OK, I wanna know how my new toy works

See, as I understand it, the IR filter blocks out all the visible light. So all the camera can see is stuff in the infra red spectrum - the end of the rainbow. Well, one side of the rainbow maybe.
So the camera is seeing hot bits of the view?
When I saw that somebody on flickr had taken some lovely infra red pictutres with my camera I just went 'Pretty picture...pretty picture...Awk!' And shut one beady eye, put my head on one side and parrot like, reached out with an acquisitive hand and grabbed one (off the internet) .
Now I want to know. What is the camera seeing exactly? Reflected warmth from the sun? (it works best in bright sunlight). Bits of the view that have got hot from the sun? Bits of the view which have saved up heat....er that would be the earth? The sea?
And then other bits appear a bit like a negative?
Well here's yesterday's picture before I made it black and whiteMy problem is I don't know which are the hot bits, white or red. Got to be red surely?
And here's one I took in the woods later.and then played about with it a bitHere's a link to some fabulous Infra red pictures. Unfortunately I lost the one that inspired me.
Oh, here it is.
See he's just started using the filter and his camera is the same as mine. So I ought to be able to get this kind of result.

So if anyone understands how this thing works and can explain it in simple, (and I mean really simple) terms, I'd appreciate it if they would :)

When I had just taken this picture, not having even quite left the car park, I was rudely snapped out of my 'pretty pictures' trance. Small red car swerves noisily into the car park and a young, rough, male voice bellows "OYWR'UUOGHLY'UH'UH'ERM" A very rough translation might be "Oh look theres a fat old bird wiv some camera stuff". "followed by a reply which sounded like "HAHAHAWOOERONGYDIPLLL". "Ha ha ha isn't that funny" perhaps?
I may be quite wrong but the volume and the er, quality, of the voice suggested this kind of interpretation.
Ohhhh dear. I thought. Probably I'd better go away. Um, right past a car full of 'youths'. Right. Well, no. I mean they may have been there to walk a dog or even just to enjoy the sylvan woodland charms. Or they may have been there to take drugs, drink alcohol or steal things from parked cars.
Being neither big, strong, fit or fast and also being burdened with a fragile camera on the end of a tripod which takes whole seconds to dismantle enough to fit in the car, I chose instead to vanish into the woods. I'm quite good at that. And then from a safe distance, further up the road, I phoned Barney and asked him to come and park in the car park while I got in my car and left. (yes, after the handbag theft incident I do take my bag and all my possessions with me when I go into the woods to play).

So when Barney drove past in his big, macho, pickup truck I went and collected my car. Observed the youths, lolling about in their car, nose picking, armpit scratching and making bored faces...not exactly drooling but looking close to a drooling sort of condition. I thought probably they wouldn't have all leapt out, pounced on me and stolen my camera and/or handbag and then jumped up and down on me brandishing nasty weapons. They didn't look as though they had enough vitality for any of that.
But. You read the news. You hear the stories and if you're fifty odd (and also a little bit odd :) you avoid confrontation and feel thoroughly put out.
And also feel a tiny bit of a wuss.
But.....quite a sensible wuss!
Shortly, it being another sunny day, I'm going back to the woods to play :)

On quite another subject, a while ago, I met an old friend/fiddle teacher on the park and ride into Oxford. When I told him I was doing photography more than fiddle these days, he said he's just started up a new string quartet with some other professional musicians. Would I like to come and take some pictures of them? WOULD I??????? Would I just!
And, yesterday, he rang me back (amazing) and set a date! Day after tomorrow! Oooh! I'm so excited!
I wonder how they'd look in infra red.....