Thursday 19/6/25  It was a very hot day so we worked in the shade as much as possible. But first Eddie got buckets of river water and watered the gardens, the rope came off the bucket so I got the ladder and a rake and retrieved it from the river. Cornflowers in the garden in front of the visitor centre are in flower and Poppies have come out on the river bank and brick floor.

Now the Great Tits have fledged I decided to clear out the nest box while it was in the shade, I put the ladder against the tree and used the tool belt Howard gave us to carry tools for opening the box and clearing it out. There was a thick layer of moss which I took out, then I brushed cobwebs away from the camera which gives a clearer view.

The footpath opposite the mill needed cutting, it was mostly in the shade so we put our bridge across and took the small mower and strimmer over and cut the main footpath, around the bench seat and sign, next to the gate frame arch and by our bridge.

From the wagon I saw a small Muntjac appear next to the grindstone, it stayed there for a few minutes. We saw a mystery bird flying and hovering above the river and across the field. I didn't get a photo so I looked it up straight away in our bird book and found it was a Common Tern, they are seabirds but are often found inland by rivers and lakes. 

I noticed a lot of Cherries on the tree were ripe, so I picked a few and had them for dessert after lunch which we had outside, we moved the table into the shade of the Cherry tree. Eddie and I picked a bag of Cherries and took them back for Beryl, the site owner. We filled the bird feeders and topped up their water bowl.

We filled our water container and went to the meadow to water the Oak saplings, all four have survived. We also watered the plants Anne Marie put in by the trench recently. More Cornflowers and Poppies are in the meadow, with one Marigold at the far end where they appeared before. Corn Mallow is flowering near the bridge.

There were lots of blue Damsel Flies in the meadow and we saw Buzzards and Red Kites flying above. Eddie watered the other gardens again as the soil had dried since the morning. I took the damaged butterfly box off the stand.

Thursday 26/6/25  Today I brought my hedgecutters as there were a lot of brambles and trees overhanging the track which I cut on the way to the mill.

The meadow only has a few more Poppies and Cornflowers, the reason there are not many this year is due to the dry spring which was the warmest and sunniest on record, wildflowers need water to flourish and its not practical to water the meadow.

Anne Marie brought Foxgloves and other plants which she planted on the river bank and watered in. Anne Marie also watered and weeded the other gardens. Rose Campion are in flower on the river bank now. The new garden in front of the building is looking good, Sunflowers are getting tall and several different coloured Cornflowers are in flower as well as yellow Coreopsis. The Cosmos are also looking healthy.

Eddie started painting the handrails on our footbridge with green Hammerite as the old paint was wearing thin, he got one coat done on one handrail, it dried quickly as it was another hot day, so he gave it a second coat which leaves a good finish.

I used my hedgecutters to clear a way round to our water butt to make it easier to get cans of water, I also trimmed bushes opposite the meadow. In the meadow I cut down tall weeds and nettles with the hedgecutters. This year Yarrow has taken over so I cut some down near the Poppies and Cornflowers to give them more light. I cleared up all the cuttings and put them in the compost bay.

We had lunch outside in the shade of the Cherry tree again, Anne Marie and I ate some cherries from the tree. In the afternoon I took the wire netting off the branch and picked a tub of cherries to take home as the birds will probably eat the rest.

I used the push mower to cut paths through the meadow. When we came back last week I noticed the Dormouse box had fallen off the tree, so today I opened it and cleared out the moss where it had been used and refitted the metal fixing plates, then screwed it back to the tree.

Eddie and I filled up all the bird food, then went to the meadow with a tank of water and watered the Oak saplings again as we haven’t had much rain. Our last job was removing nails from some wood we were given, this will be used for making and repairing things. I put it in the timber store which used to be the greenhouse.

Graham Bartlett  

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