Thursday 10/11/22  Eddie and I wired in the solar panel supplying the visitor centre which involved clipping cables along the loft, down through the ceiling to the controller, making a cable with crocodile clips to connect the battery, then running a supply cable behind the shelves to connectors in the trunking on the floor to power illuminated shelves and multimedia screens at both ends of the building.

Emma tried the binoculars and saw Egyptian Geese in the field behind the mill. Emma then levelled out the track where machines had churned it when we moved the container. Anne Marie brought Primrose plants and put them in the gardens around the trees, then dug up nettles, thistles and dandelions in the wildflower area.

We had lunch outside and saw a Cygnet on the river. In the afternoon Eddie and I started wiring in the other solar panel which will power lights and an inverter for charging tools in the shed. It will also power a fridge and nest cameras in the railway wagon through an underground cable. We ran the solar panel cable through the loft at the other end of the visitor centre, down into the new display room behind the photo panels, through the wall into the shed where it will connect to the controller which has USB ports for charging the battery screwdriver.

Eddie transferred bird seed from tubs which split easily and are hard to open, into our new containers, then topped up the feeders. We put some more large hooks in the shed to hang garden tools on, this saves wall space so we can organise the shed better. Eddie put the cycle rack back on the lawn and staked it down as earthworks are finished now, so it will not get damaged. I helped Emma flatten the churned area where the container was. Eddie helped Anne Marie weed the wildflower area.

We had a last cup of tea and biscuits outside and used the binoculars to see a Hare in the fields, then we put everything away, switched off the displays, locked up the buildings and came back.

Saturday 19/11/22  We saw Egyptian Geese and an Egret at The Maltings and two Herons and a Kingfisher near the mill on our way down. Eddie lit the woodburner stove as it was a bit cold, Emma made us tea and spotted a Hare in the field behind the mill. Ryan dug a trench and laid an armoured cable from the shed to the wagon, then covered it over with soil and packed it down.

There were five of us, we took the petrol strimmer and David strimmed around the site including the habitat area, logstore and picnic bench. Emma tidied the logstore and used the axe to split wood for kindling which filled a large sack. David cut logs from fallen branches, Emma split them with the log splitter and took a barrow load to the wagon to top up the supplies and put the rest in the logstore.

Eddie finished wiring in the solar panel which involved fitting the control panel to the shed wall, moving the shelving unit out of the way and connecting the armoured cable which goes to the wagon, making and connecting a battery cable with crocodile clips, connecting solar panel wires and clipping all cables to the wall. Solar panels are part of our Green Grant project.

Ryan wired and fitted a light switch in the shed, then drilled a hole in the wagon floor and fed the armoured cable through to power the fridge. Ryan also clipped another cable under the wagon going to the other end to power our nest box cameras, when he was under the middle of the wagon he found the water bowl from the bird feeding station which we thought was lost. Ryan fitted and wired in a switch under the bench for the nest cameras. The switches used are replica vintage light switches which arrived recently.

I connected all the wiring in the wagon using busbar terminal blocks to power the fridge and nest cameras, then connected the shed wiring including the wagon supply cable, shed light circuit and solar controller. I also removed crocodile clips from the old feed wire in the visitor centre loft, I left the wire connected in case we need it to power more shelf lights. I stuck the light back under the display screen which lights up the top shelf, as it fell off. 

David and I put the fence back near the entrance to prevent anyone driving on the wildflower meadow, Ryan moved the fence posts over at the other end to give a bigger wildflower area now the track is wider, David strimmed the corner of the track again. Ryan transferred peanuts, suet balls and Nyger seed into our new tubs.

Graham Bartlett  

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