Bat boxes and plans

This morning Lloyd and I ran out to get a few things - amongst other things we ran to the Wild bird store to get some supplies for the bird feeders and to look at bat boxes....In the store they have a big display board stating which birds have been spotted in the area in the last week....bald eagles etc etc...

The lady in there was telling me that any day she expects to stat getting calls to say that people are spotting bats - when they open up their sun parasols for the first time after winter, they find that bats have hibernated up inside them - Val beware!!! :) Lol

We went in to look at bat boxes. Lloyd is off next week and is planning to spend a couple of days building bat boxes, owl boxes and bird boxes for us to put up all around here - I want several bat boxes in the woodland around the pond - bats are wonderful at eating mosquitoes and are such sweet cuddly little things :)

If we put owl boxes up then we can we regularly go round for walks to look underneath them for pellets :)

I want several bird boxes put up within sight of the new sunroom and kitchen so that we can sit in the sun room or on the wrap around porch and watch the birds go in and out of the bird boxes.....

WE also went to Southgate Mall - I had never been there before (except to drop my nephew there for a party once) but I thought it was quite a nice mall....we went there for the science store - which was a bit disappointing really - so much smaller than it looks online! Ah well...

Lloyd dragged me into the Audi dealership to see a car he likes only to be told he can't get it for 2 years....so he was a bit fed up....I don't think Audi were expecting quite so many people in Canada to want one!!

Now we are home and relaxing for a few hours - I'm going to scrapbook for a while - Lloyd is curling up watching a movie with the kids I think.....then he and I are going out to Samantha and Ians house for dinner to celebrate Ians 40th :)

40!!! OMG THATS SO OLD!!!!! ;)

Dad - bees

Hi Dad,

Yes we are very keen to get some bees - it won't be this year thats for sure as we are having all the building work done...but hopefully next year we can focus on getting the hives and ordering the bees......

I've wanted bees for a long time - probably since Manchester when we learned about them at our homeschool group and had a hive at the centre in Manchester that our group met at....we could watch them through the glass and hunt for the Queen....

Last year I read a couple of books that discussed bee keeping and we watched a couple of shows on it and in the summer we talked about it again....

Then last year on our trip to BC we visited the Bee Centre and my interest was piqued again and the girl there made me realise how easy it would be to get my own hive going....and how reasonable the cost would be.

Some people over winter their bees by wrapping the hive up and keeping it inside....they leave the bees some of their own honey and then feed them syrup through the winter.....often the bees will fly out and just die. Many bee keepers order new livestock each year. We have the workshop which will be heated next year and can maintain that at 5c so they should be fine in there and should survive ok :)

I would like to get Fireweed growing here this year but I can't seem to find anywhere online with any still for sale - Fireweed makes incredible honey....but everywhere is sold out :(

NEXT year with the bees our vegetables and fruits should do REALLY well :)

Happy Birthday James!

I think Val said that today is James' birthday! So happy birthday to Val's husband James! I hope you are having a lovely weekend - It's certainly a gorgeous sunny and warm weekend for you celebrate!!!

Spring forward!

Feeling all better! Well, just a little cough now! the wonders of garlic :) I swear - its a miracle cure :)

Don't forget that here in AB the clocks Spring forward an hour tonight - which means we are on Summer time as of tonight and will be only 6 hours behind the UK for a couple of weeks .

Longer days at last :) LOVE it :)

Lloyd and I just sat through 'Jimmy's Farm'...we LOVE that show...such a nice way to start the day......it was the episode where Porridge had hurt his foot and where they were running the farmers markets before Christmas trying to get the farm debts down before Christmas...Its a show about a city guy who bought a farm in the UK and wants to make a business out of it - he has bee hives and old rare pig breeds and a farm shop....vegetable gardens etc etc...he rescued battery farmed chickens etc etc and he farms mushrooms from his own woods to sell etc etc....lovely show on BBC Canada.

He's very much like Jamie Oliver.

Ok...off to pour coffee and take it up to Lloyd and then we are off out for the morning! Have a great day everyone!