The bee's knees

    Here's a fascinating article about the intelligence of bees - that one above which was in my garden last summer is certainly showing impeccable taste in flowers.
    Bees who enjoy the finer things in life can be found in these palatial quarters: the hives on the roof of Fortnum & Mason in the heart of London. Their honey will be available, but at a price.
    Which reminds me of the story about the famous Scottish musician Jimmy Shand. He was staying in a guest house on the west coast and the landlady gave him the tiniest pot of honey for his breakfast toast. "Ah, I see you keep a bee," was his response.
    I'm reading about bee-keeping in A Greener Life by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott (and more from that book soon); apparently bees are sensitive to mood, so you must be gentle, calm and confident in handling them, and to attract them to your garden plant more blue flowers, borage and lavender in particular. Something else I've learned is that you can bottle fruit - specifically perfect specimens of nectarines, apricots and peaches - by immersing it in liquid honey, a practice beloved by the ancient Egyptians and Romans.
    Now I just need a sun-warmed wall for the fruit trees, plenty of space for the hives, acres of blue flowers, and time to tend all these things.

Comments

[krissie]

that (shand) bee story is so funny ! please do tell us more about bees... I almost bought a fascinating book when in the UK about bees and the price put me off and have regretted it ever since. cant even remember the name of it drat!