The snail

Now that the evenings are drawing in, the opportunities to take daylight photos are fewer so I might be reduced to a rather boring clock parts series. It at least gives me chance to play with the macro lens.  This is the snail from a nineteenth century French striking movement.  A rack lever falls onto the pictured snail each hour.  As the snail spiral contracts the more the lever can fall allowing more strikes on the bell. Now you know!
In other news, I finally resolved the issue at the hospital and the discharge has been delayed by a day.