Things That Are The 'Last' Things

The last month has been like walking on egg shells. I have tip toed around our house, moving from room to to room to avoid making noise or bothering the exam riddled children. I haven't thrown out any bit of scrap paper in case it has important learning on it. I buy pens and high lighters at every super market shop so there is no excuse of not being able to find a pen that works. I have had a constant supply of fruit squash by the kitchen sink. Snack food has been at the ready. The car has always had petrol in it in case there was a need to get to a study session or exam at a moments notice. I have sweetly encouraged sleep and gentle exercise and late at night, removed books from sleeping child's face and wiped the drool away. 


I am glad the last month is over.


My Chicks and I have had a month of 'Lasts'. Last classes with favourite teachers, Last PE class,last chapel, last exam(chick girl has one more but not to study for as it is a listening exam), last time on the yellow school bus,last school lunch, last time for the summer making a school lunch, last time a will need to nag boy to go study, last time he will be only 17 and a boy, last time I will have to drive through our village at school rush hour. Last School Fees!!


Books and papers have been burned. School uniforms have been trashed. The Chicks are moving on to the next step. Exams are done and now we wait. Boy has a summer of things to do. Girls has a summer of places to go. But behind it all, we wait for exam results day to see where we all go on to. Will he get a University place?? Will she get into the Upper Sixth at the closer school??


I thought the last month was stressful but now we have to wait until the middle of August to get the exam results for the A Levels and the GCSE's; ugh!!!

Again With The Bees!

Sorry but I am a bit excited, new hobby and all,but I have a Queen in my hive. This doesn't always happen with a swarm. Apparently Queen can fly off when she gets to the new hive and as we know, the children end up laughing in your face while rolling around on the floor in hysterics. 



Anyway, this is not my hive though it is the photo on my home screen on my phone-


Idyllic, yes. Well impractical for my beginner status. You have to take apart the beautiful white outer part of that hive to even get into the real workings underneath. I would get stung a million times and sweat through my suit trying to lift it all apart (it is heavy wood).


So I have an easy hive and a Queen, Yah!!

Buzz Off

So after my crazy run around with my bees last Saturday night, I went to check on the newly homed swarm the next morning. The sun was shinning and as I peeked around the corner of the field, hundreds of bees were doing their thing, buzzing by the hive. Great. I took Great Aunt off to Cambridge Botanical Gardens for a jaunt and we had a lovely time but I was itching to get back to the bees and see how they were doing. So when we got home and Aunt was happy with a book in the garden(wrapped in an extra sweater with socks on- this is May right??) I wiggled into my bee suit, lit the smoker, put on the pink wellies and strolled down to the field to check on my new friends.


Little bugger pissed off, all except 10 of them who were happily lapping up the  sugar syrup I had made for their arrival.  I was gob smacked. They left me!
My bee buddy, Penny says  that this can happen with a first hive as it smells and tastes too new and that maybe they were really heading for somewhere else to begin with when they were caught. My children thought this was hysterical, the bees buzzing off and when they finally got off the floor, realised I was a bit upset by it all and promptly shut up. Secretly I heard them laughing about it behind closed doors, little sods.


So now that Aunt has left, it has been a quiet week. Exam study leave has started so the food bill has doubled. I have been the chief taxi driver to and from schools at odd times to deposit and pick up from exams (this will go on for the next month as well, the taxi-ing). Dog classes have stopped as the trainer is on holiday. I miss running around with the dogs, it's a nice activity for me during the week. It is still chilly and I am sure I had a light tan this time last year! I hate gardening in jeans, two shirts and a sweatshirt, it's not right when it's nearly Summer. My broody hen has finally gotten off her back side and realised that the egg just won't hatch no matter how long she sits on it. She has come thru the last 30 days or so no worse for wear, a little friendlier if anything. She finally got used to me sticking my hand under her to retrieve the odd egg. The water levels in our river have gone right down again so I guess we are in a draught again, Oh well, good thing I live on a river, the dogs won't ever go thirsty.


But best of all, and I will probably jinx it now, I was at a quiz night on Friday when a friend from dog class tapped me on the shoulder. Her bees swarmed and she heard thru the grape(bee) vine that I might like some bees. I met her at her house yesterday afternoon to collect a lovely little swarm that had been hanging for two days on the lowest branches of a fir tree in her garden. We suited up, walked out, boxed them, wrapped them, put them in my car then covered them with a large bucket all in 15 minutes. Yes bees were buzzing everywhere and yes, I drove the six miles home in my bee suit with the netting on. I am sure I looked amusing but I wasn't taking any chances. My friend was stung on her lip Friday morning and by Saturday afternoon it looked like bad Botox gone wrong! I got by new bees to walk up the sheet into their new home then locked in the Queen. 


So, now the thermometer has finally gone over 11c so I am off to suit up and check on the bees. I will let you know if the children laugh at me again.

It's All Go Here.

I  have been a bit absent from blogging lately but only because life seems to be flying by and I can't catch up. It was April a few minutes ago, I'm sure of it but here it is May 13th! 


Our river has gone up and down like a yo-yo, leaving crap in it's wake each time. The water has left everything incredibly green around us. Trying to cut the jungle that is our lawn was back breaking and really boring.


Rooster and I have escorted 248 ( 5 coaches full) nearest and dearest in and out of the Olympic park to watch Men's Field Hockey. Great day out. We didn't loose anyone which was the best result.


We have had three weekends in a row of family and friends staying at our house, 11 to sleep over last weekend but 18 to feed all May Bank holiday. Rooster boy's new girl friend was one of the guests sleeping over so naturally, I spent the whole night with super sonic ears to the grind stone to discourage any wondering of the two. My fridge was so bare on Monday night that I actually had a good chance to wipe down the shelves!


This weekend it is the start of Study leave for the Chick. First GCSE exam is Monday so she is already stressed. We have the Great Aunt from Idaho staying as well so my job is to keep her out of the house by taking her to every garden in the area so the house is quiet by day. Except it is cold out! Sun is shinning 
finally but we have had to layer up to go out. 


Yesterday was manic as I took delivery of a swarm of bees. My mentor called and said our neighbours had a swarm attached to their pool cover and did I want them? My hive has been sitting in the garage waiting but I had to put everything else together pdq. Between the rooster boys' cricket game in the village and trying to get ready for lovely dinner out with family, I had to don the bee suit and introduce my new bees to their new home! I did take my heels off and put on the pink wellies to do so though. Husband was very impressed when I ran up the road in my white suit, stripped it off in the hall way only to be totally dressed up under neath and ready to go for 7:30pm sharp. 
Today is another garden tour then bee-sitting and hopefully 5 minutes hiding in the back garden with my face up to the sun it I can. 


I have been keeping my 365 project going though. I wish it was as easy to blog from my phone as it is to take and send a photo everyday. I must work on that.