I went out looking for bees

... and mainly came back with flowers.

I'd been working in the garden - in the greenhouse planting some of the tomato plants that Andrew brought me and the noise of the bees struck me as I came back up the stone steps.  One year I had quite a focus on bees in the garden - some years ago now, so I thought I might try again, but knew it would be hard, especially as I was a bit tired.  This was my most successful shot, which I think is a tree bumblebee.  These are now well established in the garden, but I remember my first, a very large queen, who tumbled out of a sheet when I was gathering some washing off the line.  I looked her up at the time and remember reading that as a species they were gradually moving further north - well they've definitely made it now.