National Open Mills Day - By James Anderson

National Mills Open Day was a great success with over 70 visitors at the last count. The juice, teas, coffee and all important cakes went down very well. As you can see Hetty and Phyllis were working hard when I made a brief visit.

The local birds have been busy and there is a dipper nest to be spotted (it is very well camouflaged) and at the top of the hill that goes past the mill a pair of kestrels have a nest in the hollow trunk of the once majestic , but sadly now sadly deceased elm.

Working in Partnership - By James Anderson

We were pleased to attend the latest in a series of meetings with Angus council and the National Trust for Scotland on Thursday. Mel Coleman and myself attended from Friends of Barry Mill and felt it really laid firm foundations for the season to come. New promotional material will be ready in the coming month to get out ahead of the April opening. The events programme for the coming season is also close to being announced so watch this space!

A very kind donation to Friends of Barry Mill - James Anderson

I was very pleased to accept the very kind donation of £150 on Thursday. This was from Monifieth Labour Party who had raised money which they were keen to donate within the local area. After deliberating on the best cause for their donation they finally decided to split the money between Carnoustie Disabled Athletes and Friends of Barry Mill. The photograph will appear in the next issue of the Guide and Gazette.

Many thanks to everyone who was involved in raising money which will be very useful as we move forward with plans at Barry Mill.

Barry Mill in the snow

Otters at Barry Mill - Gwen and James

A quick visit to the Mill on Sunday was rewarded with a spectacular sunset. The frost was still thick and the burn was full of fast flowing water. However, there is more going on than we saw on our visit. The miller Peter Ellis had spotted fresh otter tracks along the burn. We haven't seen them yet but who knows, we might get lucky.

Early December at the Mill

This is the first time I've seen these particular.
mushrooms on my walks.

Not all of the trees are bare there is still a bit of autumn colour at the mill.

There are also some new visitors to the mill pond.The dogs and I saw these two swans on our
Saturday walk.

Carnoustie Christmas Market - by James

A hardy bunch braved the weather on Saturday morning at Carnoustie's first Christmas Market. The bags, plants, mincemeat, cards and calendars all went down well. We also had a chance to raise our membership and catch up with people who have already joined.

While we sold out of most things there are still some Mill Christmas cards left. If you would like to buy any then just e-mail and we can make arrangements.