Thank goodness that's over.

[tjwmason]

So I was dozing in bed this morning when the radio suddenly went off - it switches off on the timer shortly after midday so I thought I had over-slept by a long way. But then I saw that the display had gone blank...it was a damn power-cut.

I called the electricity company (using my mobile, the house 'phones being cordless don't work), and was told that it was going to be a couple of hours before they'd know any more - but a technician was on the way.

This being about 9 a.m. on a Saturday I went back to bed...

Shower won't work, radio won't work, internets won't work.

But then I realised that the stove is gas, and I make coffee in a stove-top machine thingy. Only to get to the kitchen before realising that the grinder is electric - quarter of an hour of attacking coffee-beans with a pestle and mortar resulted in the most weak insipid coffee. :evilfrown:

Then my M.P.3 battery was flat, normally not a problem - but nothing to recharge it :grr: But managed to get some music playing through the crappy speakers on my laptop.

But now power has been restored - decent strength coffee is made, and communication has been restored with the rest of the world. Once I've drunk this, off to the shower and I'll almost feel like a human again.

[billyskank]

1. Poor mason

:hug:

So in future you will make sure you always have some pre-ground coffee in the house, yes? ;)

A cafetiere is a very useful thing to have also, being a device extremely simple and not dependent on any kind of power.

:hi:

[Spacemom]

2. Declare this a mental health day

and go back to bed. :D

[hippywife]

3. Your shower doesn't work

when you have no electricity? Really?

Glad your world is back to normal. :hi:

[Bunny]

4. I was thinking that too. Maybe the water heater is electric?

Glad things are back to normal, Mason.

[sarge43]

5. Water pump, hippywife

Your own or the company's. Something has to push/pull that water from there to here.

[billyskank]

9. No, probably an electric shower

I guess you don't have those. They run off the cold water supply, and heat the water with an internal heater element.

[sarge43]

10. We have one those.

They're great except when the power's off.

[tjwmason]

11. No - it runs off the hot water

but has a pump to get a decent pressure.

[billyskank]

12. Oh, a power shower

Verrrry posh. :D

[tjwmason]

13. And very wicked

apropos the environment too. Naughty naughty T.J.

[hippywife]

17. Ah, I see!

I wondered since even if the water heaters here are electic, there's usually enough hot water in the tank to get a shower or so out of them.

[alarimer]

6. I have that problem too

My apartment has an on-demand water heater, which of course only works when there is electricity.

[sarge43]

7. We're country folks with our own well, so when some squirrel

committs suicide via transformer, no water - which is why we popped for a generator.

[trof]

8. trof's Tip-O'-The-Day: Keep ONE hardwired phone.

We went all cordless a while back, but still have one corded phone for just such situations.
I know, EVERYBODY has a celphone now, but anyway...
:-)

[Haole Girl]

14. It's amazing to think about how people lived before electricity...

...isn't it? I'm glad I didn't live back then! ;-)

[tjwmason]

19. What struck me was our reliance.

Because we're so used to a constant supply we think nothing of building in electricity use. If an activity has 5 steps, 4 of them can easily be done without electricity - but if just one uses it then we can't do it.

I'm glad that my life is made much easier by electricity - but I think that having it then losing it is very different from not having it in the first place.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

15. dang.

thats one of those morning where we should have just held each other till 1 pm or so ;)

[tjwmason]

18. I wouldn't need a power-cut to take that option.

;)

Good to see you around - how are things? :hug:

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. Ooooh, I hate when that happens! During the "Great East Coast

Blackout" I thought I was going to die by day 3. Boiling water and then running it through the coffee in the filter made for some very angry, caffeine deprived Grumpys.

I'm glad all is well. :hug:

[xchrom]

20. what way to start the day!

i would have had to go out for coffee -- i can't be out of bed too long without.

just can't do it.

you are a better soul than i.