Last Monday we went on an introduction to beekeeping day at River Cottage HQ. We could have chased bees around a field in a handier location, but we once went on a cookery course at River Cottage and Jason is still on their mailing list, where he is enticed by improbably elaborate courses and good discounts. When the chance to poke bees in a Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall adjacent space arose, he booked it, and who was I to protest?
Love it. We have a couple of hives at the end if our field and the beekeeper doesn't like honey so we always have a pot or two spare, like Pooh . Yummy.
I really want bees and alpacas and chickens. For now we just have mice in the attic at my in-laws where we’re staying. Not that this will stand up against where you’ve been, that sounds amazing, but I went to Mablethorpe last Sunday, which was a) exactly as your would expect, b) suprisingly nice and one of the cleanest beaches I’ve been to. We found ourselves saying ‘you could be somewhere else and ‘it’s not that bad’ before deciding we wouldn’t get a job at the tourist board. Can you keep bees on a boat?
Ha ha! Leicester, where we used to live, had a rebrand once. The marketing was: "Leicester, it's not far from a lot of other places.' Maybe you could send them your Mablethorpe idea?
You can't keep bees on a boat, but we do want to move back onto dry land eventually. We thought we'd test out the bee idea before we committed to buying several thousand of them.
enjoyed every word of this. had read recently how beehives had been made more for beekeepers, so appreciate that an example of a bee-centric one was offered too. 🐝 🧡
This is such a lovely essay. We are vaguely in the market for a mountain cabin and looked at one that had an outbuilding on the property called “The Beekeeper’s Cottage”. The beekeeper didn’t keep honeybees, though. There were buckets and buckets filled with tiny hollow rods for wild bees. It was intriguing and also quite creepy. The cabin was damp and dark and smelled of mildew. It wasn’t hard to say “no” to that place.
I have been telling my husband for several weeks that there was a problem with our dryer. He assured me that there was no problem, as ‘it is still drying things.’ I said, yes, that’s true in a very general sense, but more to the point it’s taking over three hours to end up with still soggy towels.
Long story short, there were bees in the basement. Hiving, nesting, doing bee things, in the insulation around the dryer vent! We called our cousin Shelly, who is a beekeeper, who said they were bumblebees, and advised that we calmly move the hive to another location. The bees are very happy now in a cozy spot under a tree. My husband and Shelly are delighted with the result. The dryer is ‘fine,’ as in it still takes three hours to dry anything.
I would have been super tempted to stay at the beach, bees or no bees.
In a bit of synchronicity, my Sisterhood will be honoring bees at our upcoming solstice ceremony. We figured out a way to craft "beehives" and will be waggle dancing at some point.
Love it. We have a couple of hives at the end if our field and the beekeeper doesn't like honey so we always have a pot or two spare, like Pooh . Yummy.
I think that's the way I'd like to keep bees.
That's brilliant.
I'm a little baffled at how one becomes a beekeeper if you don't like the product of keeping bees.
More for you, though...and that has to be good.
How beautiful.
It's not about what they can do for us, but what we can do for them.
So glad I found this post, after my email provider started putting your messages in junk.
Sometimes we need to talk to a being who won't try to fix anything.
Take care,
Casey
Yes, we do. x
I really want bees and alpacas and chickens. For now we just have mice in the attic at my in-laws where we’re staying. Not that this will stand up against where you’ve been, that sounds amazing, but I went to Mablethorpe last Sunday, which was a) exactly as your would expect, b) suprisingly nice and one of the cleanest beaches I’ve been to. We found ourselves saying ‘you could be somewhere else and ‘it’s not that bad’ before deciding we wouldn’t get a job at the tourist board. Can you keep bees on a boat?
Ha ha! Leicester, where we used to live, had a rebrand once. The marketing was: "Leicester, it's not far from a lot of other places.' Maybe you could send them your Mablethorpe idea?
You can't keep bees on a boat, but we do want to move back onto dry land eventually. We thought we'd test out the bee idea before we committed to buying several thousand of them.
Ha Ha, it’s not far from Nottingham where I live! Good plan, that’s a lot of bees to keep happy. 🐝
Let them just bee. Love that.
They really don't need people much.
Better off without almost.
enjoyed every word of this. had read recently how beehives had been made more for beekeepers, so appreciate that an example of a bee-centric one was offered too. 🐝 🧡
and the coffee story! ☕️🤎
There were several bee friendly hives that he showed us that I loved.
This is such a lovely essay. We are vaguely in the market for a mountain cabin and looked at one that had an outbuilding on the property called “The Beekeeper’s Cottage”. The beekeeper didn’t keep honeybees, though. There were buckets and buckets filled with tiny hollow rods for wild bees. It was intriguing and also quite creepy. The cabin was damp and dark and smelled of mildew. It wasn’t hard to say “no” to that place.
That does sound terrifying. I don't like the idea of bees living in buckets full of hollow rods at all.
I have been telling my husband for several weeks that there was a problem with our dryer. He assured me that there was no problem, as ‘it is still drying things.’ I said, yes, that’s true in a very general sense, but more to the point it’s taking over three hours to end up with still soggy towels.
Long story short, there were bees in the basement. Hiving, nesting, doing bee things, in the insulation around the dryer vent! We called our cousin Shelly, who is a beekeeper, who said they were bumblebees, and advised that we calmly move the hive to another location. The bees are very happy now in a cozy spot under a tree. My husband and Shelly are delighted with the result. The dryer is ‘fine,’ as in it still takes three hours to dry anything.
Ha! I love that the bees are doing well, even if the dryer is stubbornly sticking to its original vibe.
Agreed!
Sounds like a good couple of days. Giant erections and gentle bees. What more could you ask for? Well, a comfy sofa I guess...
I would have been super tempted to stay at the beach, bees or no bees.
In a bit of synchronicity, my Sisterhood will be honoring bees at our upcoming solstice ceremony. We figured out a way to craft "beehives" and will be waggle dancing at some point.