The header picture is the last batch of tomato soup in my mug at work. It’s just a few onions, tinned tomatoes, water, garlic paste and Henderson’s relish. Two tins of chopped tomatoes and two tins of water gave us enough for a meal and for me to have another two days of soup for lunch, with a bit left to go in the meatball sauce.

The next picture down is one of my latest acquisitions pictured in black and white. It didn’t need to be in black & white, but I found a button on my Lumix which allows me to do B&W photography and thought I’d give it a go. I now need a subject suitable for black and white photography. Leafless trees would be good, as would graveyards. And possibly magpies, though that seems a bit like cheating.

The following two pictures are the same thing taken in colour with two different cameras. The background and the lighting were exactly the same, only the camera varies. I have tried explaining this to the owner of the shop numerous times when he compares the colour rendition of my photos to those taken by my work colleague, but he is unable to understand this.

Multiple Sweetheart – Olympus

Multiple Sweetheart – Lumix

As you can see, the two pictures are different in a number of respects. Both are better photographs than anything I can take with the appalling pink thing I have been landed with. Its close focus ability is poor and the focal length of the lens applies a fish eye effect even at a normal distance. It is, I have no doubt, good for party shots, family gatherings and even eBay if you aren’t used to something better.

I’m hoping that the Lumix will give better colour rendition of bright white coins – my Olympus tends to make them look slightly gold, or blue if I try to correct this. The shop camera, which is also a Lumix, gives a truer silver.

The reason for the three badges is that the family has three sons in the services – Royal Artillery, Essex Regiment and Royal Army Ordnance Corps. You don’t see many of these. In fact I only have one other. The Americans did it in a slightly tidier fashion by having badges with stars on, derived from the flags they used to put in their windows.  I have some somewhere but can’t find them to photograph.

Sweetheart Brooches – Swords and Rifles

\This is a group of WW1 sweetheart brooches I bought last week on eBay. They are all on either swords or rifles. I now have twenty five on rifles and ten on swords (which are a lot rarer. One day, as I say about many things, I will write an article on them. I was supposed to be saving money this month, but as they cost me about 50% less than I think they are worth, I consider them an investment. Julia, needless to say, doesn’t.