175. The ups and downs of the early Summer . . .

And that's nothing to do with Le Tour which we went to see on Holme Moss on Sunday (along with 60 000 other people).

One of our chickens has died (old-age), but the chicks are all looking good. Sarah was very reluctant to go to work yesterday after a weekend of looking after them.

Outside, our fruit cage is bursting with potential, and attractive not just to us but to marauders including squirrels, mice (1-0) and a rat (which I also caught).

The crows have been scared off by Loiuse - who could blame them?

I inspected the bees (ten days after giving them a new queen, courtesy of Royal Mail) and it was fantastic to see that not only she was alive, but laying eggs. I could see brood and sealed brood which is really fantastic. And lucky. Touch wood now that they don't get that swarmy feeling . . .


Three wasp nests to date - photo shows the remains of one from the hawthorn hedge (4 stings in total when I was cutting the hedge), and I have also dealt with one in the loft.

I never know what I'm going to to find out there . . . it's a jungle!

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