August ending - honey and eggs, wounded hand and crops

Another few weeks have rushed past, I really don’t know where the time goes to. 

I had a new Workaway, Lucas, an American, for just a week, as he was on his way to help with renovating a Norwegian lighthouse.  We managed to get lots more items knocked off the To Do List, but somehow it never gets much shorter as more things are always being added.   My next Workaways are a Finnish couple, arriving on 4 September.

A friend, Lorna and I had a stall at the AIKB Kermesse last weekend.  Lorna was selling beautiful candles made from beeswax and I had taken my jars of honey, eggs and some courgettes.  It was a good weather day and it was well attended.   Lots of the candles were bought and I sold all the courgettes and eggs and 45 jars of honey so it was a great success.  I also bought several bits and pieces myself, books – of course, egg containers, a china hen, etc. etc.   I loved the jigsaw facepaint on this child - Lorna and I discussed whether we should get face painted as bees ..   we didn't!

The lesson at my glass class at La Verrerie in Caurel this month was casting glass, so we made clay moulds and then poured in plaster to get to the next stage.  I collected the previous items I had made one of which was plain glass dish with a bee in relief – quite pleased with it.  Hard to photograph though ...

The veggies and fruit are coming on well on the field.  Finally the tomatoes are ripening, lettuces, chillis, radishes, aubergines and courgettes are doing well in the polytunnel.  The runner beans are great, also sweet peppers and the sweetcorn is nearly ready.  I have red cabbage, broccoli, leeks, carrots, beetroot and parsnips coming along which should be ready in late Autumn.  

Only one butternut squash plant seems to have survived so I’ll be a bit down on them for the winter.  The rhubarb is going mad and I have made lots of rhubarb cordial with ginger - diluted with fizzy white wine is it lovely.  The hens are laying well again after a bit of a blip and as you can see, I now have quail eggs too.  The artichokes I have left for the flowers which the bees like so much.  Lots of lovely curly kale this year too.

I have bought a dehydrator and plan on drying surplus tomatoes and other things, maybe bought in bananas as I love those dried. 

The bees have been treated against varroa and when the strips come out of the hives it will be time to feed them for the winter and put insulation into the hives to keep them warm.  I am hoping to move the hives to a slightly different position once the winter is here and they are not flying around. 

The swimming pool was set up a few weeks ago but has not been used by me yet this year.  Unfortunately, while we were putting in fence posts the very heavy, rusty and dirty fence post driver was brought down onto the side of my hand.  

A chunk was taken out, too much to be able to stitch so after visiting Casualty in Guingamp, having a tetanus jab and antibiotics, the nurse has been coming to see me every day to dress the wound.  It is getting better quickly and hopefully I will be able to get my hand wet in the pool at some point in the not too distant future.

I also had a very itchy bee sting though thankfully the swelling was controlled by cortisone and antihistamines.

A young English couple holidaying in France came over last night to check out whether they would like to Workaway here next year.  They pitched their tent on the log shed triangle grass for the night before leaving for the port this morning and it looks as if I might have my first Workaways for 2018.

This morning I have a friend coming to do the sheep’s feet and to worm them.  The new ewes are very excitable and I think it may be a long morning.

Three things I like:

1.   The success of my honey sales – even the nurse doing my dressings this morning bought      four jars.

2.  Seeing previous guests returning to the cottages – a bit like having friends visit.

3.   Getting all the bedlinen and towels from seven guests washed and dried in one good          weather day.

Workaways, summer honey harvest and the garden

It's true, time definitely passes faster as it runs out.  The last three weeks have zipped by and I can't believe we're almost half way through August now.

The two Workaway lads, Lewis and Yaems, proved to be great.  I was sorry to have to take them to the station this morning for onward travel to their next host. 

They cleared nettles, shovelled three trailer loads of manure, collected 800kgs of animal feed, cleaned gites, weeded, cleaned vehicles, sorted out the gym, cleaned out all the animal buildings, sorted the storage caravan and made numerous trips to the tip, cleaned and filled the swimming pool, etc. etc. Yaems also cooked several meals and made great flapjacks.  He had a little disaster with a giant brownie - it wasn't edible - he asked if he should throw it.  I replied "yes, but not at anything which matters!" Luckily they were here for the first part of the summer honey harvest and turned the extractor handle which is seriously hard work on a manual extractor.  They worked well and were really good company. 

With friends, Claire and Debby, we removed 16 half frames from two hives and extracted just over 25kg of beautiful golden honey into 250g jars and about 1kg from the cappings for kitchen use.

There are still two hives to harvest when we get a suitable weather day and the girls are free to help again.   A friend, Lorna, has asked me to share a stand with her at a fete this month so I shall be selling my Rainbow Cottages honey there.

The beautiful rose, Princess Alexandra of Kent, which Colin and Val gave me for my 70th birthday is blooming beautifully.

Other flowers in the garden

Achillea, perovskia, rudbeckia, leek flowers, I think, and monarda.

My previous Workaway, Jonny, planting trees and laurel in the hen field.  Hopefully they will give the hens, ducks and geese some extra shade when they're established.

Here is a favourite view on the top lane

The raised beds behind the polytunnel are doing well and from there and the polytunnel I've already had courgettes, tomatoes, cucumbers, runner beans, broad beans, peas, strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, onions, potatoes and herbs - more courgettes than I know what to do with!

Lastly, a photo of me with my son, Matthew, taken in Cornwall in July,  which I really like. 

Three things I like:

1.   Flapjacks made by Yaems with raspberries and chocolate.

2.   My new quail just settling into a run in the garden.

3.   Finalising our holiday in Portugal.