Bees fed syrup plus fondant in TopBarHive

Tried out my brothers recipe for fondant today and the bees just love it.  Along with syrup fed at the same time, the fondant was attracting the greatest attention. 2kg sugar to 250ml hot water - boiled then simmered for 15mins to 245degF maximum. 2 teaspoons of white viniger  and half a stem of  lemongrass added.  Allowed to cool to 180 deg then wisked to whiten with air bubbles.  Lemongrass removed during the wisking and re-added later. Poured onto foil to cool and later sliced into strips. 

Foil left outside for bees to clean up

Fondant above top bars

Plenty of pollen being gathered

Busiest hive enjoyes the sunniest position

Bees flourishing in TopBarHive

Feeding sugar syrup mid morning in sunny mild weather. This is my most
active colony and has drones going into the hive as well as foraging bees bringing in pollen, some of which is bright orange in colour.
No verroa treatment has yet been undertaken but I shall take a count soon and treat with an oxalic acid vapour in December.

Jaka Pamplona Santander Plymouth

The itinery chosen made use of Airbnb in selecting places to stay. The best of these was with Lilian and Carlos at San Vicente. Delightful hosts and great food dishes enjoyed here....
Our drive to the Santander ferry port began at about ten in the morning, taking about six hours of scenic motorway, joined at Jaca, heading west via Pamplona,Vitoria Gastiez and Bilbao.

Three Morgan 4/4s or +4s including our own, boarded the Pont Aven, along with a Morgan three wheeler belonging to a well travelled morganeer and photographer Calum Frazer. (I didn't meet him but if your listening Calum I much admire your posts to the Talk Morgan pages.)
Poor weather delayed the very full Santander/Plymouth ferry with the sea-state fairly rough. Out of Plymouth at last, we reached home just before midnight. 

Loarre Castle and the Mallos de Riglos

The  conclusion to our two weeks away in the Pyrenees has been a visit to this spectacular castle and the nearby rock formations known as the Mallos.
The sheer walls of the Mallos are home to Vultures, Golden Eagles and Chuff.  Several climbers are also seen from here where the Aragon climbing school is based, and their calls of encouragement to one another, rival  the shrill calls of the circling vultures.

Loarre Castle is a Romanesque style fortress begun in the 11th century. The building is of great historical and architectural interest, and has had, incorporated within its walls, a church, a monastery and military keep; extended outer walls served to protect the people of Loarre in times of seige.

Valle de Anso and Valle de Hecho

A chill wind fom the north west gradually turned more westerly and warmed to a scorching hot sun.  Stopped at a petrol station our exit was delayed on meeting with four other Morgans from Yorkshire, UK;  en-rout from Bilbao to Andora.  Fresh off the ferry their paintwork sparkling against our desert dusted M44.

The approach to Anso was made from Jaca on the N240. Once off this dual carriageway the way becomes scenic to the point of making photo stops irresistable. The river Veral slices virtically into the limestone hundreds of feet. Beech, Fir and Pine trees cover much of the ground. Virtical crags come into view at intervals along the narrow road that skirts beside the river.

Anso was quiet being Monday. We had missed the festival when young bulls are free to run through the streets.  A faster new road has opened up the village approach from Hecho and our stop there in search of coffee failed.