BEE EATERS ....

APRIL/MAY .....

FLORA & FAUNA:
The bee eaters are back, so summer is a comin' ...

Walking around our big field (which is being kept for hay so not grazed atm) looking at all the wild flowers. This one was new to me (I think I've identified it correctly, Aristolochia paucinervis (Dutchman's pipe).

Aristolochia paucinervis / Dutchman's Pipe ...

UPDATE ON NAUGHTY NETTIE:

She's SO naughty, she chews everything! 

All our plants have had to be removed from the decking - she's had the almond tree out of it's pot twice, up ended pots of pansies, eaten my petunias (that have flowered all winter), one plant she's destroyed I don't even know what it was. 

The vegetables have had to be put up high, out of her reach, as she steals onions and potatoes from the rack.

She also comes into the house and pinches anything she can get her mouth on !! 

She's staying in the sheep shed for a good four hours per evening. 

Cont. ......

She's chewed the chairs on the decking.  I bought some new pots of pansies -she destroyed those before they even got on the decking!

Looby has run off three times I  the past couple of weeks (she's on heat); so if she wants to be outside she gets tied to a long lead - Netty chewed through the lead and released her!!! 

MAY: We thought Nettie had a grass seed in her ear, so, as we were taking all three dogs to the vet for their yearly vaccinations (oh yeh that was fun, three stressed dogs on leads - Looby squeaking, Lily forever moving and tangling all the leads up, and Nettie pretending she couldn't walk so having to be dragged into the consulting room!) We mentioned it to the vet. He was so tough with her ear, forcing this barbaric piece of equipment in (making her whimper) and then delving in with cotton buds - anyway he saw nothing but a couple of days later her ear war weeping ..... so we took her to the CB vet - her ear was so inflamed and full of gunk she couldn't see in it, sent home with loads of pills and drops.

BATHROOM:

It's plastered, the floor tiles are laid, it's ready for the walls to be painted.

We chose the paint colour we wanted for the walls a few weeks ago, it's one they mix up in the shop for you (slightly more expensive but it was what we wanted) unfortunately the base paint wasn't in stock. Three weeks later we went back - still no base paint! So we bought a couple of colours and mixed our own - we're pretty pleased with the results .....

So now the walls are painted, Brett had made a wash unit and tiled behind it. The whole room looks fabulous .....

VISITORS:

Henry & Indi are coming for Easter, I'm so excited. I've made them a leaded panel, based on Rame Head (one of their favourite places), I hope they like it!

MAY: They've been and gone; we had a lovely, far too short, time with them.

BEES:

I've finally got a beesuit, I will NEVER post a picture of me wearing it (I look like the Michelin Man!!!). I am not looking forward to my first time working with the bees, it's pretty scary. 

And I should have been scared!!!! First time in with the bees (and all I did was stand there whilst Brett looked at the frames) I got stung, about 5 or 6 times on my ankle - it hurt!

VEGETABLE GARDEN:

We're a bit late starting this year (I started seeds in the polytunnel early but they were eaten by field crickets and I kind of lost momentum); but we're up and running now. We've move the vegetable garden to the area just down from the house. It's far more convenient, got morning and evening shade and it's damper (underground water).