(I have it on Good Authority!) Now I know what all the squawking was about the night before last.
I tried to tell you. Says Tui.
Two tiny tiny kittens. As long as my thumb. I heard their mewling after the milking yesterday morning and look what I found tucked away behind a bale of straw.
I got in trouble for taking photos without Author’s permission. I hope they have their mothers eyes.
She is quite the sweetest little mother.
Coincidentally I took Scrapper to the vets for his wee op yesterday as well. Though that is a little like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted or whatever that expression is.
I called the bee man and he is sending me a new queen. By yesterday morning all the bees from the weaker hive had jumped ship and moved to the stronger hive. So I am to carefully take two full frames from that hive and move bees back to join their new queen. I am to lock down the entrances for a few days. Then he said to change the shape of that hive as bees do not recognise colours they recognise the shape of their home. So each hive should have a different kind of weight on the top. I shall give these guys a V shaped tower of little red bricks so there is no confusion. He said sometimes he pins a plastic triangle on the front or writes a big number, all these things help the bees to get used to their new home. Interesting isn’t it.
I also learnt from the bee man yesterday that dandelions are the best flower for the bees in the spring, as they produce both nectar and pollen and are the first to flower. Our humble dandelion which is prolific in the wild grasses out here is bee gold. So no more mowing the dandelion flowers – let them grow and flower in your lawns. You will be doing your early bees a great favour. Dandelion leaves make a good salad too you know, we had some with our greens last night. 
He has dispatched a new queen for me (he only had two left!) and she should arrive this morning. She will come with a few bee attendants. Once again she will have a stopper in the box made of candy that the other bees will nibble away at so that she is slowly released. By the time she is out she will be their queen.
My yellow magnolia has begin to bloom. Here is a close up!
I love this tree.
Good morning. I hope you are all well and busy. I do apologise for not being able to visit your sites as much as I would like at the moment. Spring is a busy time but soon we will calm down again before harvest time and I hope to zoom about a bit more then.
Oh and no roofers yesterday but they are hoping to come today. Of course we have bendy tree weather this morning so I am not sure if they will come today either. And the dry-waller got his weeks mixed up and will come next week I hope. Ah well. We will get there.
Today, after I have visited my old people with meat loaves and clean washing, I shall garden and make bread and do lots of ordinary things. Daisy is giving so much more milk now that she is on grass (a couple of hours in the morning and the same in the afternoon to avoid the bloat) so I am going to begin a few more Parmesan cheeses.
I can hear Author, that tiny mother cat who is no more than a kitten herself, calling to me from the steps, she wants her milk!
Have a lovely day.
your friend celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
71 responses to “New babies in the loft!”
If there’s anything cuter than baby kittens, I don’t know what it would be. Fingers crossed for the bees. Too bad ours either flew away (first try) or died (second try). Because, if they’d just stayed around, they’d have had plenty of dandelions to feed on. 🙂
You know I recently learned at the vet that kittens can have kittens. Just fascinating. I had no idea! They are too adorable. I just love them. And the bees would have a field day in our yard with all the dandelions. 🙂
I didn’t know that about dandelions. I will do my best to conserve, and it’s a great excuse to not weed them out. I must try them in salad also, I love the idea of a purpose built bed of dandlions for bees and salads. I wondered the same thing, if the pea fowl pick up on the gist of the birds and bees from the kitties, who are adorable… the G.O. just gazed at the screen when I showed him. Like me he loves cats, and is a big softie 🙂
kittens do that to a fella. c
Aw! What cute little kitties!
Cute kitties! What a lovely surprise. I’ve never seen a yellow magnolia. Interesting about the bees, as are all things in nature if one takes the time to learn of it.
Just home from not such a nice morning to the delight of finding unexpected kittens on the farmy! Obviously there are some things going on there even you do not know!! I know dandelion leaves are meant to be good in the salad – have yet to like them and somehow those flowers always seem like weeds to me, but if they are good for the bee industry: God bless and let them grow 🙂 ! Love magnolias and don’t remember a yellow one either . . .
I’ve never seen a yellow magnolia, Celi, and it’s just gorgeous. I didn’t even know they existed, quite frankly. And what is it about newborn kittens that just melts the heart. Spring is bursting from all corners of the farm, and it is looking just fine! 🙂
New babies, how cute. Imhave just been informed by hubby that we have two new babies coming …Orpington hens…we will need to move to a life style block soon if he keeps adding to the menagerie.
I love the yellow magnolia – have never seen one before. And hearing about dandelions – fancy that, I never knew they were so loved by bees.