The New Windmill

Close to the Village of Boddingham a windmill has been built. The reason being that Boddingham is too far from a wide enough waterway to make it viable to take the corn to the Millers Ship mill, the  "Dusty" and wheat production has increased in the last year all across Bodstonia, meaning more than enough work for Both "Dusty" and the new Windmill.

Here we see some of the women folk from Boddingham  as they start a days work at the windmill.
Bags of corn are being taken up the stairs into the mill house and Soon the Sheets will be spread on the sails and flour production will begin.

Farmsteads

Along with the small fishing community of Boddington and the Farming community of Boddingham, there are small Farmsteads that supply to the Needs of Bodstonia, growing crops such as wheat, barley, vegetables, tending small herds of sheep or cattle and keeping orchards.

These have developed thier own style of architecture, a quick and easy one, mainly using planking and beams  supplied by Jeremiah Coleman´s saw mill.

They work together as an open community, sharing Tasks like ploughing, planting and harvest but have thier own individual interests which can be shared among the "Steaders" (more commonly spelt as "Stedders" )

A Farmstead which produces herbs, cabbages and Beans.

Another farmstead which produces goats milk and cheese.

The backyard. Looks like the woodpile is getting added to in preperation for the oncoming winter.

A Farmstead with a bread / Pie oven.

As most farmsteads are within hailing distance (or at least visible to one another) they tend to create shared facilities for common useage, such as Barns and other such storage facilities.
Here they also Keep larger pieces of Equipment such as carts, ploughs etc.

The Tomplot Blenny

The fishing boat "Tomplot Blenny"  which is owned and captained by Brook Lamprey and crewed by his two sons, Morab and Danio.
It´s early in the Morning and father and sons are Setting out onto the great lake for the days work.
Hunting is limited in Bodstonia, not that there isn´t sufficient wild animals, deer and the like to be found but it is deemed appropiate to Limit hunting to a Minimum in order to  cause least friction with the natives,  so fish are an important source of protien to the Bodstonians.

Betta, Brook´s wife waves them off from the shore. Behind her, in the Little hamlet of Boddington, the other fishing and farming folk are only just beginning to  stir from thier beds.

Morab and Danio check the net one more time.

The Miller´s Ship Mill

Owned by Mathias and Mary Miller, the Ship mill "Dusty"
In Bodstonia there are Windmills and stationary water mills, but one of the most successfull of the mills is "Dusty".
The wind may not blow and a windmill won´t turn,  a Change in the water Level can slow down or stop a water mill but "Dusty" can move to where the current is strongest.

Mary, taking a pause from her work, is lulled by the gentle Motion and sounds of the waterwheel and muses, carried away in her thoughts..perhaps to her younger, more carefree days. 

The Burning Dispute (Pt 3 - Talking costs nothing)

It´s now been several days since James and Adahy were last seen and inside the stockade surrounding the fishing town of Boddinton, things are getting tense.
Jeremiah Coleman and Mr Cheeseman are discussing with Company B´s Staff Sergeant, Robert Lambton,  wether to send out a large patrol and if they were to do so, what would be it´s  size and how might that weaken the towns defences.

At this Moment the sentry on the watch tells them a figure can be seen breaking cover from the distant woodline....and it appears to be  a Native!!
Quickly the town is called to full alert, all those capable of carrying and using a fire arm Position themselves along the palisades.
Using his fieldglass, Jeremiah makes the figure out to be one of the missing two men,  Adahy!!
Quickly mr Cheesman and Staff Sergeant, Lambton run down to great him.

Adahy tells them that James is alright but being Held at ransom to force a Meeting. He has been sent to lead representatives of Bodstonia to the  place of this Meeting and that they must follow him now.
Quickly Lambton gathers a handfull of his Company together, accompanied by Jeremiah and Mr Cheesman, the small Group sets off behind Adahy.

The Party follows Adahy into the forest and after an hour they Come into a large Clearing, on the far side of which is a large Party of natives, James in their midst.
Both groups warily approach each other, weapons held at the ready but after both
Adahy and James assure both sides of no harmfull intent from the other fingers are removed from Triggers and shoulders relax.

After a Long talk it is discovered that the attack on the Trappers cabin was carried out by a handfull of Young braves  from one of the   large Family Groups belonging to the Chinqua tribe.

