Thursday 20/8/26  A pair of swans were in the river on our way to the mill. The railway wagon doors were hard to open so Eddie oiled the hinges. Rain was forecast all day, but it was a sunny start so we decided to cordon off the area we seeded last time to stop anyone walking or driving over it, particularly at the open days next month.

There is no more fencing tape or rope so I found some old bunting from the Coronation and VE Day celebrations which was in the cupboard under the seat in the wagon. We tied the bunting between the small oak tree and the hedge, then hammered stakes in around the edges and put the bunting through them to fence off the seeded area. Bunting flapping in the wind should deter birds from eating the seed.

We didn’t water the seeds today as there was heavy rain later. I sorted out the cupboard in the wagon and put everything back so the Heritage Open Days banners, bunting and self-guided maps are on top ready for the open days.

Coreopsis, viola and cosmos are still flowering in front of the visitor centre, but the sunflower has finished, we’ll keep some of the seeds and replant them, birds can have the rest. Lobelia and hollyhocks are still in flower around the trees.

The water butts we use to water the gardens ran dry this summer, so we had to use buckets of river water, I checked that this was allowed and monitored the river level. Its better to use river water than treated drinking water which is more precious in a drought. I checked the water butts today and they are nearly full again.

We had a cup of tea outside while it was sunny and saw a pair of cormorants fly over. There was also a red kite over the field and a little egret flew over the mill. A kingfisher flew from the river across near the wagon and over to the stream on the other side, but I couldn’t get a photo. There was also a robin in an elder bush near the bridge.

There was heavy rain later so we worked indoors. The wildlife sign for the meadow has a whiteboard area for new sightings, so I added red admiral butterfly and wren to the board as both were seen recently. The board is put in the meadow at open days.

There were exhibits on the visitor centre floor including a historic hand drill, which we mounted on the wall above the cabinet, which looks better. Eddie swept rust (from the metal items) off the top shelf of the cabinet and re-arranged the displays. We had lunch outside but there was a thunder storm in the afternoon, so we had an early finish. 

Saturday 22/8/26  Nar Valley Benefice held an event called Everyone Has a Story in the local churches, I told my story of how I got involved with the bone mill, with displays in Narborough church. See the updated article for more information.

Graham Bartlett  

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