Sunday 26 October 2014

My New Assistant Through The Shift in Seasons

 We had the distinct pleasure of having our wee Grand-daughter, Penny live with us for nearly 3 weeks while her baby brother was in hospital having surgery.  I've raised 5 kids and am perfectly capable of handling toddlers (even unruly ones) but oh MY, I'm not as young as I used to be!  The days were busy and I was certainly tired at the end of them...  I'm a bit out of practice as to how long everything takes when you have a little "helper" (wink).   After I adjusted my expectations, everything turned out splendidly.


Penny helped me do all manner of chores here from harvesting veggies to caring for the chickens and even preserving food.     




It was quite amazing to see how capable she was - I would dig and she would bend over and collect carrots and potatoes, happily plopping them into the basket and bucket.  She could work for hours this way... slowly and carefully getting the job done.  At one point, she spontaneously said "Hard Working" with such pride - it was a fantastic moment for me.   I do believe that she felt a terrific sense of accomplishment in harvesting food for the table.  There's nothing like the pleasure of receiving thanks from everyone at the table for the delicious potatoes and carrots on their plate.  She positively GLOWED!  Children need meaningful work in their days and I can think of no other work  more rewarding than growing food for the table.



Of course we mustn't forget the honey...  oh, the HONEY!  We harvested quite a few bars of comb which has provided a wonderful sense of accomplishment and satisfaction for ALL of us.   We made some mistakes this year as new beekeepers, but that's okay.  I fully expected to make them and actually welcomed them as a chance to learn.  Thanks to frequent hive checks and lots of watching and reading, the bees are healthy and free of disease, the hives are in great shape going into winter, and we were able to harvest a little bit of honey.  I wish there were words to describe the taste - it's absolutely delicious! Everyone agrees that we all can taste peppermint and orange as well as lavender and liquorice.  The bees were incredibly busy gathering pollen and nectar from a a great diversity of species on our property (and beyond) this summer so I shouldn't be surprised by the taste, but gosh, the flavour is SO beautiful and complex compared to commercial honey.  I'm HOOKED on beekeeping!



Miss Penny had no idea what she was holding until we told her to push her finger in...  it came out covered in honey but her brow remained furrowed until she licked that sticky finger then oh BOY her face lit up like a Christmas tree and she dove in for more!  It was priceless...  "Like that honey, Grandma!  Bees make that!  Penny like it!"


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In the end we have 7 quarts of honey plus some lovely wax to make candles from.  We chose to leave extra honey for the bees as "insurance" in case our winter is long...  I couldn't BEAR to take any more.   I have such a profound appreciation for every drop of that golden nectar and a tremendous respect for the honeybee.  If there's any honey leftover in Spring, we'll harvest then.



Finally, the last of our tomatoes ripened.  I canned sauce and fermented salsa for weeks and now the pleasure of eating it all is our reward for a season of hard work.  Frankly, I don't want to see another tomato for many months.



Our darling Grandson, Owen is finally home and is doing wonderfully following heart surgery.  It was a tough month for him but he fought hard and bounced back thanks to a terrific fight!   He is as his name suggests - a true warrior.  We are so proud of him and we love him dearly XO 

As I finish off this post, the first snow is falling...  I'm okay with that because I'm tired of working outdoors and I'm ready to be inside.  The sewing machine is calling name as is the basket of wool (currently under a sleeping cat).  It's time to turn inward and nest in preparation for a long winter...


16 comments:

  1. Nothing beats the taste of honey from your own bees! And all beekeepers make mistakes year on year.. thats okay, there is so much to learn and bees have so much to teach us.
    Love your helper

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    1. You're right about that! Those bees are amazing - they have taught us so much already. Can't wait for next year :)

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  2. Oh, I'm so happy to read your post! Penny is just beautiful, and what wonderful memories she's going to have of your special time together. Can't believe how big she is now - my big girl and I were just digging up the last of our potatoes today, too. Thank goodness your precious grandson is home - that must have been so difficult for his parents and your family. My first baby spent almost a week in the NICU and it was hard. How fortunate your grandchildren are to have you as their grandma :)
    xoxo, Jaime

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    1. Penny had a lot of fun here but towards the end, she was pretty homesick... at a 2, your whole life revolves around Mama and Daddy and HOME. She could sense the stress and worry and it was mighty tough for her, but she did really well all things considered :)

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  3. I'm so glad your grandson is home and all is well. What a beautiful, sweet little girl Penny is and what beautiful memories you made together.
    Love your pictures.

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  4. What a beautiful post, thank you for sharing with us.
    I feel contentment just from reading your words.

    cheers Kate

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    1. The relief is so huge! We were all living on pins and needles and adrenaline for 3 weeks. It's wonderful to be back in our familiar routines again... We are fortunate that Owen recovered as quickly as he did. He is a fighter!

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  5. What a lovely post! It made me happy to read it.

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  6. I was at Kev's blog "English Homestead" and I saw he had linked to you. So I came over here and I enjoyed your blog. You remind me a lot of another blog I read, by a lady about your age in South Africa. Her name is Dani. I went back to my blog and got her link: http://ecofootprintsa.blogspot.com/

    Incidentally, I'm not a robot or a spammer or any of that. I just thought she you and she made the same decision to leave the city and live in the country, and you both have grandkids, you might be friends.

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    1. I recognize you from Kev's blog, Harry :) Thanks for the suggestion!

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  7. This is a lovely post, full of joy and contentedness. Penny is such a cutie (as is dear little Owen), I bet she kept you on your toes.

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  8. The bees - that does not look like a regular bee frame you are holding. What type of hive do you keep?

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    1. We kept 2 top bar hives this year. After some trial and error, we have discovered that we both LOVE long top bar hives. SO EASY to work with.

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