Thier reason? During the last winter the Trappers had killed beaver and left the meat to the wolves.
A headman from another Chinqua Family Group had discussed this  with the Trappers who said they would in future bring any meat to the natives but word of this hadn´t got to the Young braves of the other Family Group. Thier disgust at the waste of the beaver meat turned to rage when one of the braves got his foot caught in a gin trap set by the Trappers.
It wasn´t a serious injury, the trap wasn´t set well, but this was the last straw for them and  Unfortunately they decided to take the law into thier own Hands.

Upon Hearing about the use of a Gin trap, both Mr Cheesman and Jeremiah Coleman shook thier heads  in  desolation...gin traps are specifically forbidden in Bodstonia and the Trappers would have known this to be the case, it is so written in the Terms of thier hunting licence, which they have read and sighned.

After Long discussion it is decided, there has been hurt  and loss on both sides but as These cannot be measured against each other, "Zacks" injured arm against that of the Natives injured leg, the lost beaver meat against the burnt log cabin,  it is considered that all is equal. As no further harm is intended, no-one had lost thier  life,  both parties consider the matter closed.
They part on friendly Terms.

A week or so later.
The Trappers, Rob and "Zack" ,  have had thier hunting licence revoked and for now work in Boddington as fishermen.

Mr Cheeseman, ever keen to learn more,  has, along with Adahy , met again with the headsman of the Chinqua and arranged to visit their Family Group later in the year.

Jeremiah Coleman and the Bodstonian Dragoons  have returned to Bodston.

And James? He has quietly  gone back to Bodston to write up his adventure, add a bit more to his map of Bodstonia and.......for now.......remain the Apple of Symphonies eye



The Burning Dispute (Pt2 - Reasoned preperations)

After the two Trappers have been taken to safety in Boddington, a rider is sent to Bodston with News of the recent Events. A section of Company B from the Bodstonian Fusiliers and a handfull of Folks Militia head out in the direction of the first Group of Militia to lend  assistance.
(photo)
After nearly two days hard ride the Messenger reaches Bodston and quickly a Meeting is Held to decide on the measures that need to be taken.
Present at the Meeting are, Bartholomew Motesfont,  Jeremiah Coleman, Charles Livesy  ( Captain of the Artillery), Rose Tremain, Officer in charge of the  Purple Roses,  Mr Cheeseman, Dr Greyham Watt, Edward Binder and James Forrester.

It is quickly decided that Company A and C of the Bodston Fusiliers, the  Purple Roses and the Artillery would remain withing Bodston.
Notification is immediately sent to all the local Militia to be ready at a moments notice.
Company B would remain at full strength in Boddington and Company D likewise  in Boddingham.
Jeremiah Coleman and Mr Cheeseman would travel at first light the next day with half the Bodstonian Dragoons  to Boddington, the rest of the dragoons would ride to Boddingham. They are also tasked to alerting and gathering any  single homesteads along the way. 

Two dragoons  loading Barrels of Gunpowder to take to Boddington

Further,  James Forrester would leave as soon a possible for Boddington, then he and  Adahy would continue into the woodlands around the area of the incident and as far as possible, without endangering themselves, try to discover the reason for the sudden and, from the Bodstonian side, unprovoked attack.

Symphonie DelaCroix  watches from the outskirts as James rides away towards Boddington. A sense of foreboding fills her heart.

Evening of the next day is falling and James is nearing Boddington. Suddenly as if  placed by a Spirit Hand,  Adahy appears in a clearing. Both men greet each other warmly  and then continue onwards to Boddington, discussing the Situation and exchanging News as they go.  In the town they learn that the Militia and Bodston Fusiliers have returned safely with no further sightings of the natives and no further incidents have been reported.

Early the next day James and Adahy leave Boddington and after two days search,  find the remains of the log cabin. As The day is now late they decide to rest and proceed on thier Task early the next day but.............

..no sooner than they have set off but they are suddenly surrounded by a Group of natives,whose muskets are cocked and aimed at them. Escape is impossible, both men are quickly disarmed, thier Hands tied and they are led further and deeper into the forest.

Was Symphonie´s foreboding justified? Why didn´t Adahy notice the natives before the trap was sprung? The reasons and Wherebys coming soon.....

The Burning Dispute (Pt 1- Cabin Fever)

For near on two days,  natives of the Chinqua* have held "Zack" Butler and Rob Perris under siege in thier log cabin. Exactly why this Event has come about is for both Trappers unclear and as they have virtually no knowledge of  any native languages, it will, for the time being,  remain so.
However, one thing is clear to both men, their Situation is becoming untenable.

