It is also quite timely in that I have been thinking about batteries lately...one of my older brothers made me a crystal set when I was very young on which I would listen to music and voices from afar...without ever really taking the time to find out how it worked...as it had no power source other than the radio waves it picked up. Just one of those magical events of childhood, accepted without question.
I found the research articles very interesting, I might just have to make one myself now, just to get the idea out of my head! I wish the grandsters were a bit closer...they would give me a wonderful excuse to play around...
Last week I was listening to an audiobook of an Andrew Martin story set in the beginning of the twentieth century, wherein the main character, Jim Stringer, railway detective, ruminates on his wife's gift of a new carbide bicycle lamp. That started me on a search to find out how they worked...I think I am grateful for the development of the battery...
Carbide lamps, or acetylene gas lamps, are simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene (C2H2) which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O).[1] Thanks Wikipedia!
Moving on...we have rather a collection of batteries of many different sizes in out store cupboard, (they are one of Tim's little obsessions...he rarely returns from a hardware shop without some batteries to add to his collection). we have battery tea lights, (much safer than the candle variety!), waterproof battery operated lights for adding to containers of water, tiny thread like lights that clip onto a rectangular 9v battery...etc.etc. etc.
So, I had plenty to hand, but how to take an interesting photograph for an inchie? In the end, I decided to simply take a photo of some AA batteries in a little heart shaped tin sitting on a sheet of silver metallic card, then to play a little with the image in Photoshop with filters to see what eventuated...
Sarah's neighbour has more fruit on his trees each year than he can use, and so he often passes some of it over the fence to Sarah. She froze both blood plums and apricots and has kindly shared them with me...they will also be wonderful during the colder months (if we ever get any), for puddings.
At the weekend I also made a single jar (I am the only chutney, pickle and relish eater in the house, apart from tomato relish, which everyone loves), of mango chutney...sweet, fruity, hot and spicy with cumin...heaven!
I think I almost left things a bit late, mangoes season being almost over here in our local green grocers.
Sadly the beach and sea was too crowded for total enjoyment, kids on surfboards, kayaks, tinnies and motor boats out fishing, someone swimming endless laps along the beach, dogs and people all over...I like my beaches empty! Next time I will visit a more remote stretch of this beach.
Di