Monday 4/3/24 The Annual Parish Meeting was held in the Church Hall, it is open to the public and all Narborough organisations have the opportunity to report on their activity over the past year, it is good publicity for us. See our bone mill report for this year which was read out at the meeting.
Thursday 7/3/24 This was the first dry Thursday for several weeks, so I took the mower and trailer so we could cut the grass. There were two Swans in the river, they stayed near the mill all day.
Eddie brought a bag of supreme bird seed which he emptied into the bulk seed container and we filled up all the feeders including a circular suet ball feeder which Beryl gave us today. We saw a Female Siskin and a Goldfinch on one of the Nyger feeders and a Blue Tit eating peanuts from the feeder we repaired last time.
Helen gave us a wooden plant holder and some wood which Eddie put in the shed loft, after removing metal strips from it which we put in our hardware supplies. Gloves and tools in the shed door bins got wet last week as the door was left open in the rain, so I put them out to dry on the table.
Eddie said its been so long since we cut the grass that he needed a refresher course, so I got the guidance sheet from the shed and Eddie mowed the wildflower meadow as well as the large and small lawns.
I brought the trailer so I could make and fit a towbar on the back from a strip of Dexion. I filed out a hole to fit the towbar pin, bent the towbar into shape and bolted it under the trailer bed. The towbar is for towing the trailer and spreader together for re-seeding the meadow and spreading grass seed when we cover the areas between the damaged walls and also the rubble heap, both will be cleared and grassed over after the walls are repaired.
Eddie strimmed around the edges and features of the site and checked the oil level in the mower. I then cut the lawn between the wagon and river and also the grass at the upstream end of the site around the bridge, blacksmiths area and along the top river bank.
We moved the arch former from the shed into the greenhouse, we were using it as shelves but we need the space to store the grass collector. The arch former is for supporting brickwork tunnel ends while cement dries when we repair them, afterwards it will be removed from site. We got the grass collector from the visitor centre where it was being stored and hung it on the shed wall above the roller. We moved the hooks for spades and forks across above the tool store. These changes give more space in the shed and visitor centre.
Eddie put the dry gloves and tools back in the shed door bins. I took the mower and trailer back to The Maltings where I hooked the seed spreader onto the new trailer towbar, it works well and will be useful when we sow seed, as we need the trailer to move sacks of seed and sand which is mixed with wildflower seed to show coverage, and we need the spreader to sow flower and grass seed.
Thursday 14/3/24 We switched on the nest cameras and soon a Great Tit appeared at the hole of the small nest box, then went inside, its partner also went in. We didn’t see them after that, so we assume they are checking other nest boxes as well.
We filled the bird feeders, screws had come out of the Squirrel proof feeder I repaired, so I refitted the mesh on the inside to cover the hole and pushed it down into place with a piece of wood, then refilled it with peanuts. We saw Blue Tits and Great Tits eating fat balls and a Male Siskin eating Nyger seed. Siskins also enjoy peanuts.
We sat in the wagon and had a cup of tea and saw a Grey Wagtail near the water wheel and Goldfinches in a tree. I cut pieces from a birdseed sack and nailed them over the storage tubs on the shed door to stop tools and gloves getting wet when it rains. Eddie removed screws and fittings from the wood we salvaged from the skip on the way down, then put all the wood in the shed loft. The wood will be used for making and repairing things.
A pair of Ducks were walking around the mill eating fallen bird seed, we think they might nest on the ground nearby as we had two Duck nests on site last year. Eddie strimmed under the bench and around the grindstones as this got missed last time.
After lunch we went along the river bank on our side and logged up more wood from last year's fallen tree to bring back for the fire, a Swan was in the river nearby. Back at the mill I got the saw horse out and cut the logs small enough for the stove and Eddie put them in the logstore.
Graham Bartlett
Interactive Plan Activity Green Grant Wildflower Meadow Gallery Volunteer Previous Next
