"Holiday" Projects Pt. 2

Meanwhile....
There was another project that had been put off until "Time and Funds permit".

This one was to help DS#1 build a deck around his home.

This also took some working out to do considering it was wrapping around the building and took several days to set the foundations and bearers in place.

Once he was happy with that, it was Smooth Sailing to get all of the boards Secret nailed down. 

Even if it was just 3 runs a day!

We had 30+℃ temperatures to contend with and NO shade. 
So it also took longer than planned to complete.

Almost done! Another project off the list and before Holidays ended!

And while the Guys were working, there has been some important Grand-Daughter bonding sessions.

Little Miss A - worked on a serious Moustache and Mono-brow look with a Babyccino that was more Chocolate Powder than Milk foam.

And Miss H decided that my Patchwork Multi-board made a great Sensory toy and enjoyed running her nails down the Sandpaper page.... 

Oh well at least Mum didn't have to trim the nails that day!

 
Splitting our time between 3 other households has kept us busy.  

But there is also work to do on the Home Front and today it was an Agriculture Victoria required Mite Check on the Hive.

We have NO Varroa Mite in Australia but we are still required to check for them - and any other nasties as well.  

Happy to report - All was well.

And we even got a tiny taste of what awaits us when we can harvest some Honey!

* * * * *

Footnote: We were not the only ones helping with this project. DS#1 also had much valued help from his DFIL!

Still Busy

Lockdowns come and go and Life also goes on.

Yes, we can now go out for all the 'Important' things like Coffee & Cake, Haircuts and (my favourite) a Massage!  

The Shops are still to Open when we get to our 80% Double Vaxed but that is not far away. 

(I can wait a week for new Shoes.)

In the meantime I am reminded of my Grandfather saying

 "Spring has Sprung, The Grass has Riz, 

I wonder where the Birdies - or in this case Bee Hive - Is?"

We were somewhat interrupted during our January inspection when DD was Stung, and have not dealt with the hive since. 

So time to deal with it!

Extreme Gardening is Required.

Just as well the Greens Bins were emptied this Morning!

Bees don't like Power Tools - Noise, Vibration and Fumes get them irritated, so this job had to be done 'Old School'. 

Pruning Sheers and a Rake!

With the Workspace cleared and before we can Inspect the Brood Boxes it was time to lighten the weight of the Flow hive Which meant Harvest!

No fancy jars this time - just Get in and Get it done.

And the Result?

Not too bad.

This is what 10 Kg of Honey looks like!

And THIS is what Little Miss A Thought of her first taste of real "Home Made" Honey!

(She only got a little taste. As this photo was taken she dropped the spoon into the bucket - 'never to be seen again'!)

I am a little concerned though. She got very excited when seeing a picture of someone in a Bee suit.  Having only seen us in Bee Suits recently she thought it was Grandma and Grumpy! 😂

Out of the Frying Pan?

After my last Post - you will be forgiven for saying 

"What the heck are you thinking?" 

This project has been on the back-burner (or rather still in a box in the bungalow) for a couple of years.  And around here, things have a habit of bumping themselves up the "To Do" list.

This one came about 4 weeks ago, when my DD rang and asked "How's your Flow Hive Going?"

I knew it could only mean One Thing - We had a Swarm to Catch and rehome. 

Fortunately they had settled on the side of a Tree Pot in the Garden of a friend who lives close by.

Unfortunately - we had no idea whether the Queen was under the rim of the pot.

If we could have picked the pot up and shaken them into the Swarm Box it would have been a lot easier, but it was firmly rooted to the ground!

Bee swarms are normally quite docile as they are full of honey for the trip - however scooping up handfuls of them was a strange experience.

We left the Girls to settle into the Box overnight and came back the following evening to transport them to a new location which had to be more than 4-5 km away (or else they could return).

Which is HOW we ended up with our own Bees.

While they settled in to Life at Our Place....

We set about Constructing and Sealing our Western Red Cedar Flow Hive 2 for them to live in.

It went together very easily, with everything we needed including the tools and 'some extra bits in case you need them'.

With the Hive ready, it was time to place it in position. 

Even though the Hive has TWO inbuilt spirit levels - DH just had to check with his own before he was satisfied it was correctly levelled.

Now to Check on their progress and move them into their new "Forever Home".

They seem to have a calm temperament, all looks good - And we have new Brood.

A final check this evening showed us that they have happily moved house.

Our hope now is that they will go up into the Flow Super and start working in there - I am sure it will be more preferable to building in the rafters.

So we just need to 'Leave them Bee' to get on with what they do best!