# General beekeeping > Bee blether >  Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

## Neils

There's a bit in it where Trigger (of only fools and horses) is looking at bees so I'm claiming it as relevant  :Big Grin: 

Brilliant film, I'm a a little too young to remember the original series with Alec Guinness but if you're stuck for something to do once you've put a bit more syrup on then get down to your local flea pit and check this out.

They've thankfully resisted the urge to try and update or remake the story and it is stunning. The cast is superb, theres a thankful lack of "Daniel Exposition" and it makes you sit back from time to time and think "hang on didn't.... just happen?"

Proper late 60s early 70s, cold war spy drama.

And with bees!

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## The Drone Ranger

Saw it on Thursday -- good film, great cast 
Could have had more bees though iMO

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## Trog

It's on our must see list but we'll have to see if the Screen Machine gets it.  So, Benedict C, Colin F ... and beees! Unmissable.

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## madasafish

Very disappointed. Cardboard characters and plot incomprehensible due to compressing complex plot into 2 hours..
I have no wish to see again and felt totally disengaged throughout.

If they are going to condense a John le  Carre novel as complex to such a short time, some rewriting is essential to get the plot understood..

(Yes I saw the BBC series and read the book. The BBC series was incomprehensible as well but of course it was spread over weeks and you had that time to try to understand it).

The Cold War was a time for paranoia and fear. I am afraid the film made neither apparent.

As for Smiley's character, a wooden puppet could have acted it the way it was cast.
A dreadful waste of lots of fine actors. Some great scenes though.

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## Trog

Having listened to the Radio 4 series as a family not so long ago, we should have some idea of what's going on so I'm looking forward to seeing the film ... and the bees!

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## The Drone Ranger

Hi madasafish

Bit harsh I thought  :Smile:  but maybe the hotdog softened up my inner film critic.
The bees looked like hybrids though (they were very gentle)

Trog you will love the film

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## The Drone Ranger

> Brilliant film, I'm a a little too young to remember the original series with Alec Guinness


I've got the opposite problem I've got too OLD to remember the original  :Smile:

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## madasafish

> I've got the opposite problem I've got too OLD to remember the original


LOL

I remember when the book was published..:-(

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## The Drone Ranger

> LOL
> 
> I remember when the book was published..:-(


THere was a book ??  

 :Smile:

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## madasafish

> THere was a book ??


John Le Carre..

(Author of :The Spy who came in from the cold, The looking Glass War, A small town in Germany, Smiley's People etc)

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## gavin

> John Le Carre..


I suspect that DL was being rhetorical ... but whatever he implies I don't think that his memory is *that* bad.  Looking forward to meeting him one day - just 20 miles or so away and I don't think that we've ever shaken hands.

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## The Drone Ranger

> I suspect that DL was being rhetorical ... but whatever he implies I don't think that his memory is *that* bad.  Looking forward to meeting him one day - just 20 miles or so away and I don't think that we've ever shaken hands.


Next season hopefully Gavin  :Smile: 
And maybe I will get some more honey next year

How did you get on down in the shelter of the Tay valley ??

Sarpo mira a great success though so it hasn't been all bad.

Can't get away from the smell of thymol at moment putting a touch in the winter feed.
Smellies people might be more like it  :Smile:

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## gavin

A lot better than you I suspect.  Healthy and vigorous bees once they got over the difficulty of getting good, mated queens.  A super of lime honey for the first time ever.  Four colonies went to Glen Isla and three of them gave a full super of ling cut comb despite the awful August.

Different 6 miles along the road at the association apiary where the mating was dreadful and the bees mostly hungry.

Just about to lace some winter feed myself - bought a large number of sugar bags in Poundstretcher today.  The ones that were at the heather have filled their brood boxes themselves.

Dug some nice spuds this afternoon - no Sarpo Mira but some of Andean descent and rather special.

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## Jon

Spuds, apples, pears, plums and raspberries have all been brilliant this year.
Also have a bumper crop of onions and parsnip.
Sarpo mira are nice when boiled, cooled, then fried in olive oil.
A fried potato makes a fine breakfast no matter what those muesli and shredded wheat freaks will tell you.

I picked 120lbs of damson from my trees at the allotment.

I got 150k of sugar for £75 which is reckon is a bargain.
40k went into the apple wine and the rest is mostly in the belly of the bees.

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## The Drone Ranger

Jon I'm going to try your healthy breakfast option ASAP

The supermarkets are price fixing on sugar I'm sure  :Smile:

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## Trog

Where did you find sugar so cheap, Jon?

I, too, love fried potatoes.  Olive oil most of the time but you can't beat the fat from a good Scots black pudding!

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## Jon

> Where did you find sugar so cheap, Jon?


It's from a guy in Dromore bka who gets several tons of sugar for local beekeepers most years.
It has been damaged by damp storage and some of it is in big lumps but that's no problem when you have to dissolve it anyway.

Other than that Lidl is 82p and Asda 79p. A lot of places are charging over £1 now.

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## gavin

Poundstretcher were 79p, with the added advantage of a lovely lass with a soft Southern Irish accent to assist.  Murray told me last night that sugar supplies are running out for this season.  Tesco Direct are limiting orders (30 bags?) and there will be no more bulk deliveries until the new season's crop is in.  At that time the prices may jump further.

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## Jon

My feeding is pretty much done now, unless I detect a light colony in late October and I will give fondant at the point.

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## The Drone Ranger

> Where did you find sugar so cheap, Jon?
> 
> I, too, love fried potatoes.  Olive oil most of the time but you can't beat the fat from a good Scots black pudding!


Olive oil is very healthy but I don't much care for it on salads so up till now I've had to eat lots of mayonaise but fried potatoes are a much better option.

What is the actual price difference between using sugar and ambrosia has anyone been able to work it out

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## Jon

Ambrosia costs a fortune.

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## gavin

Or indeed Apisuc.  From a recent circular (passed round local associations):

_Fondant is £4.25 / 2.5kg pack
Apisuc supplied loose is £1.25 / kg ex Newbridge    
Containers chargeable

There is a major price rise of 30% on all sugar product come 1/10/10 due to a world shortage so a major saving is to be had

Bulk orders can be supplied in
Apisuc 1000kg container
Apisuc 60 x 14kg jerry cans on a pallet
Fondant 70 packs (5 x 2.5kg) on a pallet
Prices on request

If anybody is interested in buying either product please give me a call_

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## Jon

I bought fondant last month from a local supplier at £10.50 for a 12.5k box.
You should still be able to get it around this price.

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## lindsay s

I was lucky Tesco's had 2k bags of sugar for £1.20 a few weeks ago. I managed to buy 45 (not all in one go) before I felt guilty  and I just smiled sweetly and nodded when asked if I was making jam.

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## The Drone Ranger

I've done most all feeding now Gavin
But next time I need to feed I will be better informed.
I haven't heard of apisuc before.

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## gavin

You should tell them your real purpose Lindsay.  It always rouses interest.  *Much* more intriguing than jam making.

And yes, I'm late getting the feed into many of the colonies in what some might call my 'care'.  As it happens the timing is quite good - suddenly there is (some) nectar, and three types of pollen coming in plus a late bout of brood raising.

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## gavin

> I haven't heard of apisuc before.


I think that's the stuff Murray uses too.

PS  Yes it is.  In June he wrote elsewhere that it was 60p a kilo in bulk.

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