Don't let your husband retire unless you want to hit yourself on the head with packets of tea

Perhaps I should explain that my husband is tall and I am short. This will come in handy later to get the full understanding of my plight.
Three years ago, we moved house. As is often the case with most couples, I arranged the kitchen and placed the most frequently used items where they were easier to reach. This also included anything brought out only on high days and holidays remaining on the highest shelf, but still within grasp of my stubby little fingers.
All that changed when my husband retired and took over the running of the house. My carefully thought out plan of what went where in the cupboards was abandoned. In came his idea of where everything should go.
Many aspects of this new arrangement appealed to me - no more supermarket shopping for a start. The problem with this setup is that currently I have no idea how much anything costs. The price of everything has gone up so much too since I've been relieved of my food shopping duties. This means that I'm clueless whether 80p is a fair price for a pint of milk or not. Fear not though as I'm completely aware how much I should pay for a bottle of decent red wine.
Frequently, I perform daredevil feats in my own home by flicking packets of teabags from the top shelf with the tip of a steak knife. Too lazy to get a chair, I much prefer the excitement of whether the serrated knife will pierce the bag and leave a dusting of tea everywhere. If I'm having a slow day, the object will sometimes land on me. I've yet to drop the knife on my toes but it's bound to happen. The wine is kept at grab level and the corkscrew's in the drawer. Think you can see where I'm going with this...

If bees make honey, do wasps make jam?

The answer to that, is clearly, no, they don't.
Last Sunday, I took my dad along to a village in Kent for a one day bee keeping course. It was a belated birthday present for him but I admit, it was my suggestion, due to my own interest in all things bees.
Wasps frighten the life out of me. I have a hatred of them. Anyone with an ounce of environmental knowledge, will tell you how vital they are to the natural order of things. Aside from their lack of jam making, they still sting and hurt like heck. Bees do that too, I'm well aware, but the downside for bees is that they die when they've stung you. Give me one-sting-wonders any day over multi pain inflicters. Add to that the bonus of honey bees providing one of the tastiest natural products known to man (and insects) and I'm much more prepared to face the hives.
I'm not scared of bees - honest but if you're going to walk towards the home of hundreds of them and then take away their food, it's a good idea to be prepared. A bee suit is essential, along with an attached face mask, Wellington boots and gloves. It doesn't make a particularly attractive outfit, but style was the last thing on my mind.
What I did have, however, were several bees on the face mask and a few on the suit. It wasn't particularly unnerving when they were on me, as it was protective wear at the end of the day. The odd part was feeling them land. I hadn't expected that.
All that aside, it was a brilliant day, looking at a number of bee hives, learning about honey bees and how to take care of them if you are seriously thinking of beekeeping.
What made it even better, was the fantastic food and refreshments provided and honey harvested from the bees on the day. I'm glad to say, the organisers had the job of leaving the hives with the honey and my suit was well and truly zipped up until we were a very safe distance away.

Fantastic day and thanks to Nick and Jennifer Mengham at www.mrbumble.biz