Beeing quiet

I brought the bees back tonight after a day of anticipation and some anxiety.  Here are Sam, Lauren and James 'listening' to the bees who are currently shut in the hive having survived the 25 minute journey in the car.  We could hear them rustling around.  Lauren described it as like soft rainfall which was exactly right.  

My day has been very busy.  When I took my hive over this morning and spent a couple of hours inspecting hives and chatting with Elys it was clear that the bees are going to need some more room and quickly.  So I came home and hastily made up some 'super' frames to add to the hive tomorrow... until I realised that I'd just made up a load more brood frames, and not supers at all.  

Lovely James arrived in the midst of it having got on the wrong train and been delayed and after a delicious BBQ in the garden and a bit of boules,  I was off to Fen Ditton again to collect my hive which was now full of 'sleeping', but soon to be 'pissed-off' bees after the car journey.  I'm exhausted!

To top it all the kind person who donated the bees to me via the Cambridgeshire Bee Keeping Association is none other than Elys Dolan, a children's author and illustrator who came to the Linton Children's Bookfestival  in 2014 (when Valerie organised the festival).  It's a small world!  (extra).  And what a day. x