TILE 18 - NOV 20th 2025 -
"Turn right after the Saddlers, follow the dingle dell down towards the squamous swamp, then..."

"WHAT!" Timmy interrupted the wayfarers directions towards the Old Mill "is a dingle dell or come to that, a squamous swamp?"

"Oh that's obvious in spring when the dell is coloured bright blue from the bluebells."

"And squamous?"

"Its just a name for the way it looks in summertime when the streams dry up and leave the mud looking like scales or plates. Anyway as I was saying, do not attempt to enter the swamp, squamous or not, it'll swallow you up whole.

Stay on the edge of it and head south, that's right, along the valley bottom until you come to a smaller river, that's the Mill Race leads directly to the mill pond wheel and the mill itself.

Then when you're done and if you still want to see the Smithy, there's a steep lane leads up away from the Mill and round a long sharp corner leads you straight to the Smith's Forge right handy for reshoeing horses whats lost their shoe on that hill as often happens with a heavy load of corn or flour going up and down almost daily during the harvest. Enjoy your ramble!"

The wayfarer carried a stout staff with his clothing tied up in a bundle attached to one end. He was of slender build, his deerskin jacket being oversized, his trousers rather ragged at the leg bottom, revealing loose boots with mariners tops turned over and down. The overall effect was well worn and dust covered almost as if camouflaged for life on the road. The final flourish of a tapered green felt hat atop a somewhat pixy like face, had a musical pipe tucked into the headband.

The Dell was obviously well coppiced judging by the numerous pollarded trees, silver birch, willow, hazel and ash withies stacked in bundles drying ready for use. Timmy followed the dry stream bed down until first his nose then his eyes announced the swamps presence, it looked deceptively innocent, lots of low bright green grass adorning various sized islands that almost invited the unwary foot to use them as stepping stones.

He soon encountered the mill race and followed that to the Old Mill which certainly looked like its name. Sturdy although weather beaten, the exterior wood that formed the framing was silver grey and the wattle and daub walls looked the worst for wear and in need of a white wash. However the big waterwheel green with algae turned slowly and steadily whilst inside the noise of machinery could be easily heard even outside, it must be near deafening inside the place.

As he stoood staring at the mill, a door opened in its second storey and a man wearing white apron and flour covered clothing, cupped his hands and called out "Hey be you young Tim the mechanician that George is always going on about? Mind you take care on that sluice gate bridge, its treacherous slippery, come on over and I'll show you my mill."

Despite its outside appearance, the mills interior was quite different in appearance, functional and fit for its purpose, full of clever engineering to enable the miller to keep it in good repair and adjust it for different cereals.

In only a short while the miller found that he could trust Timmy to stay out of the way of any moving parts, the lad was sharp eyed and had noticed two maintenance needs that had slipped the great toy for those that can afford itlinkages were used to change the functions and rotational speeds and direction of output shafts and power take off points used to connect the machinery to external tools such as rotary saws.

"I'd like the opportunity to sketch these mechanisms and if you still have the original drawings and plans I'd like to take a look at them too please. I am going to try and make a working model of something similar, it could be a real winner abroad where the wealthy kings and princes like complicated mechanical toys."