The bees have arrived and not only did they survive their travels with very few casualties, but they even tucked themselves up into their own new homes without terribly much bother. You see, yesterday morning early I hurt my back. Not badly but enough to disable my strength and slow my stride to a creep. I cannot believe how stupid this is and am appalled at how much of my work depends on me being in top top health. I have a long list!
Right at the beginning of the day I lifted gallon jug of molasses. I have lifted one like this every day, twice a day for years and bang went my back. This so seldom happens and not for years, so the lift and twist had become casual.
We drove to collect the bees and drove back with me sitting very carefully in the passenger seat with its seat heater on, Blue the Mouth sitting at my feet, TonTon behind my seat. And on the way home two boxes of bees in the rear. I would have taken photos at the apiary but I was having some trouble walking upright without grimacing (I have my public to think of you know) and my arms were quite tingly (gone now). So it was all I could do to smile and say thank you ever so much, receive my two pounds of bees and saunter back to the car as nonchalantly as possible. Ill is something I Do NOT do.
So as I am the bee brains I used John as the brawn and we proceeded to release the bees into their new homes. Usually I can just give the boxes a couple of good thumps and the pile of bees fall straight into the super but I was feeling weak and clumsy and the things you cannot do when your back is acting up makes me so mad. Consequently both boxes only released half the bees, I found the tiny boxes with a queen in each and snuggled her in between two frames, (she has a cork door of candy that the bees will eat away as they get to know her) bees were flying everywhere, it is bee bedlum. So I decided to replace the tops on the hives and deal with the leftovers differently from the instructions.
The under cover of the hive has a hole in it so I rested the boxes on top of this with the hole in the box above the hole into the hive. This way the bees walked into their own box at their own pace. Then I left the bees to settle down and work out what they were going to do.
The dogs and I visited LuLu who is getting alarmingly fat. hmm. I kept walking because I wanted to keep the muscles in the back warm and loose. It is either flat my my back or walking – the in between bits get me into trouble.
We coaxed Queenie Wineti onto the grass with hay which quite defeated the purpose. But she stood staring at the open gate ( a new gate in an old fence) and had no idea what she was meant to do.
And on our return we found that the bees were in fact walking gently down into the hive. Blue The Mouth discovered that bees are not for kissing. I was too slow for that photo. And getting on the ground for a shot had the problem of getting back up so I was staying high. I am so frustrated!
This is the magnolia in the daily view. Soon we will have flowers.
I foolishly sat my sore back down in the rocking chair and then could not get back up, I knew I should have kept moving. While I was waiting for help to arrive I shot the daily View from a slightly different angle.
Once I had been hauled up out of my chair the dogs and I returned to the hives and the boxes were almost empty. I gingerly put the boxes back on the ground next to the entrances so the last of the stragglers could make their way in and closed up the hives. Our garden will slowly come alive again now. I missed these guys.
In two weeks we will investigate to see if they have released heir queens successfully. Then we are back in business. I hope.
Good morning. Daisy failed her once a day milking test. Her mastitis came back with a roar. So we will milk her twice a day (three times today to help her clear up) and she is allowed on the grass now. John is milking for me today. I have made the executive decision to push her morning milking time to 8am and her evening milking will go to later in the evening too. After dinner. This will give me more morning and afternoon writing time.
You all have a lovely day. I will do a very slow walkabout the farmy today then remind me to add the bees to the Cast of Characters above. Now, I had better get busy. Though getting up from this chair is a worry. I hate this. This back had better fix itself smartly. I have no time for this kind of rubbish. Pain I can cope with, not being able to do everything I want to do when I want to do it, makes me angry. I am a gate climber not a gate opener.
I will be better tomorrow.
your bent friend celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
75 responses to “Well beehaved bees”
I sympathize with your back problem; mine seizes up like that from time to time, has done for the past 30 years! Try some heat on it Celi, it works for me (and rest) which I know is almost impossible for you! It’s very frustrating.
The bees look healthy – I like how you let them sort themselves out!
Celi, I enjoy reading about your days with your cast of characters and marvel at how easily you get so much done and how much it feeds your spirit. Often I wish I could be there with you(although I don’t think I would be doing as much but I know my spirit would be well feed), that when you talked about hurting your back and the limitations the pain was causing you, I felted it also. I do know that, as frustrating as it is, you will take care of yourself and accept the help of others(reluctantly of course) because you are a very wise woman. Thank you for having me over, I do hope you are better soon.
