Getting ready for opening

Jim hoovers the grain hopper

Brrrrrr!

It's been a bit chilly lately after a relatively mild winter, as the picture of our launder and spillway shows.

Over the past 3 weeks we've been giving the stones, stone furniture and flour chutes a good spring-cleaning.  We stripped the grain delivery parts, dismantled the tun and then lifted and propped the runner stone so we could work safely between the stones. All traces of old grain and flour have been brushed and vacuum cleaned off, so we are ready for the new season.

Reassembling the stone furniture

The finished kiln handrail

Finally we put it all back together and sealed all the openings where wildlife might get in.

The tun on the shelling stones was left unfinished due to lack of time and material, but we have now completed that as well.

We Have our first tonne of grain on order from our usual supplier, but it will be Paragon wheat this time rather than the Mulika we have had in the past.

The kiln is now pretty much finished apart from lighting (not our job) and displaying the kiln tiles we have (nowhere near enough for a whole kiln floor).  Various bits of painting, limewashing, masonry repair etc have also occupied our time.