There are fewer people here right now, so I take the opportunity to teach the new ones to make a set of lead-acid batteries, 3 cells each. I really need to get the new cells that are ordered, and asked Iselin to order 50 more when they order other things. If we are going to start using electric welders, arc lights etc, we will need lots of battery cells. Plus there are also batteries for the handheld modular headlights. But the new ones also get to do maintenance on the mansion's battery cells, check water levels and more. They learn how to look after lead-acid batteries and how they work, and how to handle them carefully and safely because of the acid. I've already shown them all what the acid can do to pieces of cloth and meat, and they wear leather gloves when handling acid jars or lead. This is not the first time they've seen batteries and had to do some maintenance, but repetition is good so the knowledge sticks in their heads. We even concentrate the acid a bit because it needed doing, and check the density as we go.

I really need to make more eye protection for work like this. I could cast glass around a mould with edges, anneal, polish the glass in front of the eyes, temper, and make a leather strap to hold against the face. Not optimal because no one has the same head and nose shape and glass is hard compared to the plastics in most such eye protection. So it will look very steampunk. The important thing is really to protect eyes from splashes and such, but the face should also be protected. I could make a simple full face mask in leather with a rectangular piece of glass as a front, or shaped as a simple protective masks for paintball and airsoft without the finer details. Maybe moulded in papier-mâché instead of hardened leather?

The weather is good and not too cold, so I take the electrical students out on the wings roof so they can do maintenance on the wind turbine, and learn what not to do and safety procedures. Of course we have safety harnesses that Ciara and Caecilia sewed in leather, but that design is not optimal with a long skirt and straps between the legs, but they have to live with it. It's cold for them though, so in future they will use trousers for that and they probably regret not taking the bodyguards offer to borrow some, but they declined as they wanted to keep their mansion dresses on, and they do have knitted knee length socks underneath, so I let them. Experience is a good teacher. But it was a bit of fun to watch them hook themselves onto the safety line outside the attic window with a carabiner and step out onto the work platform. They've never done stuff like this before, and the mansion is quite high up on a cliff.

They are so very excited when they come in - and a bit cold - so they get a long break, and I tell them to take a hot bath or shower, they have earned it, especially Frida who even though she was so scared of heights did the work I asked her to do as best she could. The wind turbine has also been given a good going over, greased and cleaned of dirt, some leaves etc. Next time we will need to replace the shaft, and probably replace the whole wind turbine with a better and more powerful one. The machines I now have will make a big difference in how well a new one will be, and more power will be needed.

They get a new task and that is to make their own leather harnesses. The bodyguards can show how the climbing rigs are made, and I will give them leather, and they get to go to Olafr and ask him and other metal workers to make lots of metal rings etc. In the future their life might hang on the harness they make, so make sure to do a good job, and I warned them that we will try winching them up at some point in their harnesses, so I don't doubt that Frida will make hers as safe as she can. She loves that I made safety equipment for work at height, and added the roof work platforms.

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Since we're working on stuff, and the work on the dormer windows in the main building's attic should be done today and that is good cover, we install Thrymheim's new exterior clock face and the siren in the crawl space above my bedroom. The siren is not pretty, but the main design problem is that I don't want it electrically powered or outdoors, and there needs to be room for its falling weight, so the compromise is to install it in the corner attic space above my bedroom, facing the strait and harbour between the islands, and install the weight mechanism in the same attic space. The storage room is basically not used anyway, and there is just a discrete hatch out to the antenna pole. The siren doesn't rotate so to make a sound that changes tone, its air intake has a damper that slowly rotates between open or closed so it makes a similar sound. Jane complained about the steam whistle, but I will definitely get a rude awakening if the siren goes off at night, but there are limited options as I want the siren hidden and project sound towards the east. However, this rather compact installation with low drop height for the weights means that it can only be triggered once, but once is better than none. This siren will also be tested every other Saturday at 1400 o'clock together with the village's, and should be heard well in the harbour and the strait, and it is very high above the surrounding nature and tree tops. With an additional siren in Large Ackerek's clock tower, the islands will have acceptable siren coverage. The sirens are another one of my paranoia fueled projects that I hope we never actually need, but nobody complains if I'm a bit paranoid-worried about safety and protection.

Engdrid takes pride in his craftsmanship as he delivers the 'artillery mount' for the bronze cannon, and since now is not the time for testing it, we store it in the basement with all the furniture for the Academy and the houses. It is a completely different design than the cannon has now. This cannon mount has fold down adjustable outriggers, much like the German flak 88mm and can rotate 360 degrees, but it is smaller with design elements I think I borrowed from a Bofors 40mm. It will be interesting to test how useful the mount is for more fixed defences, or aboard a ship that needs more and faster movement. In any case, the mount has more adjustment and control, as well as built-in accurate plumb bobs to level and then work out the angles, to increases the chance of hitting something at long range when the gun is stationary. Figuring out the maths and making gunnery tables will suck though, especially if the gun can't be levelled accurately enough, thus the mount have good adjustments.

But now it is time to go down to the range and try out the air revolver. Ciara and Alith have obviously worked out what it is I've built, and they're keen to try it out. Alith really wants to be able to carry around a compact firearm during normal bodyguard duty, and wants me to carry one too, which Ciara agree with. I would prefer that all bodyguards, myself and sambos have compact firearms available.

Ciara cuddles up against me and makes a contentedly satisfied sound. Which I like to hear, because I love my cuddly fanatic. But I won't repeat my mistake with prying whether Ciara wishes to become a wife in the future. Last time made it clear what Ciara wants for her future, and I won't forget Ciara's hurt look and matter-of-fact reminder that we have an agreement, and that I have promised that she will be my concubine forever. But Ciara is looking forward to Kari becoming my wife, because then Ciara will be my only real concubine again. Ciara has completely adopted the attitude that Jane has, that Jane is my mistress and girlfriend and is only a concubine before the law. But if I were to marry Jane in the future, Ciara said that would be great because then both she and Jane would have their wishes fulfilled. So I guess Jane has thought about it and told Ciara or someone. So maybe I should propose to Jane a month or so after I marry Kari, with the wedding in June? That gives us at least three months to see how we feel about each other before the proposal.

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