In a pink beekeeping outfit and boots emblazoned with honey bees, Alyson Shepherd inspects the hives at her Daisy Hill home under the watchful eye of the resident magpie.
There are ornaments, solar lights and little plaques with positive messages, positioned in all sorts of nooks and crannies in the garden.
It's a life far removed from the corporate existence Alyson lived just a couple of years ago, before her father's sudden death plunged her into despair.
In May 2020, when pandemic panic was at its peak, Keiron Shepherd, was given one week to live.
"He had lung cancer but was in remission," Alyson said.
"He got a scan, then we got a phone call from the oncologist that the cancer had spread to his brain.
"Within a week of that phone call, he had passed away.
"I was in a tailspin of grief and sadness because my dad was someone I really looked up to.
"He was a little quirky. He and I always sang to our own tune, and he always told me to believe in myself."
About a year after her father's death, Alyson, her husband Lenny Phillips, and their two young children, Isla and Elliott moved into their Daisy Hill home, south of Brisbane.
"I was working for a big dental corporation but COVID reset my values, and losing my father made me re-evaluate my life," she said.
"I was kind of lost in the corporate world and I found that I needed something else."
Alyson's new direction came when tree loppers, hired to remove a dead stringy bark in the backyard, made a discovery.
"They found a 36- or 37-year-old intergenerational bee hive," Alyson said.
"They saved the bees rather than spraying and mulching, and then moved them into a hive."
That hive, painted yellow, white and pink, now resides in the front yard, surrounded by flowering plants.
"They've been here for such a long time. I felt like it was my duty to keep them here in their home."
'They brought a sense of peace'
And so began Alyson's affinity with bees.
"The bees gave me a sense of calm," she said.
"They brought a spirituality, some mindfulness to me. They brought a sense of peace and helped me through the grief of my dad."
She now has six hives on her large property, including one — in a log — of native stingless bees.
"Sitting and watching the bees just brought me back to who I was," she said.
"Watching them made me see that family structure of what bees are in a colony and it reminded me, that family is everything."
She named her first hive and small honey business after her 101-year-old grandma, Norma May Wells.
"She's the most resilient, strong woman I know and I really admire her."
'I was brought up on honey'
Norma May attributes her longevity to a daily dose of honey.
"If I have toast in the morning, I have honey on toast and I might have it two or 3 times a day. I was brought up on honey," Norma May says.
"Maybe that's why I've lived as long as I have."
Alyson and her grandmother hold hands as Norma May recalls the days when her father and brothers would go out to the bush to collect honey.
Then she looks at Alyson and adds with a laugh, "your husband probably calls you honey."
The whole clan has descended on Alyson's home for a get together — from 101-year-old Norma May to Alyson's newborn niece.
The only "outsider'" is Alyson's beekeeping mentor Keith Pasquill, who's made to feel like he belongs.
Alyson believes Keith was sent to her, by her father.
"I 100 per cent believe that," she said.
"There was a moment in time when I felt quite lost because my dad was such a huge role model for me.
"Then I started with the bees and you know, as fate would have it, Keith just came along."
Keith, 65, was a project manager in Information Technology, when he became interested in bees.
"I'd been in IT for a long time and things are changing so quickly, that I just wanted a different focus on life," Keith said.
He and Alyson met via an amateur beekeeping website.
"I think it's a bond over the bees. We're both so passionate about the bees," he said.
Now, at markets, shows and schools, they're teaching as many people as possible about the important work that bees do.
"One in three mouthfuls of food depends on bees for the pollination, so the more bees we can have out there, the better," Keith said.
As Alyson liberally pours her backyard honey onto crumpets for the children, Norma May acknowledges that times like these are precious.
"My family makes me feel very proud. They have been wonderful," Norma May said.
"I've been a very blessed person actually and sometimes I've whinged about it, and thought that I was hard done by, but no."
Alyson knows there will still be dark days ahead, but her bees have helped to bring back the light.
"I like to stand outside the box, and be who I want to be. I am loud. I am proud and I am happy," she said.
"Life is really short and we're blessed with every day that we're given so it's really important to be kind and let people know around you that you love them and respect them."
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