Sunday, April 19, 2009

Beetime Traveller Chapter 1~


Image from Internet
Well, I think most of us in the northern hemisphere can officially agree that spring has at last come. There are flowers blooming and birds singing and seeds sprouting in all directions. If I had a favorite time of year ( which I don't) this would be it. Of course I feel like this at every turn of the seasonal wheel. I am like a child trying to decide my favorite color, at first I declare it's red and then swiftly change my mind to, oh no it's blue, and then, actually no it's green, before I say, "no it's all of them, give me the whole rainbow." Yes, I am somebody who loves it all, including spring, winter, summer and fall.

And speaking of loving it all, I will take this opportunity to share with you, my latest endeavour, Bee Keeping. Because, let's face it, spring would not be spring without adding BEES to the mix of birds, flowers and trees. Indeed, the earth as we know it, would not exist without these busy little pollinating friends, whose miraculous ways pollinate 90% of the earth's plants. In fact, if we really think about it, it is quite possible that we humans wouldn't exist without them. For, I believe it was Albert Einstein who said, "if the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live."

Image from internet

As many of you know, there is much discussion with regard to the decline of honey bee's. Indeed, this is a rather enormous problem on our planet at this time, amongst a very long and frighting list of other enormous problems. I don't know about you, but I could get very sad if I let my heart break for the present state of our Good Earth. However, after much thought on this difficult topic, I have come the conclusion that sadness is not the best style for me to adopt in an effort to make positive change during these troubled times. And so, Instead of cultivating sadness I am endeavoring to cultivate happiness and although this is not always easy, it feels like the best option. I, Nao Sims, choose to dedicate myself to loving the earth with nothing but joy in my heart and a radiant unwavering belief that we can indeed heal this beautiful world.

When I first learned about the problems with pollination I cried for two hours straight. And, when I realized that crying wasn't going to do anything for the bee's, I got up off the floor and got organized. Within a week I had ordered 20,000 honey bee's, two bee hives, and registered for a course with a Master Bee Keeper in a large field, under a big sky, an hours drive my house.

I spent the last days of winter cozied up with tea, reading books on back yard Bee Keeping, dreaming of my own honey, and remembering those long ago days when I was a little girl and my father was a bee keeper. There is nothing like the smell of fresh honeycomb, like seeing a bee on a dandelion after a long winter, or like the smell on my fathers hands when he'd come back from checking on a hive.


Yesterday, the boxes containing my hives arrived. After a song and a dance, Gus and I gleefully opened our packages. Gus was just as keen as I was to see what was inside, although his canine sense of smell gave the contents away well before I opened the lid, and the smells of honeycomb permeated the living room. What we found in those big cardboard boxes resembled a jig saw puzzle more than it did a bee hive. Apparently bee hives, like most things, need to be assembled. Our boxes were filled with parts of hives, and one poorly photocopied pink piece of paper, with very few instructions as to how to put the parts together. I laughed for a long time before I considered how to begin.



And then, without further adieu, I began...

I hammered.



And I painted.

And eventually,
I did it!
(This is Bee hive number one of two)

Gus and Mark cheered me on through my trials and tribulations and an old friend came over with lunch and together we shared the painting. All this said, my first day as a bee keeper, went very well.

The Bee's don't officially arrive until June 1st, but the preparations for their new life, in my garden, have already started. I shall keep you posted as to how it all goes.

To read more about what you can do to help support Bee's and the important work of these winged friends click here.


11 comments:

ArtSparker said...

Congratulations on your new enterprise.

Sherlock Holmes kept bees after he retired.

Crafty Green Poet said...

congratulations, beekeeping is an excellent enterprise, I wish i had somewhere to keep bees. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Anonymous said...

Nao, you are on the near same wave length as me. I read the very same thing about how long our planet had without the lil pollinators, and I believe it was five. I am wondering what the size of the comb cells are in your hive? I was waiting for your next post and what a wonder wonderful wun it is...auntie

Chimera said...

That is just wonderful Nao! I am so impressed, excited and eager for you and will be thinking of what is possible here in my garden too. Not this year but next..I shall hope to learn from you! So well done!!! And how beautiful you and Gus are!
T xx

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Bravo! I look forward to reading about your progress.

My flower gardens were never so beautiful as in the years when my neighbor kept bees.

Rowan said...

I love the sound of bees working in the long hot summer days. It's one of 'the' sounds of summer. As for the problems of Mother Earth - I have every faith in her ability to heal herself without (or in spite of)any help from the human race which thinks itself a great deal cleverer than it actually is. The healing may involve ridding herself of the pest that is doing all the damage but the world would continue on very nicely without us.

Julia Guthrie said...

Oh Nao, what a wonderful post! I love bees & my Husband & I would love one day to keep bees ourselves.

And I adore your stance on needing to focus on loving the earth & creating more joy. I am 100% with you there!!

I look forward to hearing many more of your Bee adventures:)Lots of luck! (not that you'll need it :))

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post. Yes....we desperatly need the bees. Well done and congratulations for taking up this brave and responsible project of keeping bees. I look forward to reading more about the bees and warmly wish you and them well. :-)))

*slightly envious* Elle.

Janelle said...

hey beautiful bee keeper...you've just been tagged chez moi..if you have the time or inclination...! XXX j

herhimnbryn said...

Wow! Congratulations N.

Chef Chuck said...

Wow a bee box. My wife is very interested in doing the same, I will have her read your many posts on bees!! Thanks for sharing :)