Give a little whistle

In my last post, many people suggested that I put cooking implements and such like on the top of my new (old) little stove at my workshop, and Susan Heather told me about her wood-burner which always had a kettle, until her other half put a plastic, electric one on it, because he suffers (I guess from her comment) from Alzheimer's.

It's a very logical thing to do, and is the sort of thing that I have known many people do (first thing in the morning, before coffee) who are not showing any signs of that disease. As I told Susan, I poured a glass of wine into an ashtray on the kitchen table only the other week, and told my other half to take steps to safeguard her future, if I carry on with irrational acts like this - but that's easier suggested than done, eh?

Well, today I experimented with placing a water-filled kettle on the lit stove, and from the above photo, you can see how small the stove actually is - it's a small kettle.

Small it may be, but it is a design classic which would cost about £100 new, before the person who previously owned it had put it on a gas stove, and and not the AGA for which it was designed. Not quite as careless as putting an electric kettle on a wood-burner, but almost as thoughtless.

The designer (I forget who) named this kettle after a cockerel, hence the twin whistle and coxcomb handle, but it has definitely seen better days. Fine for the workshop, though.

Unfortunately, I went home before the water actually boiled, so I think this may be used for washing our hands only, as I for one cannot be bothered to wait 4 hours for a cup of tea.

I think I will revert to an electric kettle, and - God willing - I will not put it on top of the burner in a confused state, though who knows? Bless you, Susan Heather.