Honey press out of its winter hibernation

I have been using our honey press today. No we haven't had an early honey crop (I wish we could - we sold out of last year's honey by December). Instead, I have been dealing with the honey from Bill Quay Community Farm in Gateshead. We help look after the bees there but they have no honey press of their own. They are keen to get the honey into the farm shop, especially now that the farm has to be self-financing as funding from Gateshead Council has ended. We discovered one of the hives had died a few weeks ago when we did a hive check so we took off the super of honey that was on it - hence the reason we have a batch of honey at a time of year when we are normally feeding the bees.

I will get the honey into jars and on Sunday we'll take it up to Bill Quay. At the same time we are hoping to get from the farm some Welsh harlequin duck hatching eggs to go into our incubator. This is a rare breed and we are looking to build up a modest stock of the birds.