Next steps; grip-relaxing bimbling, and avoiding the temptations

Suffolk_lass · 4 July at 7:04AM

I wonder about turning the rest of his Mum's ashes into a pendant for his sister, now you have said that @rtandon27 - it had not occurred to me before.

Right, yesterday I helped my former mentee with her bees (by video and message) - with more today, I watered, I had a friend here for a quick coffee, had lunch at the community lunch, walked the dog, chatted with the farmer and went for a quick drink in the Village Hall. After a cup of hm lettuce soup (really good) and a couple of slices of toast, I listened to my new book club book while doing The Times puzzles, watched Gardeners' World, chatted to my mum and my bereaved friend and that was me done. I managed to catch the very end of the Australia v Egypt match but it was just the celebrations.

More of the same really today. With dog 100% mine today, I cannot go to the bee project I wanted to attend, so I have 2 trays of honey jars in the dishwasher, and I will jar up some honey. Two people have asked about buying some and I have no larger jars at the moment. All lovely and quiet for a change. Mr Sl is safely in Devon - it seemed to take him around 7-8 hours to get there with at least 2 stops.

Have a good day all

Suffolk_lass · 5 July at 7:44AM

My word it was a slow, dull day. I picked fruit (a few Meribelle plums before the wasps get involved, plus a punnet of blackcurrants and a few gooseberres). No cucumbers yesterday but I had five in the fridge. Snacked one and had one with my avocado salad. Walked the dog, did some weeding and made a mental list. I also cleared up three piles from around the garden, so that is another aggregate bag full to get rid of.

Mr Sl achieved two out of three objectives. He did not visit his mother's surviving cousin, who lives in Exmouth, and it was my fault. I was weeding without my phone in my pocket, and it was too hot for him to wait over an hour for me to send her address. He did do a bit of scattering though, and cleaned up the family tree plaques at the Donkey Sanctuary, then went to the beach and scattered some on the rocks.

I've got another quiet day in prospect. I think the poppies are ready to harvest seed so that might feature. Oh, and some honey to jar up, having washed all the jars and lids. Watering first, after I finish this coffee. Have a good day, all

Baileys_Babe · 5 July at 7:57AM

@Suffolk_lass said:
He did not visit his mother's surviving cousin, who lives in Exmouth, and it was my fault. I was weeding without my phone in my pocket, and it was too hot for him to wait over an hour for me to send her address

In my opinion this was his fault for not looking up the address before he left.

In the future please can you keep your phone about your person in case YOU have an emergency and need to call for assistance especially on days when you are alone 🤗

Suffolk_lass · 5 July at 8:57AM

Ooh @Baileys_Babe, you sound like my Mum used to, when I lived at home. Yes, it's a good point, and I always mean to. I just take it out of my pocket when I use the loo before going outside and 50% of the time I leave it in there (doh!) - I can always locate it when I am thinking, "where's my phone?!" though 😘

Suffolk_lass · 5 July at 9:43AM

Just reconciled my shopping receipt (I used a free delivery pass to stock up on stuff I hate lifting, like cat litter; 2 month's worth stockpiled anyone?). It's a good job I allowed £300 out of my annual budget for this month. Apart from accidentally ordering the strawberries and cream deal twice, all is good, but my spend is now at £215.pp for July and it is only 5th. We are away for over a week; 2 separate trips so that will help reduce things a bit with milk deliveries being cancelled for those occasions. Right, off to update the Grocery Challenge and then more coffee and reading the paper. Have a good day everyone

KajiKita · 5 July at 10:46AM

I don’t end up with 2 months worth of cat litter, but I do end up with a similar volume of kibble … 😉

KK

Suffolk_lass · 8 July at 11:30AM

Well a disaster or two here. Mr Sl's motor bike broke down with a large bang on the M25 on his way home. Brittannia Rescue, our insurers, and Highways Agency all called him to keep him updated and to confirm he was in a safe refuge point, as it was on a busy stretch but he was between two junctions (21 and 21A) so the refuge was nice and wide and as safe as he could be. He was only about an hour later home and the chap doing the rescue was chatty, cheerful and helpful, ensuring the recovery was quick and efficient. As to the bill? the bike is not being collected until next Thursday so we don't know yet. Piston ring is his guess; necessitating a top end rebuild of the engine if so. Don't be thinking I know about these things but we had a Mercedes Estate that blew in the same way and had to be recovered from Belgium, some years ago, and that was the solution.

On Monday I went to my bees, going to the most remote location first as the farm barrier at the location I really needed to visit, doesn't start working that early in the morning. I found something nasty in the third colony so I took pictures, sent them to the APHA Bee Inspector on WhatsApp and told him it looked like European foulbrood to me. We know it is in the area, and there are feral colonies in hollow trees and Farm Barns nearby. He met me at 07.00 yesterday and confirmed my thoughts, also finding it in the hive next to the one I spotted, in the earliest possible stage, and in the production hive of my host beekeeper. Samples went off to the lab yesterday and we are waiting for their confirmation. Then it is destruction of one, with shook swarms of two. At least I spotted it and my early intervention means it is early enough to still save the other two colonies. Another two weeks and we would have been looking at all being destroyed.

So, having been preoccupied with that apiary, I really had to check my mean local bees. First hive, about 50-60 pounds of honey will need to come off, but they are still collecting and it's not capped yet. Again, I was rather early and they treated me like the intruder I am, feisty and defensive (a euphemism for pinging off me and trying to sting me). One small bee managed to crawl between the two joining parts of my zip and the fuzzy bit of the velcro that has gone flat over time and joined me in my hood, stinging me on the throat. Now the first time (two weeks ago) it was my fault. This time it was a minor suit fail. I stopped, scraped the sting out in the truck with a credit card (it stops the lances of the sting from pumping about 30-40% of the venom into me) - they do that after they have been detached from the bee (which I crushed), continuing to pump for about two minutes. The first dig is the worst with most of the venom in that original stab. I packed up and came home. I have spoken to the suit makers and ordered a second suit. Then the original can go back for repairs, to replace the vecro.

All expense, but not sure how much yet. I'm not updating beyond that at the moment. Not feeling the love. 😔