Inner Beekeeping

Much has happened since my last post. I concluded my time in Devon with a few days of learning with Clare and Seg- the Beeks of Buckfast - where I got to see some beautiful, natural comb in foundationless Langstroth frames and also welcomed a new swarm to the Abbey's apiary.

At my campsite at Churchill Farm I got to know the Phillips family, with whom I shared in the joy of Team GB's Olympic successes as we hosted our own evening Devon editions of the games.

Next, I was off to the Natural Beekeeping Conference at Emerson College in Sussex. It was fascinating to share in the celebration of honey bees and beekeeping with people from so many different backgrounds. The speakers, workshops, and hive demonstrations have had a major effect on the way I want to approach the Watson year. Dr. Johannes Wirz's descriptions of the queen bee as the "organ of internal coherence," his disctinction between understanding and explaining (the latter of which is done by a third person observer) and his depiction of natural comb ("the wisdom is in the material") were presented with the utmost thoughtfulness and eloquence.

I also had to opportunity to visit Heidi Herrmann and to discover the wonders of the Sun Hive, a recent introduction to Britain by the Natural Beekeeping Trust and Peter Brown of Tablehurst Farm. The hive is made of straw like a skep, but is in the form of an egg and is suspended about 2 meters in the air - an act that, Heidi noted (and I agree), is a powerful gesture of our respect for honey bees, and perhaps nature in general.

During my stay in Sussex I was housed by a wonderful family of six who loaned me their luxurious shed, (it had varnished wood floors and many windows opening to the garden) and allowed me to join in family activities. On our first evening together, almost immediately after our introduction, I accompanied them to a community potluck to celebrate the bringing in of a fresh crop of hay. Little did we know, that the endeavor was slightly behind schedule, which allowed myself and the others to join in the unloading and stacking of probably five hundred square bales! On another night I was obliged to join in a long distance bike ride to East Grinstead, because beforehand, 'I had yet to live.' Also, there was an infinite supply of freshly baked bread and fun times to share with the younger members of the clan.

I am currently writing from London where I have been zooming through the exciting, albeit hot and stale, air of the Underground rail and climbing to a few prominent rooftops to see what the urban honey bees are up to. Other than speaking jive and all the young bees having their noses propolised to Blackberries, they seem to be doing great!

In my spare time I have visited the British Library, Imperial War Museum, British Museum, Platform 9 3/4, Buckingham Palace, Olympic Park, and Big Ben - like any good visitor to the city. Visiting the Natural History Museum tomorrow! As far as large cities go, I find London to be quite nice and even, dare I say, BRILLIANT!

Its odd knowing that most of my friends are returning to school in one form or another right now and that I will not be joining them. In the Inner Beekeeping workshop I attended with Dr. Wirz and Thomas Radetzki we did a meditation exercise where we cleared our minds with the goal of allowing the arrival  of whatever needed to come to us. The image that came to me and that I really felt drawn to was of one of an old Willow Oak from the Hendrix campus. Since this, I haveappeased myself with Swampbird songs and a few letters to loved ones who are returning to the demanding (but supportive- haha) environment that await them.

Many, many pictures to come!

Buckfast Abbey and Haints

A number of great things are happening.

1. I am camping right across the road from this place:  http://www.haunted-britain.com/buckfastleigh_church.htm

2. I had a Cornish Pasty yesterday and plan to try Cream Tea today.

3. Phil Chandler gave me a grand tour of some local apiculture and introduced me to to beekeepers at Buckfast Abbey.

4. I am reading In Search of the Best Strains of Bees by Brother Adam. He did a grand exploration of the Mediterranan beekeeping world and it is very interesting to read his commentary on the different regions and subspecies. I am hesitant to accept some of his thoughts, though. I wish Brother Adam was around today to lend his perspective on the problems we are experiencing now...

I am thinking about doing a series of posts describing the many different types of hives I have witnessed already (Warre, Horizontal Top Bar, British National, Dadant, and Brother Adam's modified Dadants - which are massive). It will largely depend on my access to computers...

I leave on a train to Sussex and the Natural Beekeeping Conference from Exeter on Friday.