As I felt the vibration coming from the swarm of bees buzzing loudly around the hive, I couldn't help but flinch. ‘They won’t hurt you, Mum,’ my eldest son, William, nine, reassured me as we crept closer.
‘I know,’ I reasoned, not wanting to look like a wimp in front of the kids. After months of my husband, Ian, then 47, pestering me, I’d finally let him put a hive in our back garden, and now I was doing the unthinkable – donning a huge protective suit to take on beekeeping duties myself.
Ian and I met 20 years ago, married in October 2005, before having William in 2006 and Ted in 2011. He was always encouraging me to get out of my comfort zone – moving to the country, writing a book. But when he first mentioned keeping bees, in December 2016, I thought it was a mid-life crisis. ‘Imagine the honey,’ he smiled, licking his lips. Of course, I said no – what mum wants a nest of stinging insects buzzing around the back garden?
Denne historien er fra February 10, 2020-utgaven av WOMAN - UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 10, 2020-utgaven av WOMAN - UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
EAT WELL (even on a budget) - Easy meals that make the most of your store cupboard, and won't break the bank
Courgette and pesto pasta
The CATCH
The house was perfect - so why was it so cheap?
Elizabeth and THE RAIN
She had made Lisa's life a misery- and now she was back
I won't stop taking my daughter out of school... - TO GO TO THE BEACH!
One mum tells us why fun, spontaneous days are sometimes more important than being in the classroom
Where's the JUSTICE?
Catherine Wardle's son died over a senseless Snapchat spat
Fat-shamed BY MY MUM
Gemma Hall, 28, showed off her snaps and got a dose of tough love
Fighting for SURVIVAL
When Danielle Camilleri collapsed at 40, the diagnosis was devastating
Finding love AFTER LOSS
As Kelsey Parker moves on after losing her husband Tom, we investigate how difficult it is to find love again in widowhood
Phil's revenge
Phillip Schofield is back on our screens after a 16-month hiatus and it seems it's all-out war between the former presenter and ITV.
'I'm too scared TO HAVE SURGERY'
Christine Lampard on gratitude, staying in shape and date nights with husband Frank.