You are very welcome, anytime deborah and thank you!! c
Okay, gate climber! Wishing you all the tools in your possession to heal nice and easy. Hope that also makes for a speedy recovery 🙂
thank you!! c
Yep, both our backs “go out” now and again and it really brings you down to earth and makes you realise how good it is when its better. Dont be in too much of a hurry to get back into it (no pun intended) and take heed of all that good advice above. Joy
thank you joy, but sitting still is such a BORE!!! doing the best i can tho.. c
Wishing this batch of bees well–and beautiful Miss C ever so much healthier and happier!!
I hope your back gets to feeling better really soon!
And good luck with those bees!
P.s. all the pictures are beautiful. It looks like you live on the ‘dream’ farm! 🙂
It’s just the worst, isn’t it, and quite humbling reminder that we’re not 18… but in my mind I am?! Your bees are, well, the bees knees, and I hope you’re back (hmm) on your feet in no time. Backs are funny things, you’d best nurse it a little, I think it may be trying to tell you something. Like, lots of baths and backrubs at night, that would be a good thing, I think? xx Smidge
ps Yay! Canmore is an hour west from us, not even, more like 45-50 minutes. How exciting you’ve got a wedding!! We are usually at the lake in British Columbia that time of year.. but let’s keep in touch. With the kids working now, we may be home off and on more this year!! It would be great to meet up:D
Celi with all your activities back is serious! I too am anti- allopathic, but when I had tried to lift a huge garden pot and done my back, and had a TV interview an hour later, – they were coming to the house – I rang the doctor for an emergency coping mechanism, and she told me to take both panadein and neurofen…two each – it eased the knock- out pain straight away, and I felt it allowed the muscles to relax and start the healing process.. took panadein at night too, so I could sleep. And then wonderful acapuncture cleared it up… I do think you have to look after backs or you can keep getting it happen…
I know every-one has got advice… I hope some of it works, but I do know that backs need to be humoured and cossetted when they are hurting. do hope you’ll be kind to it and you !!!!!
I do hope by now you’re feeling much better! I can’t imagine a painful back with the degree of work you have waiting each day. I particularly enjoy your “bee stories,” Celi. Such necessary and fascinating creatures!
Oh Celi
So terribly sorry to hear of the bent back problem! We really never realize how every single little thing we do involves using those blasted back muscles!! S
ure hoping you can recover quickly because it’s so boring to be unable to do as we like to do!
Thanks so much for the darling pic of LuLu…she is a tad chubby,,,,,maybe some babies on the way (ooh what fun that would be}…take care and feel better very soon!
Morning anonymous, that is actually author who i called lulu by mistake, what am i like!?..c
Oh Celi
So sorry to read about your back troubles! Sure hope you are on the mend very soon! We forget how every little movement we do involves our back muscles…so hard to not move!
Thanks so much for the great pic of Lulu…she is a tad chubby…..maybe some kitties in there? I’m pretty sure she hasn’t been visiting McDonalds lately…….
Take care…….mend quickly 🙂
There is nothing more frustrating than an injured back or neck! I sure hope you’re able to get through this quickly! Maybe a visit to the chiropractor? I have a touchy neck and every now and then I turn just right and I’m injured for a week. It’s awful, and irritating because like you, I don’t DO sick or lying in bed very well. Believe it or not, those Ben Gay (not to be confused with any other brand) sticky heat patches work very, very, well. Those, along with Ibuprofen can usually get me through it pretty well.
Get well soon! ~ April
Praying for a quick recovery for you. It’s so frustrating to not be able to do what we normally can do!
Oh Celi, you poor dear – so sorry to hear you have put your back out and such a pity you can’t take a couple of days to rest. Think you need to get a few more helping hands in over the next week. Wish I could pop over to help out.
Hmm, might I hazard a guess our dear Lulu is pregnant……
How lovely to have bees again – looking forward to hearing how they settle in and hope Daisy’s mastitis is sorted soon too.
Have a happy day.
🙂 Mandy xo
I’m really keen to get bees, so I must admit to having hive envy. But poor you with a bad back and lots of animals to look after. Hope you’re better very soon.