From our Portuguese correspondent

Some honey Brandy in Portugal...tasted so nice had to buy a bottle😎

Mead in the news

Mead in the news  I particularly like this paragraph:

Mead, created by fermenting honey with water, dates back thousands of years and was once viewed as the drink of the gods, falling from the heavens as dew then gathered by bees. It was also believed to improve health and prolong life.

Scepticism liberates, belief constricts, faith imprisons.

Almost all bee blogs are better than the Diary of an Incompetent Beekeeper (though few are as accurately named)

The Norfolk Honey Co has some very nice video blogs

The water in Madeira don't taste that much queerer

From our Portuguese correspondent; plenty in bloom!

Barnadia Japonica in the Botanical Gardens, Funchal (spotted by someone wiser than me - though not by much)

Asian hornets in Brittany

Wintering bees

Is this a good idea? I'm not sure about the ventilation, or lack of it.

Woodpecker repellent jacket made from sheet of damp proof membrane and gaffer tape. Drops over the top and lifts off on seconds

Candlestick maker

I am ever so slightly perturbed by these candles..... or is it just me? OK, it's me.

Asian Hornet Nest Removal