Power Cut




Last night there was a power cut.

The electricity had been playing up somewhat all day, and amid the stiff gales of dusk, something must have snapped and the houses of our lane was plunged into darkness.
Yes it has been all rather dramatic.
At first, we did what all Brits do in a crisis, we ambled around to each others houses and grumbled a bit, but after neighbour Mike ( who had the only working land line) had complained to the authorities, we all shuffled off to our respective abodes in order to light candles and stoke up the fires.
It was all remarkably good natured.
I grabbed a flask and popped to animal helper Pat's house up on the main road, in order to use her kettle. I had a few coconut macaroons hidden away, so the prospect of coffee and biscuits by candlelight seemed all rather civilised , and after a short bout of organisation, the dogs and I settled down to a pleasant old fashioned and gadget free evening.
The book I chose to read was 'Summer Crossing' by Truman Capote, which is his 'lost novel'. I am enjoying it too, even though, last night, I ended up listening to the sounds of the wind around the gable end  rather more than i was concentrating on the antics of his heroine Grady McNeil.
It's funny what you notice when you are not listening to music, watching TV or reading some blog or other.
I heard the wind howling across the field, the strange cries of a romancing vixen down the felin and above all the steady sleepy breathing rhythm of three dogs and a cat who were all laid out in front of the fire in the candlelight.
All in all, it was an incredibly peaceful evening.

And thereby lies a lesson to us all.........

62 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:50 am

    It sounds absolutely lovely.

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    1. It was.. But then I didn't NEED to use the phone to call for help

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  2. I rather enjoy power cuts and like the ambience of the flickering candle and the howling of the winds. Although, resetting all the appliances that are then flashing 12:00 aint much fun.

    I appreciate those moments of the gathering of community spirit and listening to the cries of a fox, very much like the sound of a newborn child.

    Nice one, friend and peaceful thoughts, your way.

    Gary

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    1. It DID remind me of those power cuts we had in the 70s

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  3. It's like a trip to the 1800's for a bit. Nice place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there!

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  4. When we get power cuts here we are on the end of the line and I never fail to be grateful for men from the electricity board who come out to make sure we are O.K.
    They...locals...know my husband cannot move if he cannot see.

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    1. The power workers were hard working courteous and finished their work when they said they would, which was good of them

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  5. I rather enjoy the pioneer spirit of power cuts..the reading of books by candlelight ,the howl of a wolf in the distance...but tripping over a cat in the dark and not being able to flush the toilet brings me back to reality.
    Jane x

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    1. You have an electric flush on your toilet?

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    2. She's probably got a well with an electric pump. We had one when I was growing up, and every time the power went out, my bladder instantly sent up "must pee now" signals.

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  6. Did I not see a lovely copper kettle sitting on your fireplace in the last post?

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    1. It is..
      I bought it for. 5£ from a junk shop in sheffield

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  7. Short-term power outages are quite pleasant. A fire in the fireplace, candles flickering, a camp lantern glowing. But I grow weary of cooking meals on a camp stove pretty quickly.

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    1. I had a KFC but don't tell anyone x

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    2. Ain't nobody here but us chickens...

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  8. Yup. It's good to decompress, so to speak, every so often.
    Hope the carpet cleaning went well. Have a good week! ♥

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  9. A power cut is the best excuse to visit the pub; community spirit suddenly bursts forth.

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  10. I keep a stock of home made candles in just in case. It's no problem not being able to cook for a while, nothing wrong with cold food to tide you over i.e. sandwiches, but if you don't have a woodburner or open fireplace, the cold can be miserable.

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  11. You had the 'perfect' power cut. Enough to appreciate listening to the wind and candlelight, but not so long as to suffer withdrawal ... Welcome back to modernity!

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  12. My brothers & I used to love the power cuts in the 70's - playing murder in the dark & having torches. Mum & dad listened to the battery radio with oil filled heater to keep warm & camping gas lamp.... probably a camping cooker too - Brill !

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    1. I remember them too..... Putting duvets and blankets around the tropical fishtanks to keep the fish going!

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  13. I do have to be forced, screaming from the telly, so it would do me a lot of good. I used to love them in the '70's too. I must look out 'Summer Crossing'. Never read it but I do love Truman Capote.

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  14. So now you are interested in candlesticks at last. I used to love the power-cuts of the early 1960s - suddenly you understand that when the power is on, you are surrounded by a Faraday Cage of voltage, which somehow puts you on edge.

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  15. Awww. How lovely. But what is a felin? According to Mr Google it is Polish for village but am not aware of your Polish background.

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    1. Felin is the welsh word for Mill.
      Down our lane is located an old water mill.... That's where the fox was lurking

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    2. 'Felon' is the Welsh word for John.

