It has been a rather hectic few days in these running up to Easter and my departure next week for the States. My computer crashed. Amongst other losses, everything within my email files has disappeared. Visits to Apple, assistance from teckie friends: nothing has retrieved the files. And, before you shout at me about backups…
The birds are back. Our Short-toed Eagles. Four were spotted by our new caretaker yesterday, circling above our woodshed. I saw two or even three ( a distant speck that might have been a third one) a week or so back, which was a little early for them. They spend their winters in Africa and…
My US tour begins in Texas and this will be one of my first events. I am currently practising my Texas dancing and I think this might be the first time I will have ever tasted Texas wine. If you are going to be anywhere near Dripping Springs outside Austin, Texas that first weekend of…
I wrote to the EU yesterday reiterating my concerns about the diminishing health of honeybees due to the ongoing use of neonicotinoud insecticides. Here is their response. It is a small step but certainly not sufficient… We must continue to voice our concerns. The major industry players will certainly continue to make sure their position…
I spent last week in Paris. Whilst there, I attended an evening screening of one the OLIVE ROUTE films. The film in question is The Olive Tree in the Holy Land. Our audience was university students and I was a little concerned that perhaps such a subject would not be of interest to a younger…
London in January is not always the location of my dreams and this year it has been a challenge to get myself into the country and to honour my engagements. Last week’s journey over on the Eurostar was not the easiest. Then, from Friday to Sunday, I was battling my way in and out of…
Happy New Year to everyone. A little late, I know, but heartfelt nonetheless. I am writing this to you from the Camargue where I am situated for a few days as I jot down notes for an article for the Travel section of the Mail on Sunday. It is an excellent opportunity for me to…
This is a very brief blog to let you know that the Title Sequence for the five Olive Route films is now up on the website. The French versions of the films have been delivered to the various French-speaking networks who have been waiting for them. So, also for the German ZDF/Arte network. When we…
Good morning from Rome. I am writing the first blog from my new website, which has taken over two weeks to go live, to be visible. I am not sure why; such are the mysteries of the web. Wherever you are in the world, it should now be visible to you. I am thrilled with…
It has been a while since I have written a Newsletter and I apologise for that. We have been building a new website and I had no idea how much time or energy this would take. I sincerely hope you will enjoy the results and that, once we have the teething problems dealt with, you…
Welcome to the new Carol Drinkwater website. I think it is looking very splendid and hope that you agree. It is still in its teething stages so please bear with us if messages are not answered immediately or you cannot instantly find the link you are seeking. We are working hard on it. For those…
A year ago, Monsanto purchased the company, BEEOLOGICS. Here is the link to the page on their website http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/the-buzz-on-beologics.aspx I believe this is a very disturbing step and one that we, as a global population, should be monitoring very carefully RNAi-based products are a mechanism meant to block gene expression. RNAi-based products are genetically engineered…
This is a fascinating facebook page offering photos and information all varieties of insects. http://www.facebook.com/4wasps http://myscienceacademy.org/2012/10/21/the-healing-power-of-honey-from-burns-to-weak-bones-raw-honey-can-help/ Sustainable Beekeeping | Beekeeping Courses | Natural Beekeeping Trust Tune in to #countryfileon #BBC1this Sunday 21 Oct at 6.20pm to learn more about #naturalbeekeepingand #SunHive http://t.co/vf9MVlNQ another article concerning the fate of the bumble bees and the use of…
Have any of you seen this film? http://www.linktv.org/video/8123/killing-bees-are-government-and-industry-responsible http://medicalnursingcare.blogspot.com/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/annie-spiegelman/bee-deviledscientists_b_1884294.html?ir=Weird+News&utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=583047,b=facebook
Friends of Earth have a petition to help the Bee Cause. I have signed it. Perhaps you would like to as well? This photograph is quite extraordinary. Thousands of bees delayed a Pittsburgh Delta flight. Pittsburgh is the home-base of the giant chemical company, Bayer. Another Help the Bee petition if you feel inclined to…
I know that for those of you in Britain and Ireland, the weather has been lousy and for many in the United States, there have been floods or fires. So, I hope everyone is safe and well. Here, I almost hate to admit it, the weather is quite magnificent, as is the garden. Because we…
If you are on Facebook, this is an interesting page to ‘like’ And for those in the US, this poster helps spot the pollinators! The Peace Bee Farm is in Arkansas, United States. Its owner, Richard Underhill, makes some very interesting observations about his bees and the world of the honey bee. Well worth scrolling…
This Facebook page is wonderful, do take time to look through it. It offers many other links to Bee Awareness too. You may want to sign this petition This is fun – how to build a bumblebee nest This seems to be an excellent Dutch site from the university of Utrecht regarding the decreasing numbers…
And what a spring! Weather patterns everywhere seem a little bizarre, a little extreme, don’t they? Friends tell me that England and Ireland have been experiencing a pre-Easter heat wave and now snow threatens! I have to admit that we have been enjoying well above average temperatures with some days reaching as high as 26/27°…
The following is a short extract from the House of Commons Report entitled BEES AND THEIR PROBLEMS last updated 18 November 2011. Neonicotinoids are a relatively recent type of insecticides used on crops. “Information from standard tests and field studies, as well as incident reports involving other neonicotinoid insecticides, suggest the potential for long term…