TonTon is afraid. He is very afraid. There is a Minty looking at his blue ball. And he is hoping he will not be commanded to share. Sharing toys is nice Ton. 
The terror of having to share! Maybe with all three of the lambies! 
Poor Ton, being picked on by those iddy biddy wee lambs. This might be another postcard pic.
Cats in a curve. Mary’s cat always looks slightly bad tempered doesn’t he.
Water play. Hosing out the pigsty has already turned into a game of who can get the wettest!
I discovered something very unsettling yesterday afternoon. An entire hive, my biggest strongest hive, is now almost completely empty of bees.
The very few that are left in the bottom of the hive, are in a heap, sluggish and dying. There is no evidence of moth or disease. The hive smells sweet and is full of honey and brood, with room at the top to grow. I looked at them on Monday and they were heaving with bees coming and going really well. Is this CCD? The bees just gone for no reason. They have not swarmed, because even when they swarm, the nurse bees stay with the brood. It is never left to die like this.
The fields have not been worked around our house yet, so we cannot blame spray. The adjacent hives are just as vigorous as ever. 
I have read some articles on this but never thought this would happen to my bees. What a terrible blow. I need to have a think about this and work out what to do next.
However up we get. We will do some research and work out what to do with a hive full of honey and no bees. I can think about that on the run. Today is Retirement Home day. The Old Codger calls it Dog Medicine Day. Today we take the basket of chickens (who are growing feathers and not really looking their best) and Minty and TonTon to the Old Folks Home for an official visit. Signs have gone up around the home inviting any one who is interested.
I have bought Ton a few new softer toys for retrieving. So he can play with the old folks, without balls bouncing all over the place. The camera battery is charging and the slide show is finished. I am going to set up stations around the hall, so the ladies and gentlemen can move from the Lamb to the Chickens to the Dog Play to the Slideshow of Farm Life taken from the blog photos. They can pause where they want to be the longest. We do not have very many animals to take today but it is a beginning.
Good morning! I hope to have some photos of today – for you tomorrow, which I will post before I jump in the car, that will take me to the bus, that will take me on the two hour journey to the airport, to catch two planes across to California to cook a family dinner. I will show you how my Mum made pavlova!
Have a great day. We will have an unusually busy day. But there will be lots of smiles today!
It is after dawn and I can hear Kupa honking out there! What a peacock!
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
74 responses to “The Lambs find TonTon and Sad Bee News.”
So sorry to hear about the bees! Hopefully your other hives will stay put and you can figure out how to stop it from happening again. TonTon is so funny, I bet he and the babies will be good friends and playmates in not time!
Enjoy your trip, can’t wait to see your Pavlova recipe! ~ April
I have been waiting for a little snout just a kiss away from the lens – this one is much more fun 🙂 %*&#?%@!!! about the bees, so sorry. Laura
So sad and scary about the bees. How do you do it all, C? You are amazing. Thanks for sharing your life with us.
Good morning, Celi. How distressing to find your largest hive in such dire condition and how frustrating not to know the cause. We hear a lot about Colony Collapse Disorder here because California produces so much food. Can’t wait for the report on how the old codgers do with the animals.
The picture of Ton with the lambies is a postcard for sure! Too funny!
I am so sorry to hear about the bees. I hope you get the hive up and running soon!
Global Warming, deforestation and increased electro-magnetic fields, why does Man think he is so clever? We will probably manage to look surprised when the whole lots explodes on us. Have there been no further developments/solutions for the bees since 2007 Celi? Laura
Oh, you are coming to California! Happy and safe travels. That is indeed unsettling about your bees. Good luck.
The bee dilemma is bad; I can see how disappointing this would be. I hope you find an answer. On a brighter note, I did enjoy your animal photos and captions immensely!
I thought dogs liked sharing balls and toys as part of some strange dog game – tug of war…
I hope you solve the bee problem – I’m sorry to hear about the empty hive 😦
I had to LOL over that look Ton-Ton had! You captured it so perfectly. Could the problem with the bees be from horrible killer wasp?
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
Oh I do hope we welcome you with some nice warm weather this weekend, Celi. Are you coming to Northern or Southern California? Here in the Los Angeles area we have some warm weather blowing in–and travel time to think about your bees! What concern! I hope you finished all your lists yesterday and things will be in good working order while you travel. I will be thinking of you cooking your family dinner…what a lovely time! Debra
Poor TonTon – unwelcomed siblings. The German will collect al her toys on her bed and sit on top of them if she feels threatened with sharing. (and put on a totally innocent face like “where did all the toys go?”)
Sorry worried about your bees. My nephew in CA has a few hives. No one seems to know what is causing the die off. At first they thought the bee keepers moving hives around were having problems because of all the traveling – but some hives never move. Now they are worried something the bees encounter in air or plants causes them to forget how to get home to their hives. Horrid mystery. Hope someone finds out something soon.
On a cheerier note. Dog Medicine day sounds delightful! (Therapy animal visits are much more complicated here due to all the regulations…which discourage so many people.)
Both East and West Sussex have terrible problems with bees dying. University of Brighton says it’s climate change related fungi, and they suspect that new breeds from warmer climates will start arriving in next few years.
What a shame about that hive and how weird. Poor TonTon being afraid of those big bad lambkins. Have a lovely day at the retirement home. 🙂
Good Luck with the Hive and Hope it Recovers. Happy Thursday:)