” “Of course not. Can’t you see the gentle flow of bees to and from number 11? The ones in number 10 are a much bigger swarm. Just listen to them.” We have renamed our small apiary “Downing Street”. Here in the UK, the Prime Minister occupies number10 and his most powerful assistant, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister), lives next door. Events on the bee front have been dramatic in the past week or so. And drama is the keyword for UK politics at...
read moreFiona’s Elderflower and lemon cordial recipe
I love drinking citron pressé on a hot summer’s day. This is the juice of half a large fresh lemon, topped up with caster sugar and ice cold water. I discovered this drink on holiday in Brittany when I was nine years old and have enjoyed it ever since. So this year I thought it would be fun to make an Elderflower cordial with a distinct lemon kick. I’ve just finished bottling it. The result was a zingy grown up cordial that balances tangy lemon with the fragrant buzz of elderflowers. Delicious with iced water (my first teetotal sampling)...
read moreDuck pond drama
I‘m back. Broadcasting from Danny’s laptop. First of all a huge thank you for Danny taking up the blogging reins – I really enjoyed his posts and his meals and the endless cups of tea. There is no photo as D’s laptop doesn’t have the upload software. So you have to just imagine these scenes. The best photos of course. My slimline wide screen friend is waiting in A&E at the Newmarket Computer Company. She will be examined tomorrow and a prognosis delivered to my phone. Hopefully she will be fixed by an outpatient procedure rather...
read moreBlue screen of death gets a hot makeover
Hi everyone, Fiona went to work today although she is feeling just 80% of her normal wellbeing so this is my (Danny’s) third and final instalment of the Emergency Trilogy. I told her that she simply must get back in harness tomorrow or she will lose her regular readers. She agrees and normal service will be resumed. I have never known a lady who can produce such dramatics when she is supposed to be lying wan in bed. We had fantastic thunderstorms here (Newmarket, UK) late this afternoon and she returned from work early because her current...
read moreBees and not to bees
Today’s article is brought to you by Danny (that’s me – seems weird to be referring to myself in the 3rd party). Fiona is unwell as per the previous post, but is recuperating rapidly.The big news is that a swarm of bees arrived in one of our two vacant hives. Both our old colonies died off in the freezing cold of January. We had hoped that a stray swarm might take up occupancy and it has come to pass. Happy Days. I remember the old rhyme that I learned when I was knee high to a potato stalk back home in rural County...
read moreFiona is ill and her daily posts have been interrupted
Hello, everybody – it’s Danny here. Fiona has been ill for the past few days and I have confined her to bed, with many cups of tea ( omygawd, she is such a demanding patient! ) No, that last bit is just a joke. Almost J Her blog will be three years old in August and she has recently posted her 1,000th article. That is a great achievement, to her credit. So please excuse her now for missing a few days. Her laptop is also languishing – crashing after half an hour. Then again, she has divulged her password to me, so maybe...
read moreSometimes I work in enchanted places
Laptop still crashing after ten minutes so here is a post that I’ve been trying to put up for the last couple of days. Caroline provided the photo which I just had to include … I’m very lucky. Over the past few years I have got to know a lot of people and observed hundreds of different lifestyles through my decorating work. If the job is a long one, I become a fly on the wall. Listening mainly to my DAB headset sports radio as I work but sometimes looking beyond my brush. I have been employed on a large estate for...
read moreThunder and hail
Still having problems with the laptop. I’ve tried the air spray idea but the precious machine is crashing constantly – answers to inquiries and comments when the system is more stable. Meanwhile here is a post. “When you were little did your parents tell you that thunder was just God moving his furniture around?” “No.” Danny smiled. “It’s a great concept, though.” “Part of me liked it. I enjoyed imagining the size of a table or sofa that would make that noise. But the idea worried me, surely God would get his...
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