From A to Bee (41 page)

Looking back now, had I not gone to the cafe that day, had my usual discussions with Joe and Gareth about the bees and then seen David with his gift of the honeypot, I don't think I would be in this position I am in now. Therefore it seems apt to end this story on the day that I sat with them and fulfilled my promise.

  On reflection, looking back over the year, it really was the turning point. I'd been pretty disappointed that I had put all this hard work into beekeeping and I wouldn't get a jar at the end of it. Joe, Gareth and David had all got me going again.

  It had taken nine months to come together and finally here I was. A jar of honey was looking back at me, a lovely and enticing golden yellow in a small jar. I had stuck my finger in previously and knew it was lovely but I hadn't shared it around.

  I approached the cafe, honeypot in hand, and entered. The place was deserted save David in his usual seat at the back, and Joe and Gareth standing to his right catching up on the day's news. I approached, demanded toast to be put in the toaster and popped the honeypot in front of David, who instantly recognised his gift from a few weeks' previous. With a sinister smile he suggested that I could hardly call this a jar of honey and then proceeded to break out in a huge beam as he shook my hand. It was a great feeling as we all sat there discussing and laughing at whether this could be classified as a jar of honey. They truly knew, perhaps more than most, how hard I had worked to get it. The next ten minutes were a joy as we sat there undisturbed, Joe and Gareth taking the highly unusual step of having a break and sitting down at the tables I had seen them serve at and clean for the last three years. Unusually, no customers came in and we enjoyed each other's company and tucked into honey on toast. Needless to say, it was delicious. It was bliss, four people coming together over a honeypot and a cup of tea.

  It was soon time for me to get back to the office and so I thanked them all and left. I was sad somehow that it had to come to an end. Closing the doors behind me, it really seemed like it was the end of the year. Both hives were now being fed to get them ready for winter and the beekeeping season was drawing to a close. I had started the year as someone with a passion for gardening and the outdoors and with a growing interest in beekeeping and here I was, someone now utterly obsessed by the subject.

  I have made many mistakes this year, much to my annoyance. I have learned that perhaps I am not as organised as I like to think I am and that I can sometimes take a too relaxed perspective on things. But all in all I have learned one very important lesson. If you have a passion and believe in something enough, you will always succeed. Where there's a will there is a way.

  It was the end of a fantastic first year's journey. I walked away from the cafe knowing I'd had an amazing year, learned the most mind-boggling new hobby which I am keen to enhance and improve on next year, and have a very exciting winter to look forward to. While my bees are all tucked up warm in their hives this winter, I will become a father for the second time. Life doesn't really get much better.

A free publication that you receive if you join up with the British Beekeeping Association, which I highly recommend you do when starting out.

BeeCraft
www.bee-craft.com
Britain's best-selling beekeeping magazine.

Bee Culture
www.beeculture.com
The USA's best-selling beekeeping magazine.

Hive Lights
www.honeycouncil.ca/index.php/hivelights_home
A magazine for Canadian beekeepers and a good read (worldwide subscriptions are available).

Specialist publication available by subscription including beekeeping information, education, classes and events, as well as beekeeping history.

The Australian Beekeeper
www.theabk.com.au
A very comprehensive magazine for all Australian beekeepers (worldwide subscriptions are available).

The Beekeeper
http://nba.org.nz/publications
New Zealand's premier beekeeping magazine (worldwide subscriptions are available).

The American Beekeeping Association.

This is the website for the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA), which is great for finding out course information or details about local beekeeping associations. This page specifically leads you to information about other national associations such as the Scottish and Welsh Beekeepers.

Probably the most popular beekeeping forum based in the UK, with international topics regularly discussed.

If you are interested in 'natural beekeeping', this popular forum is for you.

This site has an extensive list of all bee-related associations you could conceivably want. It provides specific information on beekeeping in the UK, Canada and the USA too.

A worthwhile campaign run by the BBKA, and just in case beekeeping isn't quite your thing but you still want to be involved in combating the bees' plight.

