Still wrapped in the gentleness of the summer glide we had a productive day yesterday.
Summer sauce went into jars. Dried capsicum into jars. Stuff I am not going to eat came Out of jars and into the mouths of my piglets. I have a terrible habit of keeping things in jars just because they are pretty!
Look at Big Dog. He has a perfectly good enamel potty filled with fresh water and The Big Dog chooses to drink out of the old tin kettle for the cats, he can barely get his nose in there. What wrong with that lovely potty.
It matches the lovely jug. The shot below is for Maria my most favourite cousin who is a teacher on the outback in Aussie. Good morning Maria Christina Cuz!
My red light! 
A lot of thought goes into a good Chicken Tractor you know. Though we will call it The Ark.
The bees have their third story. They are doing very well, lots of honey, brood and activity. Learning from last years mistakes I am going to start feeding them their horrid sugar water soon. The flowers are coming to an end and there is no rain in sight. I think we may be in for a long cool autumn. I don’t want them using up their honey stores before winter and starving. 
Good morning. This shot was a set up. Both dogs have been told to Sit and Stay. I seldom do that for an image for you. But I wanted you to see how tall the field corn is. We are surrounded on all four sides with the corn and frankly I love it when it is high. I get to live in a walled garden for the summer. People driving past on our gravel road only see the very tops of our rooves.
Todays work (among other things) is to prune the grape vines. Sunlight needs to get to the grapes. Are you there Roger? What am I meant to do with the prunings? You told me once they are good for something special. Charcoal? Grilling? We best find out soon or the animals will be eating them.
The ark is finished! There will be a tarp on top that I can roll up. This is such a learning curve but I am thrilled with the design my friends came up with. Though they have told me that it will still be a few weeks before the birds are big enough to come out into the field. They are still very small and need to feather out. That’s fine. There is plenty of room in The Black Mariah.
Soon I am going to have to invest in a winter dressing gown. It is still quite chilly in the mornings.
Have a lovely day.
your friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
59 responses to “The Bee Hive goes Up a Level”
Oh my goodness, I am almost too tired reading about all the work you have been doing and looking at all the work yet to be done!!! It is a good thing you have some help on the farm. Your dogs are so handsome sitting in front of the corn ready to be harvested. My little Buddy, 12 week Yorkie, has learned how to sit and stay for a short period of time, really short so hoping that he improves with age. Take Care, BAM
He will improve with practice, 5 5 minute practices a day and he will get it. The corn has to dry completely before it is harvested, we have a ways to go yet.. c
Oh that corn!
The ark is impressive. With a tarp over the top it would make a great tent for camping out. Or a hut for the kids to play in. The corn is also impressive: amazing to grow it so high without artificial fertiliser. And happy bees too; what more could you want?
That corn IS the GM corn. Without the fertilisers it would only be as high as the dogs. You can see around the edges of the fields often the corn is shorter where the oil based fertilisers have not reached. Another reason why this kind of cropping is doomed. Fossil fuels are finite. It will not last forever and is the basis for many of the agricultural chemicals. The earth will sort it out in the end. c
Oh no! That’s awful.
Big Dog knows where that potty’s been!
It’s very good to hear that the bees are ding well 😉
I love the visual of you boxed in by the tall corn stalks – such a cozy thought. Across the street from where I grew up, there was (still is actually) a large field where the farmers would grow corn. My sister and I loved wandering through the maze of rows, weaving in and out of the stalks – calling out “Marco! Polo!” 🙂
Your jug is indeed lovely and the photo as well… Judging by the glass, you’re living in a Century Farm, yes? Mayhap The Big Dog prefers his water galvanised rather than the High Iron potty version? Hmm, “eau de potty”… LOL! On second thought, perhaps it’s the thought that counts?; )