TILE 17 - NOV 19th 2025 - THE IDEA for the dwarves

George the Artisan, as he was respectfully named by the villagers, knew at once when Timmy showed up before 9am that the boy had something on his mind and like as not up his sleeve too.

"Wotcha up to me old cock!" George asked as he brought Timmy a cup of tea. "Something mechanical I see, like as not a pulp mill, for what else uses a bank of trip hammers in a trough like that?"

"You'll see once I finish the model" said Timmy "I know someone who needs what I'm drawing but how to get it to them, that's the problem. They will be able to make it themselves because I've seen what their workmanship is like."

George knew better than to pester Timmy when he was working on a new design, if the lad wanted help he'd ask for it. "If you need any advice just ask" said George.

"I'm going to see the blacksmith, to find out what he thinks about my plan to build a waterwheel."

"We've got a watermill of our own down by the river, did you know? Smithy made that mechanism, at least his father did a lot of it but our own Jake made the gearing, used my foundry for the patterns that formed the parts for the large drive wheel gear, clever idea that, casting toothed racks to be bolted to the outer circumference making it much simpler than trying to cast a gear that big in one piece."

"Hmm, I have to see that mill first then, before I start on my own design, my idea is to cast the teeth individually and set the tooth angle and separation using oak wedges. So I'm going off to the mill to study it first followed by the smithy after lunch, so you won't see me again today. You know that guess of yours that my drawings were of a pulp mill gave me an idea. See you tomorrow George."

It was an ideal situation for the two individualists Timmy and George because though they were equally happy and productive working as a team yet some days they never even saw each other.

The village of Brocks Barn was a creative community without the pretensions, because everyone made what everyone else required and traded jobs without a second thought if their particular skills were required. An isolated situation greatly valued by its inhabitants sheltered as they were by the Great Forest on the ridgeway and the long river and swamplands at the bottom of the valley.