A Day Of Pottering

Today was one of those days were nothing was really planned, I just pottered about, doing odds and ends.

I got the chicks out of the brooder and into a small hen house and run inside the main run so they can start integrating with the flock.

I have made a start on drying some fresh herbs

 Yesterday I did some Thyme

 Crumbled up and in the jar

 Today I have done Rosemary, I have picked them and popped them on a tray in the bottom oven of the Rayburn, it dries them out lovely, as the herbs are growing like mad at the moment its the ideal time to do them. 

I also got a start on sowing some seeds

I was given two packets of each of these for free from the local nursery I go to, growing Hellebore's is one of the specialty plants this nursery does, they ship them all over the world, the seeds are from last year and might not all germinate, I added up the value and it was £120 there is only 5 or 6 seeds in a packet, even if I get one plant I will be more than happy.

Last summer I took cuttings  off the old big blackcurrant bush in the garden, all 10 of the cuttings took and I had 10 lovely baby bushes, I meant to take the flowers off them to stop them fruiting this year so they can establish but didn't get round to it

I picked 4oz of fruit off them this morning along with some redcurrants of the young bush I bought from pound land

Yesterday I did pick 2lb 8oz of peas

They are now in the freezer, I think there will be roughly the same again to pick at the week end.

 

I had to tackle the top bar bee hive today, the back was coming away from it and some of the bars had started to drop inside with the weight of the comb, as it was a lovely hot sunny day i thought perfect, I suited up and got tools together we had an empty top bar already there beside it and all I needed to do was move the bars from on hive into the other.

The hive was rammed with bees who didn't take kindly to me taking there home apart I got my first sting on my cheek ideally I should have walked away, when bees sting they give off a pheromone which sends other bees into attack mode, I couldn't walk away as I was half way through the job in hand, so continued, second sting on my arm and they were really getting angry bombarding me, then the third sting on the tip of my nose, with eyes streaming and nose running, I got the last few bars in place then left, to attend to my wounds, I got the stings out made up a paste of Bicarb and water and applied it, it helps neutralise the sting and helps to prevent swelling, after it dried up and flaked off I dabbed some neat lavender oil on another tip I had read, it all worked well, my face is a little tender but no swelling.

Well that about sums my day up how was yours not painful I hope.