Bang!
Flash!
"Mum-meee! Dad-deee!"
And with that ensued a mild panic on my part while I tried to remain calm, keep The Boy happy and safe, find the candles and work out why we had returned to the dark ages.
A power cut? But it's 2011, we don't have things like that anymore!
Apparently we do though. I looked outside the front door & everything was a sea of non-light. It was like Ron Weasley had been along with his de-illuminator. No light pollution and the faint high-pitched wails of burglar alarms protesting and being rendered incapable of doing their jobs.
Meanwhile inside, The Boy was quite enjoying this new game and hubby was in his boy scout element finding torches, plugging in the basic, non-electric phone and feeling all a bit 'me man, protect family'-ish.
Busy, busy, busy. Where are the candles? Who put the matches at the back of the only kitchen drawer which was wedged shut with pens and red Royal Mail elastic bands?
So I heated up The Boy's milk on the gas hob ('that's why we have a dual-fuel cooker' thought I smugly) and hubby took The Boy upstairs to get ready for bed, ably assisted by his super-duper Maglight.
I texted a few people and it transpired the whole of the 40,000 strong town was out. Well now this is serious! I know, I'll ask twitter for advice. Ah, no wireless. But aha, I have 3G! So I duly tweeted, and they ignored me. Pah!
A lovely automated phoneline from SWALEC informed me that it would be 10pm before the power would be back on.10pm?! But that's 3 whole hours away, what will we do? No 'net, no tv, no reading… and no I'm sorry don't even think about suggesting that! No wonder the Victorians had so many children.
"It's like the Blitz," says I to hubby.
He looked at me. You know that look. "Yes darling, but without the aeroplanes and bombing," says he.
He may have a point there, I'll concede that one.
So there I am, putting The Boy to bed in the pitch-black (don't worry, that's normal) when I hear the heating strike back up, the phone blip, the burglar alarms silence and normality return to the world.
Electricity, how I love thee.
What a great post.
It is amazing how much we do take things like electric for granted. I think power cuts give you chance to think about things but don't you think the outside world looks different during a power cut and you get that eerie silence as well
It was really eerie. Looking out of the windows and seeing the absence of light. If just your house had a powercut, you may open the curtains to get some light from the streetlights. But it was just pitch-black. Bit freaky really
I just don't know what I would have done back in the days when there was no electric! At least you got your power back fairly quickly. You don't realise how much you rely on these things until power cuts or burst pipes.
ha ha ha brilliant. its like the blackout! that is so something i would say!
That , wierdly , has happened 3 times since we began our holiday over here. its quite common in spain. But yeah defo wierd in england! Bet it was quite cosy and romantic with all the candles on.. id have hid under the bed! (not from the monsters but from the irish one! lol)
xxx
Also weird in *Wales* my dear! Cosy and romantic? I had an 18 month old who was shouting 'burny' while trying to grab the candles.
just read it again! i am so glad you started this blog. you do make me laugh! its brilliant!
Haha I bet you coped better than I would have! That and the fact our house is a tip and I'd probably have fallen down the stairs! My grandma currently has no electricity atm from the burst water pipe the other day bless her!
I love electric too! <3
god how we miss the hum of the appliances when they stop! Great post!
XxX
I grew up in a 500 year old house candles and fumbling around in the dark is normal! We get black outs where we live now, drives me mad!
Actually you've just reminded me to fish out the candles and other bits from the back of the utility room whilst we can!!! We had a power cut not too long ago but the weather was alot warmer, 16 hours….apparently they don't give a damn if you lose all your freezer foods or milk that you just bought the day before!!!
Glad it came on quickly for you! xx
I was waiting for a £190 Asda delivery! I was panicking about the freezer, while hubby wasn't telling me the heating was off.
It's amazing how stuffed we are now without power isn't it. Last power cut we had I thought 'bugger can't watch tv, never mind I'll go on computer (pre laptop) oh crap can't do that, ok I'll just put radio on…… doh!
I hate power cuts I get really scared. I don't even think we have any matches/lighters/torches in the house. I really must sort this out! The worst experience of a powercut for me was when I was nannying. It was a huge house in the middle of nowhere with electric gates at the entrance to the property & I couldn't get out! But I was scared an axe murderer would find a way in! x
Oh you're like MammyWoo with the axe murderers!
We have regular power cuts herer in the winter – though nt as many as we used to. First thing is to look out the window and down the street, hoping it's not just you and hence, not your problem!
I always used to be terrified of power cuts when I was little and when I lived in Spain a few years ago, our house was always getting them there and the they still scare me as an adult. The thought of the world with no electricity is a very scary one. Thank god for power! x
But it is like the blackout :). I remember having one at our house a year ago and we had to live by laptop light. Till the battery died. That bit wasn't like the blackout. Great post!
I love your Ron Weasley mention 🙂
The last time we had a power cut we were at my OH's parents and we had to get candles out and make tea by the arga with heating the water on it. I actually enjoyed the couple of hours it lasted – peaceful. My OH hated it lol
Great post x
Oh these kind of things are such fun adventures!! I remember once, thanks to an ice storm, we were without power for four days. My Dad, brother, and I rigged up littles for the kitchen using a car battery. Fun albeit a bit random. 😉
During the strikes of 1973 (I think) me, my mum, dad and three brothers would all huddle together to keep warm, gathered around candles for light. Then we'd all go to bed in the same bed to keep warm. I remember it as being an utterly magical adventure. It's stuff like this that sticks in your memory, breaks up the everyday forgettable tedium of normal life. It sounds like there was a panic on for you, but it gave you a buzz, didn't it?
I have been there…
so thankful for husband's who move to action
and so so so thankful for electricity
I would have melted in the heat this past week
if I lived like the amish do. HOOOT!!!
why not doing 'that' I ask? might not be a bad way to spend 3 hours *smiles naughtily* #justsaying