We scrubbed our  hive using a solution of soda crystals ,burnt the wax frames we had not long before assembled and washed our bees suits to reduce any chances of any virus or infection lingering. We bought some new sheets of foundation wax to put into the wooden frames for new bees to build their comb on.

In the meantime we struck a deal with a local beekeeper who was downsizing and bought a hive and bees to get us started again. After wheeling it up the meadow in a barrow to its new home we left the bees for a week to orientate themselves to their new surroundings. We hope the purple knapweed in the wildflower meadow which had yet to flower would be a good source of food for them. We also made sure we provided fresh water in a shallow dish with some rocks in nearby so the bees could get a drink.

The teasels at the end of the  meadow had now grown tall and were like multi story drinking vessels where the water collected in the large leaves where they met with the stem and created pools of water for wildlife. They were however very prickly but the seed heads when they came into flower later on could be very useful to the bees who would alight on the lavender coloured seed heads.

The dawn chorus had quietened down but a song thrush had taken to perching on top of the cottage roof to sing. It was a joy to hear this beautiful bird singing. Its speckled chest was so pretty and was quite a rare sight.