Thursday 26 September 2013

September on the Cornish Coast and back to Harvests and Honey


St Michael's Mount




Thanks to all for wishing me a good break in my last post. I spent most of the time on the Cornish Coast loving the scenery, the sea air and the fabulous sounds of the waves and calling sea gulls.  Unfortunately, the weather was what you might politely call 'mixed' i.e. we had some days of rain and mist when we couldn't even see the sea.  I have to admit that this is unusual for us, because we're generally very lucky with the weather when we've come down to Cornwall either in late spring or early autumn. But there you are...our luck ran out!

Anyway, when the sun comes out it transforms the coast into stunning blue seas and skies that's wonderful for watching wildlife. I loved all the Kestrels; I've hardly seen any at home this year but there were many along the coast and so close, too...














And then there was this cheeky little bird, which I think is a Rock Pipit...







Naturally there are all the beautiful views...

Logan Rock






And also the sunsets over the sea...one of my favourite natural sights.  It makes me realise that I don't see many spectacular sunsets at home, there are too many trees to the west of us that obscure them (although I do catch some lovely winter sunrises over the fields).  But on holiday I often saw the whole sky ablaze over the sea and so had to try and catch a pic....

Sunset behind St Michael's Mount





David and I had plenty to arrange before we went away, such as organising our businesses (although the phones have to come away with us, of course). But the main difference this year was that we had to change arrangements for looking after the smallholding.  Our two sets of parents have always been truly wonderful and looked after everything before now, but they can't really manage this anymore, so we arranged for others to come in.  And it all worked out really well - the animals behaved themselves (mostly...with some despairing looks here at Cador, the difficult gander) and we relaxed knowing that the animals were being very well cared for.  Such a relief!

So it's back now to the fruit and berry harvests - and lots of delicious tomatoes.  We didn't get any last year, so this year's crop is really precious.  I'm also finishing off extracting and storing the honey, although I didn't get as much as I hoped this summer, in the end.

This is the equipment used for extracting honey...



It includes an uncapping knife to uncap the wax from the honey in the frames, a metal extractor to spin out the uncapped honey from the frames, a strainer to strain out any bits in the honey after extracting and a bucket for storage. But before I do any of this I need the two small pieces of white plastic by the honey jar. These are 'bee escapes' that are put into a wooden board in the hive between the honey frames to take and the rest of the hive - and they are designed to allow the bees to leave the honey frames and go through them into the hive - but the bees can't come back i.e. they're one way.  Their purpose is to clear the honey frames of bees so that they can be taken away bee-less.

The honey frames are usually cleared of bees in about 24 -48 hours with the bee escapes, but the flying bees know what you're doing i.e. stealing their honey, so they'll do their best to get it back (if they spot the frames again, they won't leave them).  That's why it is also important to shut all doors and windows when extracting honey because any passing bee will discover you and let every other bee in the neighbourhood know.  And then the wasps join in...

Extracting the honey is always quite an operation, but worth it. The honey pouring out from the extractor tap is gorgeous; so pure and golden and natural (thanks to the bees; this is their hard work). 

Next job, preparing the bees for winter...

30 comments:

  1. Superb photos of the kestrel (how did you manage to get that one?) and the sunsets and scenery. Well, all of them really! Glad you had a good break.

    As you know, I am always fascinated by your bee posts. There is something so very special about bees (and that's coming from a moth-obsessed person!) :-)

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    1. The Kestrel was hovering right overhead on the coast path. They must be very used to people walking by, I guess. I also saw a pair settled on the rocks above me one day, but annoyingly the light wasn't right for a good photo.
      I will miss the bees, moths, butterflies etc over winter.

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  2. If I ever get to visit England, I am going to visit St Michael's Mount and the coast. Your photos are like taking a mini vacation. I love honey - it is wonderful that you are producing it and I am sure it is worth it! I'm glad that you had a wonderful getaway!

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    1. I would strongly recommend visiting the Cornish Coast if you do ever come over, Stacy. St Michael's Mount is worth a visit, too. The best way to reach it is walking over the causeway when the tide is out (rather than taking the boat). I love doing this!
      And even though I'm used to seeing it, I'm still amazed that the bees produce such a wonderful natural food as honey.

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  3. Dear Wendy - I do admire the way you have embraced your bee keeping - to an outsider it all sounds extremely complicated. I expect once you have gone through the whole process, and become familiar with everything that you need to do it gets easier. The description of the golden honey pouring out of the tap must be a rewarding experience at the end.
    A great picture of St. Michael's Mount, a place that I have only visited once.

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    1. As you've guessed beekeeping can be very busy at times, Rosemary - and the honey harvest is one of them! Honey was traditionally always extracted in August/September and although this is still the main period for this, in oilseed rape areas honey now has to be extracted when this is in flower because it hardens in the comb so quickly. This has had a huge impact on the beekeeper's timetable here.
      We always love to walk across to the Mount and back, but since we've taken our dog on holiday unfortunately we can't visit the property and gardens anymore.

