In January last year, I attended a conference on landscape use and sustainability at Sussex University, and I took away a strong, galvanising feeling of implementing necessary change. Then – bam – the pandemic hit which actually obliged me to pursue the avenues I had pledged to consider. I thought about putting my Introduction to Sustainable Beekeeping courses online, but I alter these courses according … Continue reading Ways to be Wayward this Christmas
This Christmas is going to be a strange one for many, although less so for me as I usually spend Christmas Day on my own or with my children, and actually I find it blissfully relaxing! My older two have moved away so now it’s just Rosie and me, and this year we have our new pup, Ned. I really enjoy cooking, baking, decorating the … Continue reading Bee Courses for Christmas
I have reinstated my Gardening for Bees and Wildlife course as it is a great time to think about planting for next year, and get some good habitats in place before the weather sets in for the winter. It is becoming increasingly clear that our apiaries, gardens, and public spaces are not just a valuable contribution to insect life, but one that is essential if … Continue reading New Course! (Sort of…)
Covid-19 has made it difficult for me to run my courses, and given that the current restrictions are likely to be in place until June at the earliest, this means the beekeeping season will be past its peak and those wanting to get started this year might have missed their opportunity if they are wanting to start with a swarm. I always recommend starting your … Continue reading Sustainable Beekeeping in a Box
I always enjoy the Introductory courses as it’s great to see the wonderment and interest as people begin to understand the workings of a bee colony, but these Intermediate courses are equally enjoyable as it’s a chance to evaluate what our bees are doing and share observations on behaviour and experiences. This course gives beekeepers a chance to discuss what we have done and learnt … Continue reading Intermediate Beekeeping Course
There were 5 attendees on this course, who had travelled from across Sussex to learn about how to keep bees sustainably. We start off by discussing the hive itself (I work with Nationals and WBCs), and how the bees operate within it. We don’t look inside occupied hives on this course – it’s actually much easier to learn about the workings of the bee colony … Continue reading Sustainable Beekeeping course
This was my third attempt at running this course as the weather was exceedingly unhelpful on previous occasions! Therein lies the problem with organising any outside event in the UK… The reason I run these courses is that as well as a beekeeper, I am an artist, and run a life drawing class each Monday in Soho, London. People love to draw from life, and … Continue reading Sketching Chickens
