Whose feet?

Like most of us, I like to think that I have a reasonable grip on general knowledge. You know, stuff in general. I also like to think used to think that I could explain most of the trivia floating around in my head reasonably clearly and coherently. That was then... this is now.

Picture this. Travelling home from Bendigo after picking up some Claret Ash logs, my boy Tom (5) along for the ride. It was hot, we were both tired and Tom was amusing himself with my tape measure. Anyone who's met Tom, knows this is classic Tom.....

"Dad. Why are there wide numbers on the bottom and close numbers on the top?"

"The bottom is in Inches and top is in Millimetres mate." ( you can see where this is going..right? )

"Like inch worm?"

"Well sort of, inches are what Grandad used to use and we use millimetres."

"Why are they different?"

"Ahhh. Mmmm. Well inches were the smaller increment from feet."

"Whose feet?" What's a feet?"

"It's a foot mate. Not a feet."

"So there's only one of them?"

"Sorry T, a foot is an imperial measurement. Not like your foot. But.... I think it originated from the length of someones foot? Perhaps?"

"Like Star Wars. They have the Imperials."

"Ok, yes they.........No No. Nothing to do with Star Wars. Inches are imperial and Millimetres are metric."

"Is metric new?"

"Yes in a way. But not really. It's a bit confusing. There's 12 inches to a Foot, 3 Feet to a Yard, something like 20 Yards to a Chain. Then there's a Furlong and a Mile." 

"I thought it was a foot not a feet. How big is a "Furwrong" ?"

"I don't know."

"Did you say Chain?

"Yes mate." ( Oh please stop... )

"Is that like a Chain?"

"Do you mean a metal chain?"

"I think so. Is that what you mean too? Like Millie's ( Our Jack Russell ) chain."

"No it's an imperial measurement."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Whose Yard?"

"What? What do you mean whose.... oh, yeah a yard. The best way I can explain a yard is it's very close to a metre."

Long pregnant pause with a perplexed look on Tom's face.

"Dad."

"Yes mate."

"I like the millimetres."

"Yes mate, so do I."