Milk & cheese

 We had no calf to share Ambers milk this year so Angus milked twice a day until early December, then he  switched to milking once a day. In mid November there was a cold snap and we turned the fridge off in the shed where the cheeses are maturing. The weather since has been unseasonably warm and the moulds have responded accordingly.

November 9th

November 26th

December22nd

Moulds developing on the cheeses.

The mouldy cloth is pulled back revealing the cheese underneath. 

Cut cheese, the flavor is more developed than the first ones that were younger and less mouldy.

Alfie holding the sieve while Zoe pours.

Alfie loves to help.

A clabber cheese in brine.

Little helper spooning and shovelling.

Spooning in the flour for bread.

Chopping carrots

Shovelling soil.

 

Boys will be boys.

Otters visit the pond.

This morning 3 otters visited the pond, one was a juvenile. It is hard to get a good photo as they spend most of their time under water with a head or tail bobbing up every now and again.

However here are some great photos Angus took this year in the spring.

This otter was feasting on frogs who came to lay spawn in the pond earlier this year.

Otter scampering from one pond to another.

Otter at the edge of the pond.

Today's snap of the otter in the water.

Turkeys!

Under bushes.

On the roof.

On the living room windowsill.

On the car.

But not on the table ......... this year.

Honey bee on Abutilon Ashford red

  It is 14 C today and the bees are out and about. There is an Abutilon growing right outside the kitchen window and often as I dry dishes I have seen wasps and bumble bees on the flowers. Yesterday I was sure it was a honey bee I saw so I ran straight out with the camera.

 But when I went out it appeared to be gone. I thought I would look inside one of the pendulous flowers to see how it is composed and in the very first flower I looked at, there was a little honey bee hiding.

She stayed in there for a while before buzzing quickly to another flower.


It was hard to focus as there was a bit of a breeze.

The bush is about 15 feet away from the hives, growing up against the south wall of the house.

Edited to add.... I have continued to see honey bees on the Abutilon at certain times.

Honey bees on Rosemary.

 The Rosemary bushes have been flowering for a while but yesterday was the first time we saw the honey bees foraging on them this season.

 Temperatures remain mild with lots of activity.

 The hive entrance. 

The bumble bees have been foraging on the winter Jasmine, it is in full flower now.

 There are several honey bees exploring but they only stop briefly where the flower has dropped off.

 The winter Jasmine has long trumpet shaped flowers and the honey bees cannot reach its nectar.

When the flower drops off this remains and this is where I have seen the bees stopping briefly.

Perhaps when the bees resume pollen gathering next year they will find the Jasmine more useful.

The bees are still busy.

Temperatures have been up to 11C, calm and sunny the last few days.

Bombus Terrestris Queen on Viburnum Bodnantense Dawn. 

 We have seen up to 4 at a time foraging on this shrub including one collecting pollen.

Honey bee on Viburnum Bodnantense Dawn, I think this bee was only exploring.

 

I have not seen more than one honey bee at a time  on Viburnum Bodnantense Dawn and no sign of gathering nectar. 

EDIT - In Jan 2015 I saw honeybees collecting pollen from this viburnum.

Hoverfly on Viburnum Bodnantense Dawn.

 

 Honey bee in a Penstemon flower, foraging, exploring???

Here she is climbing out after being in there about 2 mins.

The bumble bees enjoyed the Penstemon in the summer but I haven't seen honey bees on it before.

 The Mahonia is still covered with foraging honey bees.
The bumbles love it too.

Poached Egg plant.

Borage.

Still in flower!