Category Archives: Smallholding

Memory Lane, 23rd August 2023: Pendle Witches Brew

Posted on June 3, 2024 by james

As he’s at university in Lancaster and knows The Pendle Witch pub, he wanted to try to make this beer before he went back. I took the recipe from Graham Wheeler’s “Brew your own real ales at home” and then … Continue reading →

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Ye Gods! More frames!

Posted on June 3, 2024 by james

Yes, I’m still going 😀

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Planting out frenzy!

Posted on June 3, 2024 by james

The weather has improved and the greenhouse is still full, so today I have been planting out as fast as possible. I’ve completely lost track of everything that has been done. The staging is at least starting to look a … Continue reading →

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More frames still

Posted on June 3, 2024 by james

Yes, I’m still going with the beehive frame-making. Another hundred or so done now. I’ve moved on from Manley frames for the supers to Hoffmans for the brood boxes (because those were the parts on top of the pile on … Continue reading →

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Memory Lane, 31st July 2023: Gates to control the world

Posted on May 28, 2024 by james

Well, the chickens’ world, at least. I’m rather proud of these. Not an enormous amount of work, but they look neat and work nicely. Now I need to crack on and make some more for the other runs.

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Frames for my new boxes

Posted on May 28, 2024 by james

I need to move some sheet materials because they’re in the way of work that must be completed, but the place I’d like to move them to is already occupied by some other sheets for lining the bee shed. I … Continue reading →

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Memory Lane, 18th July 2023: Fractal vegetables

Posted on May 28, 2024 by james

I love these on so many levels. Not only do they taste nice and look amazing, but they’re a beautiful illustration of how a simple rule can create a complex design for the plant that suggests something far more complicated … Continue reading →

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Tasty water!

Posted on May 28, 2024 by james

I’m really not sure if they’re after this to cool the hives down inside (unlikely, surely?) or to dilute honey because forage is not coming in fast enough. Plenty being collected though.

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Box-making jig revisited

Posted on May 28, 2024 by james

I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me before, but all I needed to get the frame rails at the correct height in the jig was to find two old top bars and cut off the section opposite the … Continue reading →

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Memory Lane, 18th July 2023: Frankenstein’s greenhouse in use!

Posted on May 28, 2024 by james

I had a few spare tomato and pepper plants in pots, so I thought I might as well put them in the greenhouse where they’d hopefully provide more fruit despite the lateness of the season. The greenhouse was otherwise empty, … Continue reading →

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