I saw this sign today whilst out walking with Linda, Colin and the dogs. Years ago, I'm sure these signs read "Danger. High Voltage". That's all it needed. We all learned from an early age that electricity was dangerous. My way of learning, aged 8, was to attach one end of a wire pipe cleaner into a 240v plug. While holding the other end to the contacts of a 1.5v torch bulb, I plugged it in, and, in the expectation of bulb lighting up, flicked the switch. BANG! A huge blue flash lit up the kitchen. I fell off the kitchen stool in surprise. The twisted wires in the pipe cleaner had shorted, melted, thus breaking the connection, just before the current had reached me! Dad, who had been unaware of what I was doing, came rushing into the room. He saw me clearly unhurt, but white faced with terror, half the evidence of my failed experiment still in my now shaking hand. The other half still plugged in to the mains. The melted ends of the wires still smouldering. "I don't think I need to add anything to that" he said. "You've learned that lesson". He was right. I learned. I still remember it very clearly. These days, you can't even buy an electrical product without a pre-fitted plug. We as a nation are not to be trusted with electricity. And clearly, we now need to be told - Danger of Death, complete with a little illustration of, in case you're curious, the from that your untimely death might take. Nanny state indeed!

A year ago today: My PotD 11th April 2003