Who you calling black?

Today I cleaned up these two items from a high shelf in our kitchen where they were gathering dust. Each has a story to tell:
The miner’s lamp was given to my mother by a miner friend after he retired. from the local colliery. I grew up in a mining community where practically all men were miners. The mine is long closed, a victim of Margaret Thatcher and all that remains as a reminder of the community’s past is the retained pit head, winding gear and an attractive park where once stood a dominant slag heap.
The copper kettle is an heirloom from Mrs GM’s side of the family having been passed down through several generations.