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  4. Oh I do love Cornwall. Glad the sun was out some of the time, to let you get those wonderful photographs.
    We have the same problem with trees, and lack of sunsets.
    Oh dear, what did Cador do?

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    1. I love it too!
      Unfortunately Cador saw a strange face and decided to play up a couple of times at night - staying on the pond when he should have been ready to be shut up. I had a horrible feeling that if there was any trouble while we were away, he would be in the middle of it.

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  5. Lovely to see your photos of Cornwall - I like that part of the coast too, near Penzance and St Michael's Mount. You took some great photos of the kestrel and of the beautiful sunset. Nice too to go away knowing that your smallholding is being cared for:)

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    1. This is the part of the coast we know best; we often walk the coast path east from close to St Michael's Mount. It is a beautiful part of Cornwall, isn't it?
      It was a huge relief knowing that the smallholding was being looked after. The animals need attention twice a day, so it is a big ask of someone.

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  6. Fabulous Kestrel pic - I assume you got him in the hover using a fast shutter speed?
    We've been to Cornwall several times but NEVER managed to see St Michael's Mount in decent weather! So glad you had a wonderful time!

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    1. The Kestrel was moving around a bit, changing its mind about where it wanted to hover, so I had to follow it quickly with the camera (and basically let the camera do the work, here!)
      Because it was sometimes so misty, St Michael's Mount often disappeared altogether! But then it would suddenly appear through the mist - and then it looked magical.

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  7. Beautiful photos :) So glad you had a good time in Cornwall - one of my favourite parts of England. Great photo of St Michael's Mount such a beautiful magical place :)

    Fascinated to see the honey extracting process :)

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    1. I agree about St Michael's Mount looking magical, not only through the mist, but also at sunset or catching the day-time sun. It just looks like it is - something from another age.

      I have a manual extractor i.e. I have to turn the wheel to spin the frames - but it would be easier with an electric extractor which would do this for me...one day!

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  8. Glorious photos ,thank you for sharing.
    We live so far East that Sunsets always seem so far away.

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    1. I agree about the sunsets seeming distant here (this is more a place for sunrises!) So I do enjoy watching them on holiday - it is a special treat.

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  9. Beautiful Kestrel and pipit images Wendy. It's a wonderful part of the world and the sun set photo is great. Well, the honey extracting sounds complicated and I like the way you said...and then the wasps join in! Made me smile

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    1. I wish Cornwall was a lot closer! I could spend so many evenings watching the sunsets there.
      Extracting honey is a bit involved and once the frames have been taken from the hives it's best to extract at once. The honey can drip everywhere, otherwise. Also the bees and wasps will probably find them - it is amazing how quickly they all turn up.

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    1. It was great seeing so many Kestrels there. I've probably only seen a handful at home all summer. But they were everywhere along the coast - so it's obviously a fantastic habitat for them.

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  11. The Kestrel shot is fantastic and how lucky you were to get that fantastic sunset. We waited patiently most evenings in Wales for a sunset which started out with promise and fizzled out to nothing! x

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    1. We had some misty and hazy evenings, too when the sunsets never really happened. It is a shame, isn't it, when the sun shines during the day and so you expect a decent sunse,t only to see the mist come up and swallow eveything!

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  12. Amazing kestrel photo! I also think your first photo of St. Michaels Mount is beautifully composed :) It certainly looks like you had a relaxing break.

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  13. It was very relaxing - I love walking along the coast paths and gazing at those stunning views. The wildlife is a real bonus. I'm always hoping to see basking sharks and dolphins - I saw dolphins years ago, which was fabulous - but have never seen a basking shark. I'll just keep looking!

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  14. Sorry that I have been tardy in commenting on this post - but as you know I have been on holiday myself. I love this area of Cornwall and although I haven't been for many years your photos brought it all back. We actually saw a Black Kite in Norfolk as well as the usual Marsh Harriers and Kestrels we mainly have Buzzards where we live so to see all these other raptors was quite exciting. Nice to have you amongst us again.

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    1. I'm envious of your Black Kite sighting, and it's wonderful that you saw the other raptors, too. There's such good wildlife watching there. We hope to go back to Cornwall again next year - this time with better weather over the holiday. Thanks for your welcome back!

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  15. What beautiful images of Cornwall, I love the sea and enjoy the mist, it does make everything look so mysterious. What a fab pic of the kestral!!!!

    Wow, the honey extracting left me wanting to hear more, it sounds really exciting if a little dangerous, I wouldn't fancy the wasps coming to join in the fight!xxxx

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    1. I agree that the mist coming in from the sea can make everything look mysterious and romantic, too. Time to think of legends! I think if I lived there the dense sea fog would get me down a bit, though.
      Extracting the honey can be difficult when the bees cotton on to what you're doing. They're very persistent. And the wasps are just a nuisance. They seem to get everywhere.

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  16. St Michael's Mount looks so magical, beautiful photos and a lovely blog - so glad I found you!

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    1. Hello Elizabeth and thanks for visiting. I've just enjoyed reading your own blog and look forward to following what you do!

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