Sydney Bee Club

I'm the last person I ever imagined would join a bee club. At the age of seven I was stung by a bee in our back garden and my leg blew up like a tree trunk. It was a horror experience and sadly the catalyst for a life-long irrational fear of these magnificent creatures.

Forty years later balcony gardening has mostly cured me. I quickly discovered without these industrious little pollinators nothing was going to grow in my garden.

And then more reading and research made me realise how dire things were for bees with the Varoa destructor mite and Colony Collapse Disorder seriously threatening the future of bees colonies around the world.And the scariest statistic - we are so reliant on bees to pollinate our commercial crops that if bees died out the human race would follow two years later!

Enter the Sydney Bee Club - a wonderful initiative of Doug from Sydney's the Urban Beehive. Doug establishes hives all over urban Sydney... on roofs, in back yards, behind restaurants. Urban hives will assist with pollination and protect the diversity of wild bee populations.

Last week the Sydney Bee Club met at the Lord Roberts pub in East Sydney for an extraordinary evening of honey tasting. The flavour of honey is affected by the type of nectar bees collect and the seasons. Some honeys were pitch black and smokey and treacly. Others were clear and light and floral. My favourite was a honey from Double Bay. Delish.

With our new hive of 10,000 bees settling into their new home on the roof of the Wayside Chapel I'm looking forward to discovering more about the humble bee.

Www.theurbanbeehive.com.au

First Lemon Blossom

New edible gardeners are in for many surprises along their journey to grow some of their own food. Yes there will be edible delights to enjoy but also unexpected blooms and scents. My favourite flowers are lemon blossom. Their fresh citrusy fragrance is heady and intoxicating - and bees can't keep away. My first lemon bloom flowered this morning signalling that Spring is just round the corner.

Hunter Valley Accommodation - Krinklewood Train carriages

We're all trying to recycle, reuse, refashion to live more sustainable lives. But Marie Garvey has taken the mantra to a whole new level.

Marie has been collecting old train carriages from around New South Wales and bringing them back to life as unique accommodations on her property nestled in the vineyards of Pokolbin.

She does most of the renovations herself -repannelling the cabins with rosewood, ceilings with pressed metal ... even sourcing thousands of authentic rivets.

The carriages vary in size and sleep between two and 12 people. Perfect for weddings, celebrations and family gatherings.

We stayed in the Royal carriage which captures the romanticism of the best of luxury train travel. Ever so comfortable bed, heating, soft lighting, kitchen, bathroom and toilet. And beautiful touches like the stained glass window Marie made herself and some original antique lights.

The pictures below show a carriage she is renovating at the moment. It should be spruced up and ready for its first guests for summer.

Krinklewood with its carriages under the gumtrees, kangaroos grazing in the paddocks, is a special experience for any traveller looking for a slice of a bygone era.

Www.krinklewoodcottage.com

Micro- Winter green sprouts

Give these a try. In just 4 weeks you'll have some tasty nutritious micro-winter greens for your salads, sandwiches or to garnish your soups. The Diggers seed mix I used includes beetroot, mustard greens, kale and tatsoi. I sowed them straight into this pot using a good organic potting mix and a little cow manure to give my seedlings a boost. An occasional water and let the sun do the rest!

Wayside Chapel Roof garden in bloom

It's been a good week up here on the roof . Not too much rain and some bright sunny days that have brought out the flowers .... Beautiful heirloom pink and purple pea flowers, some traditional snow white ones, large papery pink hollyhocks and a few tiny wild strawberries. Come up for a visit sometime. It's magic up here.