The exchanges of gunfire has  depleted thier  powder supply to a few remaining shots. So far, neither side has suffered any casualties although "Zack" has recieved  small wound to his left shoulder. This occured as the very first shot was fired. "Zack" had gone outside early on the morning of the 1st day of the seige to carry out his morning "constitutional" as a musket ball hit him. Luckily for "Zack" it only broke the Skin but it has  impaired his use of that arm..which is now held in a sling.
Also thier water supply is all but gone.... the Close confines of the cabin combined with the summer heat is becoming unbearable for both men.

With no sign of aid arriving, both men decide on a desperate measure.
Over the period of the attack, they have worked out, through seeing them moving and their rate of fire,  that the Natives cannot number more than a handfull. Hoping that this is the case, they decide to make a run for it. Now useless to "Zack" and too much weight to carry but not wanting it to fall into the Hands of the natives, , Rob takes the lock off "Zack´s" Musket , bends the Barrel and smashes the butt. Then taking one last look around thier cabin, they draw breath, nod to each other in a last agreement and then Burst out of the door, both men firing thier weapons  in  order to Keep the Natives heads down.

It works!!! The natives are taken by suprise at this bold move, one or two fire wildly at the emerging figures but all miss thier marks. Both men run into the surrounding Woods, zig-zagging past trees as they go.

The natives watch them go, considering that giving chase would serve no usefull purpose, thier attention now fixes on the cabin. After rummaging through it´s contents and finding nothing much of use apart from some cooking untensils and blankets, they set fire to the Cabin and after making sure the fire will not spread to the surrounding forest..they depart.

Both "Zack" and Rob run as fast as they can but very soon realise they are not being followed so Change to a quick walk. Soon dusk falls and exhausted from the last two days excersions,  they settle in a small hollow. Sure of thier escape and there are no persuers, nonetheless they spend a fitfull night and as the first light of day breaks, they make thier way again. Around midday they are relieved to meet Group of Militia  who are on thier way to investigate the cause of the smoke rising from the forest. 

After hastily telling thier tale of the preceding days Events, both men are then sent back  to Boddington (a large Fishing Hamlet) with two Miltia, the rest of the Group proceed to the Scene of the seige.

Upon arriving they can clearly see the result of the fire. Nightfall is due and thier numbers not great , they decide that to go further and give chase would be a risk, so they turn back towards Boddington.

*So named after the  Dwarf chestnut common in their Region and  which serves an important part of their winter Foods as contains a lot of starch and protein. Cooked and ground to a  powder it  is commonly added to squirrel stew. Also it is used as an astringent and tonic. An infusion of the leaves has been used as an external wash for the feverish condition common to colds and the dried leaves of the Chinqua tree are commonly used (blown onto the Patient by the healers ) to cure headaches, chills, fevers and fever Blisters.
The wood is hard and durable and is sometimes used for posts and fuel.

Picture from "The Compendium of scientific and traditional knowledge of Bodstonia".  by Kind permission of Jeremiah  Cheeseman

"Betties Grace"

Quite a few of the rivers in Bodstonia are quite shallow and wide. Not shallow enough to be forded on horse.  This poses no problems for canoes or rafts but for the larger types of boats,   even ones with shallow keels, These rivers are virtually untraversable.
Not only this but Inland the wind is not regularily strong enough to power craft with sails and boats so equipped have proven quite unrealiable.
To overcome this Problem the Good folk of Bodstonia have built themselves several Horse powered flat bed paddle boats.

They are propelled along thanks to the power provided by two horses. Very Little effort is required  from them as the power from the horse driven turntable is transmitted to the paddles by some clever internal gears.

As the rivers upon which These paddle boats are employed are quite shallow, steering is done by the means of Punting poles, which again, requires Little effort from the punters, the boats being flat bedded in design.

Here we can see one of the Bodstonian paddle-boats, the "Bettie´s Grace" as it ferries a Pair of  hunters back from thier day out..it was successfull, they have a brace of rabbits with them.
Also onboard are  Jedediah and Jonathan Johanssen. Maybe they are going into Bodston town to buy some small bits and pieces.

"Bettie´s Grace" is owned and run by the Edgewell Brothers, Bobby and Billy.
"Bettie´s Grace" is one of the larger Paddle Boats and is capable of carrying a full  Company of the  Bodston Fusiliers and all thier baggage mules.

Bodstonian Fire Brigade

As Bodston slowly grows it was decided that the "Bucket Brigade" (see below) was no longer enough on it´s own so a  decision was made to aquire a fire fighting apparatus, a "fire Engine" of the type made  by a Mr. Ignacious Thomas Burns and build a "station" to house it and other such Equipment such as ladders etc.

