Yesterday I took the last of my allotted honey from the bees. This year each small super has yielded just over 2 gallons of lovely clear honey. I had three honey supers on two hives. So all up we have harvested a little under 7 gallons (or 26 litres if my calculations are correct) this year! 
When planting your bee garden don’t forget the late summer blooms. We don’t want the bees to begin eating their winter stores before the winter. I still have piles of white clover in the fields. And some flowers in the garden. At the moment garlic chives are their favourite, see above and anemone is mine, see below. 
In a month or so though, once the clover has finished its last flush, I shall supply sugar water until the freeze.
Next week Mama the old ewe can go back in with Hairy the ram. I think it will be a relief for her as someone is still stealing a sip. I know it is early but I just cannot deal with Hairy MacLairys sad face anymore. 
I have no ram for the others. They are too young anyway. So they can wander down the back with Queenie. Have you noticed how Mama always shows her best side when she sees a camera. She walked all the way down the paddock to me and then stood quite still, in profile, for her portrait to be taken. 
Now just to clarify. I am not renovating an old chook house in which to stow my Mother In Law. Of course I would not be tempted to do such a thing. (laughter!)I am going to design a tiny house, reminiscent of the old fashioned chicken coops, for her to live in. It is mainly the chook house roofline I am attracted to. It will be tall and airy with a verandah and it will look like it belongs in the landscape. 
I don’t know how many shots of this rooster’s tail I have subjected you to but he is just so endlessly photogenic.
Good morning. I hope you all have a lovely day in store. Tomorrow is Saturday here and I am going to have a sleep in until 6am. Usually I hit the keyboard at 5am. I am not even sure I can sleep in but I will give it a try. So unless something really exciting happens that I just have to tell you about I will spend tomorrows Weblog time visiting with you all instead of writing.
celi
This day a year ago. Longing for Scones. I was making scones. I love scones that rhyme with longs. When I was a kid we called our trousers: longs. I just remembered that!
The Kitchen's Garden 
86 responses to “Can you sleep in?”
Seven gallons sounds like a great deal of honey. Do you consume all of it yourselves (that would be a lot) or sell it or give away? Always curious about the details, you know
I give away a lot. Sell some and keep enough for the three families for a year. It is my major sweetener as i dislike sugar, so we use a lot of it.. c
I hope your plans to sleep in work, your body could use a bit of pampering and rest 🙂 Tho I know, I’m always up early regardless! Not as early as you however. The anemone is stunning, you took a perfect shot. Have a wonderful weekend Celi!
well 6 is kind of early but it will feel like a sleep in to me!.. c
I am in the enviable position of being able to sleep the clock round. I don’t, of course, but if it came to it I’m pretty sure I could have a good stab at hibernating… Hope you manage at least until 6am 🙂
You are like my daughter she is the same.. I wake early anyway.. c
Good Morning Cecilia. I always think when I have the chance I will – but my internal clock gets me up at 5 every day! Hope you are able to make it to 6!!!
Celi! I’m back. It’s been a crazy summer. Just have to say that I LOVE that you pronounce “scone” the proper way. Americans pronounce it the wrong way but my Scottish grandparents taught me the proper way! Yes. It matters.
There you are gretchen. have you been writing? c
Of course! 🙂 And picking tomatoes. And sending my youngest off to kindergarten. And reading. And acting. And, and, and…!
Best of luck with your sleep-in, c. I sometimes find myself willfully lying awake in bed on sleeping-in mornings because it’s my bloody sleeping-in morning and I am NOT getting out of bed *grumble grumble*. It might be a good idea to have a good book and a glass of water on hand, for just in case 🙂
I wonder if Mama’s left eye is better than her right eye, and perhaps that is why she always presents her left side to you at close range.
I have a book you might be interested in, “Barns and Outbuildings (and How to Construct Them)”. It was edited by Byron Halstead, and orginally published in 1881. My copy was printed in 2011. It is full of chicken coops and piggeries.
excellent tip i shall look it up and an interesting thought about mama, thank you.. c
I guess I thought of the eye thing because I got new glasses about a week ago. These have graduated lenses so that they are essentially bifocals at the bottom. I’m still trying to reprogram my brain to use them. I have the most difficulty with the computer screen, and I think it’s because at that distance, focus is through two different spots on the lenses – in other words, if the left eye is in focus, the right eye is not and vice versa. But I’m not sure.
Could it possibly be that the glasses are not fitted properly level – most people have one ear higher than the other. If the problem persists, maybe you could get that checked out?
I don’t know how to sleep in. Enjoy your luxurious hour.
we will see how i do! it has been a long time waking about 4 and getting up at 5.. i do a lot of planning in that last bit of rest.. c
Morning, Miss C.
You can’t take a beauty queen’s confidence out of a beauty queen: Mama may be older, but she KNOWS she’s still got it!
“Rooster’s tail”….”endlessly photogenic”….I see what you did there! Though I don’t think you meant to!
was i witty unawares? I do hope i sounded intelligent! c
Have a great weekend C!
I hope that lie in works out. I usually can’t manage to sleep in when I want to (although with an early rising little one, it’s out of the question anyway) but I can sleep anywhere and on command. It is my great talent, sleep. My favorite thing these days is to get to sleep early, but I don’t often manage — it’s too seductive having time to myself!
i remember those years of NEVER sleeping in without at least one wriggler creeping into the bed.. your package came today.. i will email!! c
I’ve seen some pretty amazing designs for chicken coops that I wouldn’t mind living in! 🙂
what time do u go to bed at nights???
I am usually in bed by about 8pm, I wake at 4, so any later means tired celi.. c
i think that is what time i would have to be in bed also to get up at four