I've joined the charity called " Men's Shed " it's been shown on TV as a place where males can go to meet others and do DIY type stuff & other interest /hobby things . We have all age groups and people are from all walks of life .
Many of the younger guys are coming back from depressive illnesses , the older ones are looking for something to do in their retirement for a few days a week .
On Tuesday & Wednesday I was setting up a time clock controlled mini sprinkler system to reduce the need for carrying water by a 70 yr old guy .
He spends a lot of time trying to drag bucket of water around the 40 x 20 commercial polytunnel to water several hundred seedlings and a hundred of so plants growing in a raised bed made from old car tyres.
He's really chuffed now he can sow seeds instead of carry water. Till I set it up and calibrated it he'd never seen a tunnel under a decent watering system . On Friday he came up to me beaming like a lighthouse . " Ere Dave , come and look at this " he said .
Off we went to the tunnel , everything is a real pleasing green and about four times taller than when I started the exercise.
" I never knew things could grow like this", he said " it's bloody amazing , to think I was dragging water all over the place & none of these other buggers here would help me " .
I took a couple of dwarf French marigolds with me from my glasshouse , telling him that once the insects get the scents from them they will come and help fertilize the bean plants in the tunnel
I asked if anyone knew of any beepkeeprs locally .. no one did , a few seconds later I get a nice new honey bee fly in and land on my arm .
That's a good sign as there will also soon to be a fully equipped wood working shop which I'm setting up with a quality Sheppach bench saw , bandsaw, morticer , several 48 inch wood lathes , a large semi commercial router table with 1/2 " router & several high level work benches .
I'm hoping to start making full flat roofed national beehives using western red cedar , with feeder crown boards and varroa mesh floors .
Does any one have a set of national hive plans in imperial or metric sizes that I can borrow for a few days to check my dimensions with ?