Here we see the Opening day of the new "fire Station" which will hold the "fire engine" made by Mr I.T. Burns. The sign, visible along the highstreet, proudly proclaims the B.F.B, the Bodstonian Fire Brigade.

A Suggestion was made to add a small bell Tower which could be used to raise Alarm but this was quickly dismissed as the Oak Bell is only a short distance away.

A small set of Rooms will be added at some Point so the Station will be permanently occupied.

Bodstonians keep a bucket of water near the front door. Why? These buckets are intended for use by the "Bucket Brigade".
The "Bucket Brigade" is not a permanently organised Group but basically the neighbours and any folk capable of delivering assistance in the Event of a fire and  form a human chain, first using the ready filled buckets from nearby front doors and then use the empty buckets to collect water from any Close by source, Pond or well.

Although the buildings within Bodston are built  with fire prevention in mind, for example, a thick dividing wall which reaches above the roofs of  buildings sharing a wall to stop fire spreading along the Roof tops and the spacing between  houses is to be kept clear of anything that might assist or cause a fire, even a small unintended fire is still  considered an extremely dangerous Event and all who can are willing to come to assistance if and when necessary.


To assist in making water readily available to the fire engine and not to rely solely on a goodly number of citizens who could form the "Bucket Brigade", plans were drawn up to lay  clay pipes  from any deep wells which will run along the centre of the roads. These pipes will have access Points at the sides of the roads and  at regular intervals (the Maximum distance between two Points being no more than 50 "Protectors Yards" )
It was deemed necessary to have Access Points on both sides of the street  in the case of an Access Point  may be made innacessable in the event of a fire next to it.
Work has already started on the pipe laying and is expected to last another year, weather permitting, until the Project is complete.

Bookworms

Jeremiah  Cheeseman and Edward Binder have taken a trip  to discuss how  the Bodstonian Fauna and Flora should be included in Jeremiah´s upcoming book on the history of Bodstonia. 
According to rumours it will be quite a tome, covering all aspects of the plants and animals in Bodstonia. Alongside colourplates and drawings it will have descriptions of Where the plants grow, what uses and attributes they have, the   Habits and haunts of the animals. There will also be a section on the traditions and customs of the native Population. 
It´s  titel "The Compendium of scientific and traditional knowledge of Bodstonia".

William Coleman (with the puppy) and Anton Braunstone have come along for the ride.

Chaise

As part of his role as Colonel of the  1st Regiment of foot, the Bodston Fusiliers,  Jeremiah Coleman Surveys Areas of land to familiarise himself with them with a view to any possible Military Actions. In order to do this he uses a light weight one - horse Chaise.
This vehicle is capable of going "off road"  and has the Advantage of being covered, enabling Jeremiah to work in the dry in case of rain and  add notes onto maps

Symphonie´s day out

It´s saturday and Symphonie DelaCroix has decided, quite on the spur of the Moment,  to hire a carriage and  get out of  Bodston town and have a day out in the countryside.
For companionship, apart from the rather gruff Coachman Mr Merriwether, she´s taken Young Johnathan Johanssen along. There´s no School in Bodstonia on saturdays and He´s got a day off from his father´s Farm.


Stopping to take in the view, who should be on his way past but a certain James Forrester.
James, as always the polite Gentleman that he is, raises his tricorn whilst bidding one and all a good day.
Was that a slight blush in Symphonie´s cheeks?
Did James´s smile seem to hold a certain je ne sais quoi  ?
Was Symphonie´s  trip into the countryside as Spontaneous as first seemed?
Where is James going, and why?

One thing´s for sure, niether Mr Merriwether nor Jonathan have noticed anything at all.

Bodstonian "state" coach.

Jeremiah Coleman  has got a new Coach. Well, it doesn´t actually belong to him (although he is rich enough to buy several ) but it is the property of the bodstonian Folk and "loaned" for use to members of the bodstonian council.
When not in use for council duties (not that often as most of the councillors already have thier own) it is used to deliver post to the citizens of Bodstonia who live in outlying homesteads and farms.

If a councillor borrows the Coach,  part of the conditions are delivering any mail along the way, a duty to which None of them are contrary as it brings them in contact with thier fellow citizens.

Here we see Jeremiah on a Country jaunt.
He has stopped to talk to a passing felow bodstonian, maybe he has some mail for him.