Barry and his Bee Green work
One of the lovely things about working at Honeybuns is that the team are encouraged to get involved in other activities here at Naish Farm that interest them. Barry, one of our full-time bakers, has been helping out over the last years on our Bee Green activities. Here’s a little taster of what he’s been doing over the past month…
26th February
Today I am an apprentice of Honeybuns’ good friend Linda. She is an energetic and passionate gardener, and I am lucky to have her teaching me how to coppice Willow and weave arches. We cut back the Willow tree nestled next to the Honeybuns Bee Shack. The long branches will not go to waste; we plant them to renew the arches around the site. We weave them into the previous year’s willow plantings. Linda really is a magician with wood. She teases the willow into beautiful spirals and flowing arches. We stand back to admire the living architecture, and then nip in for a brew, it’s brass monkeys today!
4th March
I’ve been BeeGreening’ here at Honeybuns for just over a year now, one of my duties is to care for the young trees (or Twiglets as I like to call them) planted by vigorous volunteers in November 2014. I am pleased to report the vast majority have survived. A few little Hazels have begun to sprout delicate green leaves. The rest obviously like to arrive at the party fashionably late.
I was clearing the dead grass from choking out our small copse under the beady eyes of our colony of Rooks, they are busy building nests in a huge oak and seem to delight in squabbling amongst themselves and tumbling in the air, the high chilly winds are play time for our noisy corvids. The loud Kaa Kaa in the air is the first sound of spring for me.
11th March
This afternoon I have been clearing the overgrown and dead grass around our orchard. Shuffling along planting bulbs as I went. I know it is very late to be planting spring bulbs. I blush to think what Monty Don would make of it. As I worked a stout little Robin was watching me, I felt like a snuffling piggy turning over the turf for our little red bibbed friend.
I have also got a young Pheasant for company today. He gingerly pads around, carefully placing his feet as if he is afraid of getting his splendid russet coat dirty.