If it seems like I’m talking a lot about the bees lately, it’s likely because Spring is the busiest time for beekeepers. It’s the time when the colonies are coming out of winter and expanding rapidly because there’s just so much in blossom. With lots of nectar coming in, the queen starts laying profusely and colonies are sensitive to Spring weather fluctuations. If it’s cold and wet (as April & bits of May have been), not only is there less nectar available, but they consume the nectar that they’ve already collected, as opposed to storing it for honey.

So… let me tell you a bit about the week and then share what the bees taught me about church growth.

Good Saturday morning to you. The sun is up and there’s a pair of mourning doves nesting in the pine tree out front… their cooing is easing us into the sounds of the day which will soon become cars going by and yard equipment humming.

Spring is still undecided and our temps have gone from 18˚C on Wednesday to 9˚ yesterday (60s to 40s˚F). However, it’s dry enough to get a good start on Spring clean-up, and a few other things that made up our week.

Three days ago, we had temps of 20˚C (68˚F) and today the high is expected to be 7˚C (44˚F)… so although Spring is officially several weeks away, we’ve gotten our lips whet and it feels wonderful. With so much still either on lockdown or impossible to do after a 6pm curfew, having warmer days and ever lengthening evenings has made things a bit more bearable.

Daffodils and crocus are up, the mimosa trees are in full, mustard-yellow bloom and even a few camelias are already brightening up yards with various shades of pink, salmon and white.

And… as you can see from today’s feature photo… the bees are busy gathering pollen, but that’s not all. Let me share the week in four pictures.

You’ve seen this windmill before if you’re a regular reader. It’s located right on the outskirts of Les Trois-Moutiers, in France’s Vienne department. Today’s pic however was taken on my way home from Angers the other day as the fast-fading afternoon sun lit it up in almost an eerie, golden glow.

There’s no filter on this pic… the lighting is as it was that afternoon and if you look toward the bottom, you’ll also see that the grass along the roadway is slightly blurred. Taken together, it makes it a pretty good illustration of today’s post.