Food politics and a spring bee check

The rally at the legislature on Saturday was warmly attended by groups including COG:



The cavalry rode round and round the grounds:



There was a pleasing diversity of age and slogan:



with some rabble-rousing by Brent Warner



NDP candidate Lana Popham



farmer, beekeeper and food activist Linda Geggie



organic farmer Heather Stretch



and farmer-writer-editor Tom Henry





There's another opportunity for Islanders make their food interests visible to politicians, at a gathering on Thursday April 30.



More information at the BC Food Systems Network website; including the Food Security Election Primer which is a terrific tool to use on any visiting electioneers, and a handy fact sheet on the issues for educating yourself, your friends and neighbours.



I spent yesterday morning following a spring bee inspection with some of my bee-owning classmates from last year's bee-keeping class, led by Larry & Marilyn, who kindly lent me a bee suit for the occasion. I had a few curious customers stop by to admire my gloves.



Some of the girls hang out on their mom's shoulder.



Saw lots of crazy comb, including one with a donut hole in the middle:



Here are a couple of queens (the long orangy ones; one of them is marked in red; colours are agreed on each year so you can tell how old the queens are):



I brought along some of the honey I'd bought in Italy for people to sample; one of the varieties evoked some discussion about rhododendron honey, which is said to produce Mad Honey Disease. And here's a poem featuring death, rhodos and bees (but not mad honey disease).