Friday, May 11th  Spoke to a good crowd at the Highcliffe branch of the Hampshire Genealogical Society about the History of Mills.  Sunday, May 13th  The Bere Mill Open Day during National Mills Weekend.  A very good day with many interested, and interesting people, who regaled us with tales from their childhood memories of visiting the mill and the various celebrated visitors they witnessed there. 

Wednesday May 16th  A visit to R.A.F. Welford; most interesting. 

Tuesday, May 22nd  A meeting with Bursledon Windmill Committee where it was confirmed that the Pole end is rotten and will have to be replaced. 

Sunday, May 27th  With Tony Yoward to John Lovell’s Lords Farm Open Day at Sheet.  A busy, busy day.

Saturday, June 6th   The start of a much cherished, annual narrow boat holiday week with our great friends, Francis and Beverley; a leisurely paced trip to Llangollen with a ‘side’ trip to the more recently restored Montgomery Canal.

Friday, June 22nd The Summer meeting of H.M.G. at Whitchurch Silk Mill.

Saturday, June 30th; also 4th and 13th  July   To Eling Tide Mill ref. the Exhibition of Tide Mills of Western Europe; ‘manning’ the exhibition for Dave Plunkett.  

Sunday, July 15th (St. Swithin’s Day!)   Margaret came with me to a very wet and muddy Hampshire Water Festival at Havant attending the HMG Stand with Eleanor, Mick, Andy, Peter, JC and Carol.  

Monday, July 16th   To Longbridge Mill joining Fred, Basil, Mildred and Mick to clean and lift the stones following repair work by the millwrights.  A very good job done with the stones now in the correct position.

Thursday, July 19th   Mick and I weed cutting at Whitchurch Silk Mill.  Hard work!

Thursday, August 2nd  I spoke to an audience of historians at New Milton on the History of Milling.  Very well received.  Donation coming to HMG. The talk was part of an exhibition staged by St. Barbe’s Museum (which is based in Lymington) and was all about the traditional mills and bakeries of the New Forest area entititled ‘Our Daily Bread’.  A couple of local newspapers carried articles to publicise the event bearing such banners as ‘The Loaf and Times of New Forest Bread’.  How times change: It’s reported that in 1832 there were 11 bakeries listed in Lymington alone. Peckham’s on the Green served the tiny community at Milton, but every other settlement had its own bakery too, including Ashley, Sway, Tiptoe, Milford and Hordle.  Most of those villages also had mills and their details can be found in the newly published splendid second volume of the HMG book as it covers the mills in the west of Hampshire which of course includes the New Forest.