The page for
BeeCraft ma
gazine, Britain's best-selling beekeeping magazine.

A great online resource for all beekeepers.

The page for the British Beekeepers' Association.

A great community page for everyone that loves bees and beekeeping.

A useful page for those who are interested in solitary bees rather than honeybees.

My own blog, so I hope that you find it useful. This particular page contains a list of blogs that I constantly update, so keep checking back.

An entertaining read by Emily Heath.

Alan and Anna's stories about their simple life in west Wales – about beekeeping and self-sufficiency.

Off the back of David's excellent beekeeping book is his blog, containing some fantastic photos.

Though a new beekeeper, Daniel has jumped in with both feet!

Follow Joseph's blog as he starts beekeeping.

George, a long-term Twitter friend, keeps this great blog.

Russell is a fourth-generation beekeeper, and his blog is well worth a read as he develops his hives from two to eight.

Marcia's excellent blog about keeping bees the natural way in New Zealand.

In his words a 'humble' blog, but I love it. Well worth a read.

An informative blog about beekeeping and all matters to do with sustainability.

A well-structured blog written by Macon, with some great photos.

A nice blog from Mark, who is based North Carolina, USA. He has been keeping bees for four years.

Jandro's Spanish beekeeping blog.

Maureen's blog about adapting her garden in Florida, USA, for butterflies and bees after her original garden was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew twenty years ago.

Deborah's blog about beekeeping and gardening, with a real sway for 'making urban beekeeping beautiful'.

A simple blog with some great images, which covers a range of sustainability topics, beekeeping being just one of them.

A very comprehensive and visually interesting blog by Steven, who is based in Dudley, USA.

An informative and useful blog by Will.

It would take me forever to list the full website addresses for these Tweeters, so I have listed their Twitter handles. All of these guys are worth following and communicating with, and have been great fun to talk to online:

@surreybeekeeper (OK, so this is me but I hope you follow me!)

@AFBR
@AlisonBenjamin1
@AnneWareham
@annoyingserf
@ApiMaye
@ascorbic
@BeeBeebytheSea
@BeechwoodBees
@BeeFriendlyZone
@beekeeping
@beesfordev
@BeesinArt
@BeesInFrance
@beesknees42
@beeware55
@britishbee
@BurtsBeesUK
@camlad_apiaries
@cornwallhoney
@cotswoldbees
@DamianGrounds
@DavesBees
@DawnIsaac
@DCHoneybees
@EdenCaterers
@egglatina
@ElevensesTime
@Emily_Heath
@EmmaSTennant
@EvansBeehives
@farmingfriends
@forkmagazine
@GardenerGareth
@GeoMmm
@HDoodles
@HelenReeley
@helpthebees
@HenCorner
@hillbillytilley
@HuwSayer
@IanDouglas
@IBRA_Bee
@insidebooks
@jake_schultz
@JaneStruthers
@Jimmmy_Bee
@KarinAlton
@Kate_Bradbury
@KiwiManaBuzz
@Lancasterbees
@LincolnGreen
@LisaCoxGardens
@Loiscarter
@LondonBeeKeeper
@londonsbuzzing
@lottieplot21a
@MaldonBeekeeper
@maradadisimba
@MartinGBEdwards
@McKellier
@mimisbees
@MISSSWhitehouse
@mizzlizwhizz
@nigelsbees
@oh2bnMT
@PlanBee1
@PleasantLnBees
@pprmedia
@QueenBsHive
@quintassential
@rhodro
@romancingthebee
@sakisbeekeeper
@SelenaGovier
@SheffieldHoney
@solitarybee
@somersetbeeman
@SurreyLife
@TD_Beekeepers
@TheBeeVet
@TheChoirBoy
@TheSoapDragon
@thorncroftclems
@UKHoneyBeeMan
@urban_honey_co
@urbanhoneycoll
@urbfarmbeehives
@val_littlewood
@willipmrpip

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