Thursday 8/5/25 Four of us went to the mill for the final preparations for the open days. David took the petrol strimmer and finished strimming everywhere, I took the mower and cut paths through the wildflower meadow, David strimmed an area for the picnic bench.
Eddie cut the lawns and the top bank with the ride-on mower including the cornfield flower area over the brick floor, as hardly any flowers came up there last year as the soil is so thin, so we'll leave this as a lawn. Last October we moved the cornfield flowers across to the sloping bank by sowing it with cornfield annual seeds.
David used the push mower between the damaged walls and in front of the wagon which left a striped finish. The outdoor displays were covered in scale and rust so Emma cleaned the base by moving the metal parts, sweeping the floor and putting the display items back. Emma also weeded the machinery area and sorted out bunting and displays. Eddie raked up grass cuttings from the brick floor lawn.
On Saturday I noticed the footbridge felt spongy in places, I thought we would need more supports, but the boards were just lifting slightly so they only needed screwing down in more places. We just needed one support under the turntable which was cut and fitted. We put the bridge across the river and tested it and it feels much better.
At home I laminated the 10 year Before and After pictures and VE & VJ Day posters, today I stapled them to our display boards, these will go in the gazebo at the open days.
We had lunch outside, but it was a bit cold. Emma gave me printouts of the Bone Mill Workers to be laminated. I made a title page for the VE & VJ Day photo album and put it in the cover. David Turner has lent us a VE Day Newspaper from Narborough Museum which we will put on display at the open days.
Eddie cleaned our benches and watered the gardens and Oak trees as we have not had any recent rain, he got water from the river using our bucket on a rope. We noticed Ajuga, Bistort and Buttercups are flowering on the riverbank.
We switched on the nest cameras and saw the Great Tit which still has six eggs. We saw a female Chaffinch on the seed feeder which we refilled and a pair of Goldfinches were eating Nyger seed. I saw a Hare with a red chest running through a field.
Saturday & Sunday 10 & 11 May Setting up the open days on Saturday morning was a rush as I had a lot of displays to set up and putting up the gazebos was tricky as it was quite windy. Everyone else was busy putting feature signs out, setting up food tables in the shade and getting the water wheel turning with the pump.
The weather was hot, we had to make running repairs to the parasol both days. The table I made from an old door and our workbenches for displays left the camping table free for more food next to Howard's old dining table with the cakes. See the open days page for details and pictures of the event and to leave feedback about your visit.
Thursday 15/5/25 We switched on the nest cameras and saw both Great Tits feeding their five chicks which have hatched since the weekend. The main jobs today were sorting things out after the open days.
Anne Marie brought Sunflower, Cornflower and Aquilegia plants and put some in the new garden she made in front of the visitor centre and some in the wildflower meadow, then watered them in and labelled them.
Eddie and I got the displays and things out of the visitor centre including the parasol which we had to repair at the open days, so today we made permanent repairs by stapling the main canopy to the arms and stapling the vent cloth to the finial. We would have tested it today but it was not sunny enough.
We stacked the feature signs under Howard’s table in the visitor centre which made room for the display boards to be put back with room for visitors to view the displays and to put the gazebo, camping table and parasol up in the loft.
Anne Marie and Eddie filled up the bird feeders. When working outside I heard a Lapwing and saw it flying in the field behind the mill and a Heron also flew over us. We put our bridge across and went over to take down the open day posters and change the dates of the next open days on the notice board.
Keri, Kier, Mike and Berni were walking the Nar Valley Way and stopped to read our sign, so we invited them over to look around. They saw the video of the water wheel turning and viewed the finds on display.
There was a small fallen tree across the footpath, so Eddie went back with saw and loppers and chopped it away. On the way back he noticed some loose screws on the bridge so we replaced them with longer screws.
We walked back through the wildflower meadow, its growing up but there’s not much in flower yet. One of the insect hotels was missing a lot of canes, birds had pulled them out and dropped them on the ground trying to get insects out, so I put them back and cut some more to wedge them in tightly.
I pulled up dock leaves and other weeds with large leaves as they starve wild flowers of light. Eddie got a bucket of river water and watered the oak trees. I put the wooden planter which Helen gave us in the corner of the lawn where the other plant pots are.
I noticed the bee box we made was in use, I pulled out all three sections and a lot of slots were full of eggs and pollen which can be seen through the Perspex, its rewarding to see it in use as we only made it last November. We will watch the progress of them as they turn into larvae, and emerge as adults.
At the open days a visitor pointed out there were two conflicting dates on the Human skull bone and the notice about it, it has been radio carbon dated to 1257, but the notice says 1218. I made a label which I brought today and stuck it over the notice.
Eddie removed VE Days posters from the new notice board and I fitted it on the wall of the small room in the visitor centre to replace the old broken one. Eddie put articles about the mill back, there's now space for more information as the new board is bigger.
My last job was locking the water wheel with a padlock and chain to stop it moving. We then had a last cup of tea with a lovely piece of cake which Anne Marie left for us, then went back along the track. We saw geese and goslings on the fishing lake.
Graham Bartlett
Interactive Plan Activity Volunteer Previous Next Mill Workers
