Virtual DIL 4th May 2014

Sophia’s

We don t know where these bees came from as the 4 hives we have are full of them and we could nt bigger out which one decided to swarm.

But this is what Louis (my son) found, saying , telling me that the bees are still resting out side (after we already got a swarm in one box to give away in the same week.)

This is what it looks like

Behind the fence are three hives and it is likely they come from one of them, as the bees first gather together protecting the queen who is in the middle. 

Then some bees are of to find a new home (at least 3 miles away from the mother hive.) Then they all fy to the new home.

Here I am repairing to help Mickey to shake the bees down into a box.

You know if the queen is  in it ,if some bees start to "fan" with their bottoms up, fanning there wings , giving of a smell for the others that might have missed the coming into the home.

How more safe homes we can help to provide for bees , the more change of survival, these two have new homes now, but if one of you want to keep bees, or now somebody let me know, because most likely more will swarm very soon, ours are bursting out of there hive.

It is very rewarding, spiritual and earthy to have so many pets, without having to do much at all.

This summer we are going to learn how to get the honey out, so we have something to give back to them when harder times come in Winter.

Mim's

Curves.
Slopes
of green.
Trees, humble
where blossoms
have been.

Shadows soft
&
radiant sunlight.

Flowers
lilac
fallen.
Air, fresh
I breathe.

Clare’s

jo

I visit your tree for you

no blossoms yet

bundles of tight leaves cascade

sophia

I visit the house of coal

outside overgrown

lilac brims with perfume

laura

I visit where you lay in fairy dress

ruin nearly gone

nettles up to my waist

mim

I visit puddle of shiny boots

 barn with beam moving

as rain greyed us all

yumimo

I visit my memory of you in red

a slow growing tree

caught in light that holds us all

b

I visit the bluebell woods

our moving sculpture

you took us to discovery

B’s

Central Brighton - a MaydaybankholidayBrightonFestival crowdthick Sunday..

I open the gate into Pelham Square, a daisy filled sunlit patch of green.  There's one other human - a dishevelled old rocker sitting on a bench, and a seagull.  I sit on the bench opposite and soon the bird comes hopping towards me.  I see it has a large ugly growth on one of its webbed feet.  I take out my oatcakes to eat and it inches closer hopefully.  I move to a more sunny patch of grass. Before long the seagull has found me again.  It holds the foot with the growth off the ground and cocks its head looking at me this way and that with jade eyes. Such bright white plumage. Fears of being mobbed by the gull and 100s of others dissolves away and I decide to see if it likes oatcake.  It does.  I chat to it as I throw pieces of oatcake and it catches them in its beak - I'm very impressed.  I feel we are enjoying ourselves.  We are now completely alone in the park. The gull senses when there is no more food and limps off before swooping out of the park and up to survey the world from a chimney top.  I lie down regretting not having taken a photo of the gull with whom I shared my lunch.  I see the two trees - iridescent green in the sunlight, darker where the leaves overlap.  Branches and leaves bounce, spring, sway and jostle in the breezes that play with them, then stillness and then a starting up somewhere else.  I'm aware of my body as it releases, supported by the ground twitching and fluttering in different parts without me trying.

Laura’s

i walked through the fields to visit the

spindle tree i'd planted,

and its growing.

i walked down down the road, through a village, over stepping stones, across the river

to a pub fireside to eat chips and earl grey.  the sun set as i climbed back up, dropping back into the valley alone.  no visitors, following slowly behind the foot steps of a black bird bob bobbing along the path before me.

everything soundless and noisy, owls screeching sheep and birds singing themselves to sleep.

i bathed in the natures' universe

home home

i slid down the big beech, it was waiting for me to settle 

earlier still warm from the sun

now a hideout to view the slip of moon and go unseen from the paw paw fox passing beside me

the owls and i have fallen to a deep quiet 

i can make out vague tones and shadows as i move towards home

***

and this is what i happened to write when i returned home at 11pm :

owls hooting across me for ages

                all along twighlight

leaning back into that Big Beech, knowing that's what I truly needed

          when I pitied myself for a man

the beloved exists in everyone, in all things

there is nothing that doesn't ooze, penetrate and imbibe the beloveds' love

that is my mission, to enjoy in rapture every drop of the visitors' offering

Yumino

We were up on the downs with my farther in law.  It was glorious day.  We seemingly walked miles and miles very slowly.  I only realised afterword that it was the world which passed us.