Last month I said, "hopefully the bees (and the weather) will yet surprise us!". They have!! This odd spring became glorious summer overnight, with temperatures soaring to 24C, before sinking back to the wet, windy, and cool formula again. Our bees made the very most of the explosion of blossom and enjoyed what we call a short 'honey flow'. But the queens also went into overdrive and our first detailed inspections of each of our hives showed that most members' colonies were bursting with adult bees, brood (eggs, larvae, and pupae), and stored honey and pollen, and some were short of space for the queen to lay - a certain recipe for some to decide to swarm!!  Early!!
  A record number of members and guests listened to Tommy Brooks as he described the practical aspects of planning the beekeeping season at our last evening meeting of the spring and visited our chairman, Vic Hopkins', apiary at Brantrigg on a perfect Saturday afternoon. The new and novice beekeepers had the ideal opportunity to see for themselves exactly how the bees in all his hives had taken full advantage of both the excellent weather last autumn and (at times!) this spring, to emerge from winter much stronger than expected. Although there were no signs that they were considering swarming (producing several specially large brood cells to nurture new queens, one of which takes over the rest of the colony after the reigning queen has departed with her swarm of workers), other members have already had swarms emerge from their hives - much earlier than usual!! A strange season indeed!
  Although the weather was back to its old tricks again, we were delighted that so many visitors came to our promotional stand at the formal opening of the Dent Heritage Centre. Vic Hopkins, John Rogers, and Tommy Brooks, were happy to be bombarded with questions about both ancient and modern ways of keeping bees.
  Our first meeting in June is at 2.30pm on Saturday 10^th June at novice beekeepers Charles and Christine Brown in Barbon Village. Their apiary is beautifully located above Barbon Beck. The topic for this meet is "Find that queen!". Although seeing eggs in the brood chamber of a hive is proof of a healthy queen, there are many manipulations, particularly during the swarming season, when it is important to find the queen. It is always a delight, too. Queens are very shy, and quickly move into a dark corner, so a sharp pair of eyes are essential!
  Our major public event of the year is our 4^th Annual Summer Beekeepers' Convention on Saturday 1^st July. As usual it will be held from 9.30am in the People's Hall. Each year we have judged the convention the 'best ever', and this year's will be the same! We have an all-lady line-up of speakers covering a wide range of interests, from "Bees need plants, plants need bees" to "The beekeeper's wife" (after which my reputation will be shot for ever!). Do call if you would like a brochure.                                                                                                                                 Malcolm Fraser-Urquhart

  Ladies and Gentlemen, Teenagers and Children of Sedbergh.
  At the moment The Chamber of Trade, the Parish Council and Sedbergh in Bloom are trying very hard to make sure that the town centre is looking really smart and clean this summer.
  "Bomber" has been power washing the pavements and scrubbing and scraping the pavements to remove the stuck and flattened CHEWING GUM, particularly in front of the bus shelter and sweet shop.
  Soon "Sedbergh in Bloom" will be planting tubs and hanging baskets.
  Please try to be extra careful this year about throwing littler and chewing gum onto the street, and don't be tempted to pull plants out of the pots, there are plenty of bins please use them!
  If we, the people of Sedbergh, are careful then we can expect visitors to be careful too. Help us to make Sedbergh clean and pretty this summer, Please.

  Growing with Grace is an ORGANIC vegetable nursery in Clapham. We run a delivery scheme, bringing fresh ORGANIC fruit and vegetables to people's doors. We have an on-site ORGANIC shop selling fresh, chilled and dry products.
  You contribute directly to this enterprise through the Craven District Council BROWN BIN SCHEME. GWG turns your garden waste into compost in which a wide range of vegetables are grown. Through this scheme, Craven District Council directly support the growing of healthy, organic food for local people.
  We have our OPEN DAY on Saturday 15 July from 11.00 - 4.00pm and invite you to visit us. Come and find out about ORGANIC vegetable growing, where your green waste goes and how our bag scheme works.  Sample organic food, visit the organic shop and learn about the nutritional value of juicing ... and more.
  The debate over the value of healthy eating rages in the press and on television. Obesity, one of the outcomes of unhealthy eating, is deemed to be a National problem (we even have a minister in the government whose purpose is to tackle it!). Our purpose is to provide highly nutritious food, free from additives.
  The National press and television (Jamie Oliver in particular) now constantly tell us that the additives in much of the food we buy is not good for us.  We learn, for example, that some foods are full of salt, fat and/or sugar to make it more palatable (the now well-known story behind a fast-food outlet explains this well). Zoe Williams remarked in the Guardian: 'it is not a coincidence that cheap food is loaded with fat and salt because otherwise it doesn't taste of anything.' (Guardian Newspaper May 10 2006).
  The argument against organic food usually centres on cost and value for money. Supermarkets know, too, that customers are swayed by the aesthetics of food - what it looks like, perhaps influenced by the power of advertising. In relation to food, particularly fresh food, visual quality can be perceived by some people to be more important than taste and nutritional quality.
  However, there is generally a tendency, with all things we buy, that you get what you pay for. In other words, quality does cost more. So it is down to choice - spend money on food that does you good or spend money on food that is cheaper.
  What is indisputable is that ORGANIC food, whether fresh or manufactured, represents better quality and taste - see the Soil Association's website for information (www.soilassociation.org). Quality means essentially that the food does its job better - it builds healthy bodies and minds and keeps them that way. But equally important, organic food does not import things into the body that the body does not need (toxins). Processing and removing toxins places a strain on the body's systems and can contribute to ill-health.
  So, if you would like to find out more about health, organic food delivered to your doorstep, come and see us at our open day on Saturday 15 July. We will look forward to seeing you.

  Well, April's showers were fairly gentle to us really. Although we registered 2.60 inches of rain we had some dry spells also such that I was able to cast of my wellies, if briefly. It was a fairly breezy month with only one day when the wind speed didn't reach double figures. The maximum recorded was 21 mph. from the north west. Again only on 8 days in the month did the wind blow from any other direction than the north west. Daytime temperatures were reasonable improving generally as the month progressed. 8 days reach the 60's F and twice 70's F with a maximum of 70.9F. There were some cool nights with 4 sub zero and 11 more in the 30's F. The minimum temperature was 24.6F on the 5^th. It was also interesting that on 11 occasions the minimum was actually at the time I was taking the readings at about midnight. On one of the sub zero nights the wind chill temperature was 12F! Not a good night to be born if you were a lamb!
  The variable weather produced some interesting activities around and about. Nesting was progressing for starlings and blackbirds with us. By the end of the month the blackbird had 4 eggs in the clematis by the back door. The first swallow was back on the 14^th. It looked like the male that nested in our kennels last year. Lots more were back by the end of the month including his mate. On the warmer days peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies were on the wing as were bees and bumble bees. The butterflies were ones which had hibernated. Orange tip butterflies were fluttering around the milk maids in the field. Let's hope they have laid some eggs on the plants. Owls continue to call, one most afternoons, though I haven't traced it yet. The last few stragglers of the fieldfares and redwings passed through on their way north early on. The keen winds have "scorched" several shrubs which had put on new growth. The midges have hatched off their first broods in the water butts and snails and slugs are active in the milder spells. The hellibores have set a lot of seed as a result of the attentions of the bees.