Country File

[sunjester]

Blackberries are early this year!

And really good!

[Steve J]

Snowdrops on their way, ditto tulips and daffs are beginning to nudge through too. But as it's so mild, my fuscias are growing again, ditto the verbena bonariensis and clematis. I could even cut the grass if I could be so inclined! Certainly more like Spring out there than Winter today.

[Last Hussar]

Blinking Hell!

(Other B words are available - but possibly not on a work computer)

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Tad early methinks

[Techno 3]

The trees are confused.....budding very early and there's a wild primrose in flower.
The Daffs haven't started here yet, though.
(They're probably waterlogged.)

[Steve J]

I saw a Birch and Hazel with catkins on them today and we've had a primrose flower and go to seed already! Nature is all over the shop at present...

[Orcs]

The trees are confused.....budding very early and there's a wild primrose in flower.
The Daffs haven't started here yet, though.
(They're probably waterlogged.)

We have flowers on our primroses in the garden

[Techno 3]

An hour of amusement (PAH !)

Walking through the living room to go and make a cup of coffee....I thought, " *&$* ! there must be a lot of bluebottles in here....there's an awful lot of buzzing going on."

WRONG !.....A swarm of bees  had come down the chimney. (I think this is the third time this has happened since we've been here.)

An hour or so removing the bees, one by one.....and then some newspaper on the fire to try and drive the queen up and out of the chimney with smoke.
At least they seem to have b*ggered off now.....Though a few seem to be interested in trying to get into the kitchen.

They can sod off !!

..and now back to pushing putty around.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Techno Towers Honey

It has a ring to it

[Techno 3]

The neighbours, over the road (600 yards away) keep bees.
They do their own honey, so I'll let THEM do that, Will.  

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

The neighbours, over the road (600 yards away) keep bees.
They do their own honey, so I'll let THEM do that, Will.  

600 yards, must read that as 600 years...

[Gwydion]

'One by one'!!!
Not a 'swarm' then!
Probably a cast - young queen legged/winged it followed by a breakaway group from a main hive.
Usually about pint pot size.
Still not something you want to share a living room with - and they will sometimes set up home and become  much bigger colony given half the chance. Usually they push off back home in a few days. Nice idea to give a helping hand though!
Newspaper? I'd be stuffed - haven't had one of them about since Covid.

[Techno 3]

Sounds very plausible, 'G'.

If it had been a full swarm, I don't think I'd have gone into the living room !
I'd have been onto the local council to help deal with it.

I think that there were 2 to 3 dozen that I released through a fanlight...But, yes..one at a time.
They were very 'placid'..at no point did they cause me any worry that they were going to turn on me.
The biggest worry was the mad, rescue dog.
He HATES bluebottles and will try and catch them by snapping at them....but the bees didn't seem to attract his attention.

There was still a lot of noise coming from the log burner and chimney, while all this was going on, but I'd shut the doors on the fire...so that stopped them !!

Cheers - Phil

[Gwydion]

My cat 'caught' a bee when he was young
He's never tried that again.

[Orcs]

Mrs Orcs and I decided to have our tea outside on the patio. Spicy hot chicken wings and salad. I ate the boring salad first, then started on the Chicken wings. They were very nice, Well the first two were. Just as I was about to reach for the third, something swooped between us brushing its wings on both of us, and snatched the rest of the chicken off my plate. - It was a red Tailed Kite.

Thieving Bars**rd!!!!!