WTBThe good life. Or at least a honking big generator for the next time we fall off the grid.
From Friday morning till Monday evening we three
were holed up waiting for the lights to come back on.
At first we weren't too worried. We've had lots of power cuts over the years. They never last as long as
that horror show in Scotland late last year. Our previous record was 17 hours: mighty annoying, but the price we pay for living on the fringes of society down here in East Sussex. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
The contents of the fridge lost their appeal. Tinned supplies and cereal became our entire food pyramid. Gustatory boredom rapidly set in.
As the hours started piling on along with robes and coats, annoyance with UK Power Network (no matter how many thousands of faults they had to deal with) turned to worry. What if it got too cold for Chompsky? Rabbits can of course deal with low temps, but if normally kept indoors they need to acclimate. We kept a close eye on on the thermometer, watching as it began its slow slide down the 50s as the sun went down. I read aloud to entertain us.
Estimates for when this would be sorted were inconsistent, with the time/date online not usually matching that given by an operator. The lights flickered to life on a few occasions, the longest for 15 minutes, which was enough to quickly fill a hot water bottle. The internet couldn't decide on 4G, 3G, or
E. Really looking forward to when the landline/ye olde broadband is retired… And the evenings and the mornings were the second and third days.
Phones, laptops, and torches (all usb powered of course) began to finally run out of juice even as the hoppy one
binkied near the long disused fireplace – what do you know, he was enjoying the cool regime! We ordered a bit of new food, and prepared to collect our devices for recharging at a pavilion being manned down the road by a vicar, really not wanting to mingle with other unfortunates even though Covid has just about officially gone away. The vicar was also giving out candles from his "secret stash", our stash only being of the birthday variety.
Finally at hour 79¾, with the car and its dreamy heater beckoning, offer of hotel turned down because of bunny & chain,
the lights came on and stayed on.
Celebrations were in order. We're lucky; others nearby are
still waiting, and may be for another day or two or more. Some are even without fresh water because pumps are out of action.
That's a big help thanksA cheque is due from the power company which is already mostly earmarked for mitigations for future events. The chimney may be getting a sweep. As for generators, a
Jackery is probably in the cards: it can run on solar. The Goods would be pleased.
Updates:
- Leccy briefly went AWOL again. We're not out of the woods yet.
- "probably in the cards" since downgraded to "a possibility."
How soon they forget.
