Thursday 24/9/26 Our main jobs today involved tidying up the site after the open days at the weekend which had the highest number of visitors ever. On our way to the mill a heron flew up from the river near the maltings and further down was a little egret, which also flew across the mill when we were working.
We had the water wheel turning at the open days, so after a cup of coffee in the railway wagon, we rolled up the pump hose and let the water out of it, then put it in the tunnel to protect it from frost over winter.
Cuttings from summer work parties had built up as it was too dry to burn them due to the risk of wildfires, but it’s now safe to have fires again, so we burnt all the cuttings in the incinerator as they are too thick to rot down in the compost bays.
Anne Marie brought mixed cornflower seeds and sowed them in the garden in front of the visitor centre, then weeded and watered the gardens, canes were put in to hold cosmos which are still flowering.
Chairs and tables were put back in the visitor centre after the open days so Eddie took the chairs to the compound and covered them up while I put the table and sack barrows back in their place and put display boards back up in the loft.
We had lunch outside and saw a muntjac in a field, birds eating from the feeders and buzzards calling overhead. We discussed the open days, Anne Marie was doing teas both days and made Norfolk shortbread which was popular with visitors, there were so many people that Abbie had to go and buy more cakes from the shops.
There were nettles between the incinerator and compound which Eddie strimmed. We checked the oil and water in the Gator truck as it had heavy use at the open days towing our trailer with seats taking visitors between the car park and mill. Before we came back we poured buckets of water on the fire to make sure it was out.
Friday 25/9/26 We had a visit from 7 members of Swaffham u3a rambling group including my wife Jan, they were walking the Nar Valley Way. I went to the mill and swung the bridge across and put the feature signs out. I did some strimming and emptied out the incinerator to stop it rusting after we poured water in it.
When the ramblers arrived I told them the brief history of the mill and gave out our guide maps and answered questions about the mill. They looked around and saw the visitor centre with a video of the water wheel turning and slideshows of the model mill and wildflower meadow in bloom. Our Chain was on display which led to a discussion about these old units of measurement. Then they continued their circular walk down the river and back to the village, followed by a pub lunch.
Thursday 1/10/26 Fred and Graeme have supplied and fitted a new solar controller so we have power again in the shed and wagon which means we can now use the nest cameras, shed lights and charge tool batteries again. There is now an isolator for the solar panel so we can safely change batteries, as we have several.
We switched on the nest cameras and noticed the great tit box is full of spiders webs, I planned to clear it out today but while we were drinking tea in the wagon we saw a bird appear at the hole of the box, so we’ll wait a while in case its used.
The first job was checking that the water wheel had been locked to prevent it turning after the open days in case anyone climbs on it. We noticed bistort still flowering along the wall and cosmos and coreopsis in front of the building.
Eddie took the loppers home and had another go at sharpening and adjusting them, he tried them out on weeds which worked well. The area where a dead tree was removed which we seeded with grass and wildflowers is growing, Eddie pulled some nettles out.
There is a pile of logs we brought back from fallen trees, Eddie got the saw horse and I got the chainsaw, we cut some of them up and stacked them on a small pallet as our log stores are full. The chainsaw was leaking oil so we tightened screws and cleaned the breather hole and it seems better. We charged the chainsaw batteries in the shed.
The single sunflower had stopped flowering a while ago and the seeds are ready for collecting so I got some out and put them in a bag to sow for next year. A lot of seeds fell on the ground and I left a few in the flower for the birds to eat. Eddie filled the bird feeders and we saw a great tit eating suet balls while we had our lunch outside.
Eddie had a dentist appointment in the afternoon, so we came back after lunch and I cut Beryl’s lawns. Emma was weeding Beryl's gardens so I took the grass cuttings and two bins of weeds in the Gator and tipped them on the compost heap near the lake.
Graham Bartlett
Interactive Plan Activity Previous Projects Workers 5 Years Ago
