As you may know, we have a beehive in the garden.  A local resident, Martin and this wife, are enthusiasts and requested the previous owner of Merryhall to accept one hive in the wild flower meadow.  He occasionally visits to service it, and on one occasion a couple of months ago, he was joined by Dan who works for the Environment Agency as a Bee inspector.

Catastrophically, one of Martin’s other hives had contracted an airborn virus that originated in the US.  That inspection resulted in him being served with an enforcement notice and having to dig a pit and burning the hive in it.  Yesterday, they visited again, and received the all clear for our hive – excellent news.

The strangeness of this tale is that Dan originates from Kings Worthy (near Winchester), and we saw him growing up on his parents smallholding on Loveden Lane (the old railway line and bridge).  We used to see him playing with the runner ducks on our regular Sunday morning walk to the PO to fetch the papers; dreaming of one day not working for the Civil Service and having a smallholding of our own.  When we told him (he must be in his thirties now!) he blushed bright pink with embarrassment and amazement with the coincidence.  A very interesting chap who still runs a couple of flocks of sheep, went shearing to New Zealand, works the Summer for the EA, and runs his own hives in KW supplying The Good Life farm shop with honey.

Its a small world!