December 2014

'What could go wrong?'
Actually quite a lot.

I arrived at Willington a little nervously, and my nervousness increased when I realised the market was held in the car park - I had assumed it would be held on the grass by the entrance. This meant I had no way of securing my flimsy gazebo, which had the structural strength of wet tissue paper, and anything more than a sneeze would send me and the gazebo careering down the A1 like Mary Poppins.
The needle on the 'nervousness meter' then flicked into the red when the paste table I bought with me decided it didn't need legs after all and collapsed.
Thankfully the Willington Manager kindly lent me a table from her office and eventually I got underway. Gradually my nervousness subsided and I quite enjoyed the day.
People were very friendly, a number of people wanted to discuss bee stuff with me and the other stall holders were very supportive and I picked up a lot of good advice from them.
I even sold some honey.
The following day the directors of North Bedfordshire Honey held an Executive Policy and Planning meeting and the Managing Director, Production Director, Research and Development Director [me] and the Sales Director, Marketing and Customer Liaison Director [Sue] decided we would develop a Integrated Long Term Strategic Development Plan.
And buy a proper gazebo.

Then it all went a bit bonkers.
Firstly, a week after the Willington market I get a copy of an email from Frosts announcing they were cancelling the market. Was it something I said?
Then a few days later, Val and Mark who had let me keep some of my bees on their land and ran a garden shop in Roxton where i sold a small amount of honey, decided they would retire to Norfolk which meant I would have to find a new home for the bees and my delusions of being the first Bedfordshire honey millionaire seemed to come to an end.
It then transpired that their shop was being bought by Sue Laing who I knew from being members of the Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association. Sue attended several markets selling her honey and jams and obviously wouldn't need honey from me but as she would be running the shop over the weekends she couldn't do her markets as well.
She asked me if I wanted to do them.
Having already missed one 'Slippery Slope' sign I then completely missed the 'Pay attention. This is the second slippery slope warning notice. Don't ignore this one' sign and said 'yes'.
Next thing I know I'm going to places I've never heard of [Hexton, Hoxton?], finding fudge recipes, making marmalade, setting up a website , meeting Environmental Health people and spending loads of money.
And going to markets.

Which has been fun and I've really enjoyed them. People have been very nice, [there was one rather eccentric gentleman at Stony but he was eccentric with everyone so I didn't take it personally] and seem genuinely interested in bees, other stall holders have been very supportive.
And I've even managed to sell some honey.

Its going to be quiet for a while as Willington don't have another market until April and the new Home and Gardens market for January won't be on.
However, I now go to the Potton Four Seasons market and in February a new market at the Forest Centre in Marston Vale is starting up. Also I am thinking of trying to get into the Shefford Market and one or two others. I was invited to Franklins farmers market and other stall holders tell me this will happen more as my 'fame' spreads, so perhaps I might be a millionaire after all.
But enough about the markets, the blog is supposed to be primarily about the bees and once Christmas has subsided I will post something.