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At 2 minutes past 5 on Monday morning a gust of wind howled through,
sounding like a train roaring up the tracks.
Our bedroom is tucked into the roof and with no loft or lagging
we listened as the slates lifted,
spent a split-second considering their options and then thankfully
dropped back into place.
Then an almighty crash as a tree next to the garden bore the brunt
of the storm and came down
bringing with it our electricity and phone lines.
And so we spent Monday Tuesday and Wednesday
without phone, internet and electricity.
No-one died (except the food in the freezer) so it wasn't
a catastrophe and in a way it did have some advantages.
I was amazed how much more you get done
when you only have daylight hours, because the light
from oil lamps might be romantic but it makes
close work a trial and I now have far greater respect for
those neatly hand-stitched embroideries created in
centuries past.
The Rayburn was a blessing, supplying us with
constant hot water for cuppas, and it even managed
to fill a shallow candlelit bath.
The woodburner burned brightly throughout the evening
keeping us cosy as we sat
"listening-in to the wireless", playing cards and
wondering about the people who lived in our house
before electricity, where they sat, what they talked about. . .
On Wednesday evening BT managed a temporary repair
on the phone line
and after 4 hours working (much of it in the dark) the electricity
linesmen got the power back on- they promised me they wouldn't
leave until we were connected, they were my heroes!
For better or worse, we're back in the Real World!
ps
in the 1990 hurricane our chimney toppled
across the roof, and the house was without
power for 9 days, so all things considered. . .
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