Beginner beekeeping Blunders.

My pride and joy TopBar Hive is good, but I seem to have some husbandary errors which has left the colony lethargic and down.
I fear I opened the hive too frequently overwinter and possibly chilled the brood.

I mixed fondant using sugar.  Later to  learn it containes an anti-caking agent. The weakened colony has also come under attack from robbing queen wasps, twice they gained entry into the hive that I know of.

Another possibility is that the veroa mite has taken hold.
I shall try a herbal water supply in the form of an infusion of tea derived from tree fungus. Bees themselves will ocasionally drink from the drain off from a variety of mycelium to gain a naturally occuring antibiotic remedy.

My attempts at keeping this first colony is in jeopardy.  Much diminished in numbers they are now reduced to just the upper half of three combs. At the end of April I return from holiday and hopefully shall dust over more powdered sugar. Veroa Mite is the culprit and my feeding through winter a mistake which permitted more to flourish on brood that should have been absent at that time of year. 

 

Adding spotlights to Morgan 4/4

Having acquired a pair of spots from a friend I set about fitting them, thinking it would be a simple task, but the job becomes more involved once I discover the wiring loom colours are unavailable and the existing switch within a delicate circuit board, not to be disturbed.
A direct fused supply was taken from the battery to two separate new relays and the spots fitted and earthed onto the chassis. Berrybrook were able to sell me the stainless brackets for mounting the spots at the correct angle, sloping onto the aluminium wings.
All earthing connections are  made directly onto the chassis.
The switching power supply to the relay had to be taken from one of several sources that become live on turning the ignition key. I chose to take the relay switch feed from the sidelight circuit. The spots worked first time without blowing any fuses.

A task that takes me many hours would have cost upwards of three hundred pounds at the local garage. Now I understand why!

Three stainless fasteners drilled through alloy wings. Brackets come with washers and rubber gaskets. 

Minimal clearance between spot & overider. 

Two relays take positive feed from battery and fused close to battery. Relays fixed in engine bay onto bulkhead. 

Toggle switch.

Battery positive supply showing twin fuses.

Pre-wired fog/spot terminal showing blue/yellow-green/yellow wires. (New brown wire is sidelight feed to relay switch.  Beneath front offside wing)

The existing loom was tapped into for the switched supply to the relays and taken from the sidelight connector beneath the front offside wing. The loom behind the dashboard left unmolested. Only the switched supply required a small hole through the bulkhead beside the fusebox.

Too late, I find a terminal folded away in the front suspension bay of the offside wing that is the pre-wired one I failed to discover soon enough, nested underneath.

What other accessory could that be used for I wonder.

Battling a Dartmoor gale in the Morgan

Helen and me followed the A30 today to Okehampton to buy some bee fondant at the National Bee Supplies superstore but Okehampton lived up to its nickname of Soakhampton.

A gale of wind was driving ice cold rain from the west, so we reluctantly upped the hood of the Morgan and headed back up the road to Whidden Down then headed south to Moretonhampstead for the dramatic weather scenery west, then on to Two Bridges. Here we tracked our way back to the sun which was towards Ashburton.

The mileometer that had been mended with a replacement LCD now working to my relief. A jiggle around behind the dashboard seems to make the connection.
We attempted to park in Chagford along the way but the town was too busy and so the usual coffee and toasted tea cake at the Bird Cage Cafe passed by.

Home once more and relieved to find the washing on the line bone dry.  Not a drop of rain had fallen in Kenton all day.

Whale watching at Start Bay, Devon

The first decent run of the year in the Morgan today for Helen and me in glorious sunshine down the A38 and along some scenic lanes through to Street via Totnes. Along the way the first Skylark was heard as we approached the sea and then the even greater surprise as the road beside Slapton Ley was so busy with what we thought were twitchers parked at all angles. The beachside car park was unusually full for February and even two police cars were parked up with the drivers gaping out to sea. 

Whale watchers

The excitement was the appearance at regular intervals of a Minky Whale that had been patrolling the bay for several days. The word had travelled fast amongst the local communities.

Minky Whale

The Morgan performed beautifully as usual except for the LcD crystal display that has failed a second time. Its clearly a known fault that has to be put right at the Caerbont Factory again.
Fish and Chips at the Start Bay Inn was delicious and even the run home again pleasant, taken back the way we had come.

Canada Goose

Slapton ley

Morgan back on the road

What a fiddley and mucky job that was. Fully overhauled brake system with new pads, rear shoes and cylinders and master brake cylinder. Probably overkill on my part, since the one leaking cylinder could have simply been recommissioned with new rubber seals. I shall replace the seals in them and have a spare set for next time. Total cost in the region of £295 -- seal kit for refurbishing original cylinders £25 approx.
Road test indicated air not entirely purged from the brake lines/cylinders, so a second bleeding was carried out and a further road test confirms all is now well.
At least I know I can do the job myself.

Meanwhile the Volvo V70 provided effortless comfort to our winter break beside the Med. The pay as you go motorways in France are simply light years ahead of the potholed UK dodgem track. Tolls ammounted to about £70 each way but the joy of driving the clear road through the stunning French landscape is well worth the extra cost.
 A midway stop was taken at a small B&B near Le Mans but 590 miles and ten hours on the road even on a Sunday - more than enough for anyone.

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