It’s terribly British to constantly comment on the weather, but if it’s constantly changing – there’s always something new to say!
This week, we had the best weather on the day that we really needed it – Monday.
This was the day that we took a large selection of our chickens to Syon House for their Countryside Learning day, teaching local London children about rural skills and activities and explaining how life has changed at Syon over the centuries since it was first built as an Abbey in 1415. Over 300 children participated and each had an opportunity to stroke a hen.
Tuesday found us in a Children’s Centre, introducing live bees to their pre-school children.
They had been learning about bees to celebrate World Bee Day and were mesmerised by the busy worker bees moving honey around the frame (within the glass hive) to feed the ‘babies’, the developing larvae.
On Wednesday, it was tipping down!
I felt so sorry for the visitors to RHS Chelsea Flower Show – everyone seemed to get rather wet. However, we were safe and warm in the kitchen with a Corporate Team Day for Brompton Bikes. We made pizzas from scratch – a bag of flour, a bottle of milk and a tin a tomatoes.
Here are a couple of the guests stretching the mozzarella ready to top their creations.
I’m trying to pop down to the allotment regularly, be that to weed, plant or harvest.
Yesterday, Thursday, I cleared the old brassica bed, erected the bean poles and planted the tall runner beans ready for this year’s Piccalilli, I weeded the Three Sisters bed – really rather tricky as new french bean seedlings look very similar to bind weed!
Who needs flowers when broad beans look this majestic?
After nearly a year’s wait, I’ve harvested the first lemon from the tree that Andy bought me for my birthday last June.
I felt very proud that we nurtured it successfully through winter, there are still more lemons ripening and it’s about to flower again. I’m trying to savour every slice (and slowly eat it once I’ve drained my gin glass), I wonder what would be the best way to let it shine?
Finally, with all the sun and rain, our wheat ‘field’ is growing really well
Apart from the patch that Channel likes to rest in, and now that it’s much taller – it’s the perfect hiding place for her as she decides which squirrels to chase!
Coming up at Hen Corner:
Tuesday 4th June A Day At Hen Corner
Saturday 15th June Full Day Bee Keeping
Wednesday 26th June Urban Hens – Keeping Chickens In London
Wednesday 3rd July Introduction to Making Bread
Wednesday 24th July Introduction To Scandinavian Baking
Wednesday 31st July Making New Cheeses
Fully booked courses with new dates:
Throughout the summer holidays Bees for Children
Other news:
- Swarm season is well underway – I collected a beautiful swarm of gentle bees from a back garden in Chiswick and they are doing very well – find out more on our upcoming Bee Keeping courses
- We’ve started picking the first broad beans at the allotment, small beans for salad – larger for hummus
- Our grapevine it stretching out into the sky, we are training it with a new support structure this year so that the bunches of grapes can hang down free in the sunshine
Jobs for the week:
- Tidy up all my old flower pots – I’m never going to use them all
- Keep picking the strawberries at the allotment
- Have a lovely rest over the Bank Holiday
Here’s hoping for some more sunshine!
Sara
