Cornish Apple Harvest at Lantallack

Last week we were delighted to welcome pupils from Sir Robert Geffery's School, Landrake, for a day of apple picking, crushing, tasting and drawing.

Despite the wet weather, the children (and adults!) all had smiles on their faces throughout the day.

And it was a first 'school visit' for Andrew Walker too; he loved it!

On Saturday, as the Olympic torch flame was being run across Cornwall, our Queen Bee decided to have her own party and swarmed to one of Lantallack's apple trees.  Here are some pictures of the event:

The drones and workers swarm around their
Queen Bee in one of the nearby fruit trees

Need to cut the branch down before
banging the swarm into a new hive..

...new home awaits the swarm...

...gently does it Mr W!

Letting the clever old bees acclimatise to
their new home

Honey bees happily making their way
into new home

..and the branch is taken away

..adding in the last of the frames to form the
new brood chamber

Capped brood

Success! Welcome No. 3 hive

Lantallack's blossom is out in force, which hopefully means it's going to be another bumper crop of apples again this year. Our honey bees are loving the fine sunny weather...long may it last!

May 1st and summer finally feels like it's here. The rain has momentarily stopped and Lantallack bluebells are sparkling beautifully in the afternoon sunshine.

Something rather special landed on a bunch of flowers I picked from down in the wood last week. An orange-tip butterfly landed on one of the bluebells and stayed with me for the half mile journey back to the house, only moving from bluebell to Campion, but remaining with me on my bumpy hand-held ride back home. After a couple of photo shots of showing his amazing camouflaged wings he took his leave and fluttered back down the valley to the river and a patch of Lady's Smock.

It's moments like this that make me feel as though one of nature's lucky charms has been with me and although I didn't win the lottery on Saturday, it's nice to think about what a butterfly symbolises; new life from an old one. Let's hope it means sunshine after the showers on this first of May day!

Amazing camouflage!

A friendly flutterby charm

Finally he opened his wings.... and went home.