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…Nature glories in death more than life. The month of departure is more beautiful than the month of coming – October than May. Every green thing loves to die in bright colors. -Henry Ward Beecher Proverbs from the Plymouth Pulpit *** The weather of late around here is the very essence of funereal: grey, cold, with … Continue reading
or “It will not always be summer.” (be prepared for hard times) taken from Stone, J. R. (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati’s Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs and Sayings, Routledge. Yes, the arrival of autumn, the precursor of winter, as well as winter itself signals hard times to come for the … Continue reading
This is what we were pondering a few weeks back (running about a couple of weeks behind with these posts). The good news is we seem to have come through the swarm season 2 for 4: 2 caught and rehomed, 2 that got away. The bad news appears to be that swarms have stopped because … Continue reading
Last week was the most beautiful spring weather, and like every other beekeeper our thoughts turned to the first inspection. What with the death of one of our two hives and other beekeepers reporting not only swarm preparation but also actual swarms, we approached our garage bees with some trepidation. They had been giving off … Continue reading
Non est ad astra mollis e terris via – There is no easy way from the earth to the stars. (Seneca) This post is dedicated to Roy Eastol, a true ‘fen boy,’ and a beekeeping gentleman of many decades of these here parts. Who forgot more about beekeeping than anyone ever knew (although I can’t … Continue reading
As of this writing, I think we have finally come through the swarm season. However, I thought that at the beginning of June, only to have the following, which I had drafted in mid-June happen. I was just too weary of it all to publish another instalment of what was beginning to feel like a … Continue reading
Or so the bees thought a few days ago when we had a little spell of warm weather here. They were buzzing all over the hives, and I even caught them at some ivy blossom, just window shopping, mind you. Glad to see them on these rare days of winter, because I can then breathe … Continue reading
That is a question I and at least one other reader of this blog asked after my last post, Spoiled Honey Made Good, a title taken from a recipe in an ancient Roman cookbook. Before answering it from a modern perspective, it would be interesting to know what the Roman perspective was, because according to Apicius … Continue reading
No, not by adding tomatoes! But the tomatoes and the quote reflect a bit of an Italian cooking mania that has gripped me recently. And, reading books on Italian cooking has invariably led to some of the earliest known cook books, especially in Latin a some time theme of this blog. And, a popular ingredient … Continue reading
Anne, bonis coepte auspiciis, da vere salubri apricas ventorum animas, da roscida Cancro solstitia et gelidum Boream Septembribus horis. mordeat autumnis frigus subtile pruinis et tenuata moris cesset mediocribus aestas. sementem Notus umificet, sit bruma nivalis, dum pater antiqui renovatur Martius anni. Ausonius, Decimus Magnus, with an English translation; Evelyn-White, Hugh G. (Hugh Gerard), text … Continue reading
My Latin Notebook 