#44 New life in Italy, Forest Garden, Strawberry tart and jam, Visit to the beehives
#homesteading #simplelife #garden #orchard #gardening #permaculture #selfsufficiency #simplelife #chicken #jardinforet #beekeeping #bee #bees #nature
This season, I'm starting to reap the rewards of my work, modestly but surely. Most of the plants I planted about a year ago are beginning to produce. I'm taking advantage of a good strawberry crop to make some jams and desserts. The nursery, made up of old-variety fruit trees, will also provide me with fruit during the season. I'll have to transplant the trees that are taking up too much space in the nursery this fall, so I need to plan a new layout to plant them harmoniously. I'm spending a lot of time with my cat Otis, who isn't doing very well. This is his fourth visit to the vet clinic. Otis was bitten by another cat, the wound got infected and led to complications. Fingers crossed he pulls through! At the end of May, we're sweltering in the heat. My bees are working well, but as I suspected, there will be very little spring honey. I'm going to make a few swarms right after the honey harvest. I'm collecting some natural swarms, which is always a plus. The laws of nature are unforgiving; when bee colonies aren't thriving, it's difficult to produce a significant amount of honey. I'll do better next year. The pursuit of autonomy is no easy feat. I believe it's important to carve out time for yourself and others, avoid setting overly ambitious goals, pace yourself, take a step back from your project, and sometimes even backtrack or take a different approach. Constantly focusing on your life project is the surest way to fail. Let's be curious, humble, and thoughtful, and everything will be fine.