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  16. We don't have a TV here, and will never have. But we do have computers, and we are on them for hours either working or browsing the Internet, and these we would not do without. I am glad that we don't have laptops or ipads though as I think we would be diverted away from all that is peaceful here, I think that laptops and ipads would become like a TV flickering away in the corner of the room, so no, we shall stick to sitting up at a desk!
    I remember those powercuts, the strongest memory being of having to heat a baby's bottle up in front of the gas fire!

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  17. I have a power cut here every night when I switch the generator off.

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  18. We had a power cut on Christmas Eve a few years ago. We all sat around the table by candlelight and told spooky tales. My kids remember it as one of their best Christmas Eves ever.

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  19. Maybe we should have a compulsory power cut once a week. It would a) help the environment b) remind us of something we take for granted c)reduce our power bills d) drag us away from the tv and e) get us to talk to our neighbours more!

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    1. Funny I was thinking that myself....
      Also I think that street lights should go off after say midnight....

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  20. Do you remember the power cuts we used to get when we were kids? They seemed to happen all the time. We had a power cut here about 8 weeks ago...I snuggled up in bed and read my book by torchlight - made me feel about 10 years old and I half expected to hear my Mums voice telling me to switch the torch off and go to sleep! Was almost tempted to read under the covers LOL

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    1. KKWF
      Yes I do, very well.... Like I said above... I recall putting blankets and duvets around the tropical fishtanks in order to keep the fish warm

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  21. I enjoy power cuts, though they are rare these days. I like the new text size for us "over 50's", nice x

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    1. I wouldn't like them everyday though bugger!

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  22. Peaceful....and to know this is the norm for so much of the world's population.

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  23. You make it sound so wonderful I might pull the fuses out tonight!

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    1. If it was over say eight hours I think I would have gone slightly stir crazy though!

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  24. Several years ago, we had a massive ice storm that brought area wide power outages that lasted for several days. This is a rural area where most homes get their water through electric-driven wellpumps. No power - no water. No water, no toilet flushing, no boiling water for tea/coffee/dinner, no clean clothes. It was an interesting study in human relations to say the least. The first two days, it was neighbour helping neighbour. Those with generators hosted pj parties, etc. Then the pipes started freezing, the fresh food was running low, the kids were going stir-crazy and cars were running out of petrol. By the fifth day, the "everyman for himself" mentality kicked it. Good job power was restored to all by the end of the week.

    Yes, you had the perfect length power outage, John!

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  25. We had a power cut last week when there was a fault in the nearby transformer. It was a lovely day so I sat on the porch and enjoyed the sunshine. The guy who did the repair came down and checked that my power was back on. All quite civilized.

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  26. Less romantic if you can't pay the lecky bill! Still, you could always burn the book for fuel John (after you've read it of course).

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    1. Do you have power cuts in Africa Chris?

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  27. Candlelight, for short times only, can be really relaxing and lovely...but not being able to boil a kettle would drive me mad.

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    1. That's why pat the animal helper was on hand with a flask of hot water

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  28. My friends Kay and Sime (justhumansbeing) do this every Sunday, they have a no-technology day and even cook on their wood-stove top.
    You reminded me what I loved about being in the caravan.

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  29. That happens a lot here. I love the total absence of electrical supplied noise! It's quite enjoyable to listen to the wind or the rain.

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  30. Haven't a power cut here for a while. Last one we had must have been when I was home with my leg in plaster. I lit as many candle lanterns as I could find, lit the gas stove using the same wax taper I had used for the lanterns and curled up under the duvet with a book in my hands and a cat against my good foot. The power had been on for a good hour before I noticed.

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    1. I did that last night and felt a fool when I went to the toilet and all the pits were on downstairs

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  31. Well, alas, it is the beginning of February here in Oklahoma USA and 70 degrees w a slight breeze. I would so love to experience a cozy evening such as the one you experienced but it will have to wait for another time.

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    1. Hop on a plane and I'll save you a macaroon

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  32. I guess most emergencies can be weathered with an ample stash of coconut macaroons....

    Yes, a day or two without technology can be very refreshing and relaxing. Makes you realise the innocent pleasure of being a cat or a dog.

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  33. That is so true..... I will bake some more and send you a few

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  34. Candles in JAM JARS?.....I'm disappointed.....Liberace must be spinning in his grave......

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  35. Blame Beyoncé... everyone else is. Lol

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  36. A good book, good hot tea, and a tin of biscuits sound very nice on a stormy dark night.

    Here is California, our power goes off in the middle of a stinking hot summer, when it is 90+ deg. F. I prefer your outage.

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  37. The only time we lose power at my house is when someone runs his car into the light pole. Now that hipster bars and young people on foot and bikes have replaced the old taverns, we're doomed to chronic electricity.

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