Bees are buzzing

Dripping like honey…

The end of 2020 is bearing down on us. There are less than 40 days left of the year. That is all. And what a year it has been, it still is.  At 5th Place, we have never been as challenged on so many levels as we have been this year.

On the day that I am writing this, a swarm of bees arrived to make the empty beehive next to our pool, their home. We purchased two hives at the end of winter. Both were empty waiting for the swarming season in Spring. We hoped that our hives would be deemed suitable homes for two swarms. To make them more attractive a mixture of beeswax, honey and lemongrass was painted on the front of the hives.

Watching in anticipation

We watched in anticipation as bees came to check out the accommodation. We were thrilled to see more and more congregating around the opening, popping in to inspect the space and fly out again. We were told to look out for pollen on the legs of the bees entering the hive. With great excitement we spotted pollen sacs on the tiny legs of these busy bees. Yay! Our one hive was occupied.

The other one stood empty and forlorn. For several weeks. We were starting to lose hope, but, undeterred, Matthew stirred up his own concoction of honey and lemon grass and painted it thickly on the mouth and inside of the empty hive. Two days later there was interest and this afternoon we were alerted to a swarm of bees circling around the hive. Bees coated the legs and front of the hive. It was both exciting and quite scary seeing so many bees pouring into the mouth of the hive. It was a bee highway at peak rush hour. And then it was over and there was only the gentle murmur of bees chatting at the entrance to their home as they cleaned, and organised and settled in for the night.

Life that does not care about COVID

It was very grounding to witness life that does not care about COVID and lockdown. Something that doesn’t need a mask. The bees survive as a collective. No social distancing for them. They care about having a plentiful food source nearby, water and a queen to feed and seed. It was gratifying to offer this swarm a new home. We feel honoured by their presence as they remind us that there is beauty and sweetness in the world, and reward at the end of hard work. They remind us to just keep on going.

The final of a 3 part series

How does Shape of Emotion work – Part 3

In this video we explore the fourth step (there are four in total) of Shape of Emotion as a process and tool. The fourth step is to “touch” various points on the face, arms and body. If you’d like to experience Shape of Emotion, we invite you to join our next Emotional Fitness Class. Watch the video