‘Why, hello, stranger,’ she beamed, before a bee to her left caught her attention. She pointed her finger at it. ‘Come on, then, Derek, back into the warm you go. And you, Damian! Stop bothering our visitor and get inside!’ She waited a moment, scanning around for any other escapees. ‘There you are, Dylan, don’t think I didn’t see you there, hovering about! And you, Douglas, Dougie and Dougal! Queen Delilah will be worrying about you! In you go!’

And to my amazement, most of them did buzz their way back to a small hole in the hive box and disappear back inside.

‘Well, then.’ Ziva stuck gloved hands on her hips. ‘You’re looking much improved! This is Eleanor, who I told you about,’ she informed the other woman, who was much younger, with a cloud of dark, corkscrew curls. Behind her huge tortoiseshell glasses I could see Ziva’s kind brown eyes, which along with her slender frame led me to guess correctly that they were mother and daughter.

‘Eleanor, this is Becky, my youngest. She’s helping me heft the hives.’

‘Right. Hi.’

‘Having recently chucked in a highly successful career in pharmaceutical sales on a whim and a prayer, she’s otherwise rattling around the village getting up to mischief wherever she can find it.’

‘Mum!’ Becky groaned. ‘I’m thirty-three, not thirteen.’

‘Either way, you need something to occupy that vivacious brain of yours. Maybe making a new friend would be the first step.’

‘Ungh.’ Becky smacked one glove over her face. ‘I’m so sorry about my mother. The way she talks, you’d think I was the embarrassing one.’

We both stood there, feeling the self-consciousness of two girls on the first day of school wondering if they’d found a friend.

‘Well, Becky? Why don’t you tell her about the bees?’

Becky pushed her glasses up her nose. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, mother. No normal person is interested in hearing about the bees. Especially in this weather. Eleanor, I’m so sorry, please don’t let us keep you.’

‘Oh, don’t be such an apiary snoot!’ Ziva exclaimed, as if bewildered at the very thought I might not be wandering through life bursting with bee questions. ‘I’m sure there are plenty of things she’d like to know, aren’t there?’

‘Um, yes. Of course…’

‘Well? Ask away, dear! Oh, for goodness’ sake, David, it’s not warm enough to be out and about yet!’

Ummmm… ‘Do you give all the bees names?’

Becky broke into a grin, her handsome features suddenly adjusting to fit her face perfectly. ‘These are all the D boys, because they’re in hive D, with Queen Delilah.’

‘Right.’ Well, that made perfect sense now.

‘Are you collecting honey?’

‘Nah, not this time of year. We’re hefting the hives, like Mum said. Checking the boys still have enough food to last until spring. The D boys are a bit light, so we’re going to treat them to a slab of fondant icing as a top-up. Do you want to stay and watch?’