This edition of the Newsletter completes my first year of editorship and Andy Fish’s publishing and printing of it.  I can only hope that the steep learning curve we have been on has brought interest and enjoyment to all our readers.  New ideas, letters and articles are always welcome and apologies are due to those we haven’t managed to fit in yet.  I’ve had a super year of meeting and making many new friends throughout the world of  mills and learned so much more about the variety of mills all over the globe.  September saw me on my first SPAB tour which covered 22 Somerset mills and will be reported in the Spring issue.  Meanwhile, some of the HMG members on the tour are captured on the last, brilliant, day. 

October saw my first venture into organising an HMG stand (at the Blackmoor Apple Day) and my very grateful thanks go to Mick, John Silman, Andy, Dave, John Lovell, John Mears and Bob and Sheila Sharp who came up all the way from Lymington to help. And Thank You Everybody in the Mills World for supporting me in so many ways through this year.  May your sails whizz freely and your sluices remain unclogged!! I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Cool Yule.

 Sheila

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Bartons Mill, Old Basing, was having its restaurant revamped earlier this year and the builders allowed Sheila Viner and Luke Bonwick to clamber amongst the rubble and loose wiring to record in photographs the mill machinery and wheel which are all still in situ, plus a grain cleaner which they were assured would not be removed or disposed of.  The restaurant is now open serving French and traditional English food.  See the website www.bartonsmill.co.uk or telephone 01256 466332 for more details or to book a reservation and read Luke‘s report with a selection of photographs in this newsletter.

Blackmoor Apple Day on the Blackmoor Estate between Selborne and Bordon in the north of the county saw HMG members braving the wind and rain chatting to hordes of people who enjoyed the samples of three different types of bread, two versions of President’s Tea Bread  plus traditional Wassail Cake (see recipe page).  Eling Tide Mill and Longbridge Mill supplied the bags flour and all forms of food were eagerly snapped up by the ravenous public by lunchtime!  Who says no-one wants good wholesome food?

Broughton Manor Farm Barn Mill was at last accessed by HMG members in October.  In this issue we give you history notes made by Dr. Gavin Bowie along with photographs by Nigel Smith made on an earlier visit this year.  In the spring edition we will carry news of the latest findings, both by Gavin Bowie and Alan Stoyel.

Eling Tide Mill announces an addition to the range of flour produced there.  Dave Plunkett advises that more courses are being set up in 2010 for anyone who wants to become a tide mill miller; we expect to have details in the spring newsletter. 

Tony Yoward passed the mill memorabilia collected by Mr. Johnstone of Lymington to The Mills Archive where Sheila categorised it in the Special Collections section.  Thank you Mrs Johnstone for allowing this to be shared with mill researchers.  MAT has had a successful year in gaining several more volunteers to help with the increasing numbers of collections donated by families and individuals, but, there is always room for more helpers!