Mineral awakening

While we were being introduced to Parliament, Rob and I still wandered about finding this and that. One day we were trying to catch trout with out hands, guddling, we called it, when I noticed some silvery flecks on a stone in the river. We hadn't been having any luck with the trout, who didn't seem to understand their role in the business so the silver flecks became the centre of attention.  We collected a few stones with these marvellous flecks and too them home. On the way the silver got a bit less shiny as the stones dried out but I was keen for my Dad to see our 'treasure'. 'It's Mica,'he told us, 'and it is in between the layers of those bits of stone. If you can find a big sheet it is worth something.' In those days, mica was important as it was used for electrical insulation in things like irons and the find started my lifelong fascination with stones and minerals. The boy is father to the man as the saying goes.

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