One Friday afternoon a primary school teacher friend of mine gave her P7 class a week-end homework project. She asked the children to write a short story describing someone they knew. Monday came and amongst the essays was this little gem. A child wrote: “I know a man called Mr. Knight who owns a bicycle shop. He has black hair and Ever-Ready batteries.”

Fifty years on, Mr. Knight’s hair is now grey, but I am pleased to report that his batteries are still going strong.