Bees, bulbs, ducks and daughters

The girls were up early and wanting to get ready for Stagecoach, so I relented at 8.30 and let them put on their dancing gear. We needed to leave at about 9.30 so they spent 55 minutes comparing leggings and looking at their hair. They did look quite sweet:

Having dropped them off and signed them in, I went to the bee farm as I haven't been for a while. I started off with the hives in the Rose Garden:

And unpacked Hive Number 1:

WBCs are a bit of a pain, despite their traditional good looks, as they are like a National (the ones like mine) only with the louvres so there is more work and also it's very easy to bang the hive as you take them off. The bees were not very friendly; I got stung twice and there were a couple of dozen more crawling over me being rather cross and trying to sting through my suit. The bees are rather keen on sticking their hive together with propolis which is the toffee treacly stuff they make from tree resin:

They probably resented me fiddling around and taking their home apart but I had only been in there 5 minutes before they got angry so I decided to call it a day before I got really stung. I did go up to the top field and do two more hives, another one rather angry and the last one adorably calm and friendly so I think it's the bees not me. My bees at home are so quiet and lovely to work with it's quite hard when they're out to get you. I did patch up a few holes in my veil this morning but there are one or two left and there's nothing worse than a bee in your bee suit!

It was then time to go and collect the girls, who had had a wonderful time so I am really hoping it is something they get involved with and enjoy.

We came back and let the ducks out for a waddle:

Ahh, I love my ducks :-)

It has been scorching hot again today and I'm trying to enjoy it but part of me wants to get all autumnal and cosy, but I'll regret it when the rain starts and the greyness descends. I had made up a tray of Narcissus bulbs for a lovely floral display; I'm not sure I'll appreciate spring flowers at the moment but I noticed today that they've sprouted, oops:

Never mind, I'm sure they'll be lovely and I can't salvage the situation anyway!