Either dehydrated or it’s the fish :-(

Sunday morning … groggy

Been dozing for hours, awoken finally by the church bells, played pretty poorly, which amuses me. The sun is shining, the town still. Just an occassional voice of a child or a cat’s meow. Through the night there was a procession of boisterous drunks but now the churches open their doors and the children play. Like night and day.

As for the lack of power, sunlight returns to centre stage. We, like our ancestors are thankful of this and determine to use it.

Again I am shocked by how much water we flush away. And there is an art to pouring a bucket down the toilet. If this situation were to be continuing another day I would be changing to the garden disposal (see yesterday).

I am also very aware of the wonderful washing machine. It is idle whilst we have no electricity but it will surely be one of the first things to use again. I am familiar with washing clothes by hand – from childhood – and do not relish it one bit. We’d certainly wear less clothes if hand washing returned! Fashion would be forgotten.

You realise how lazy one becomes with instant power and water. How indifferent you become to the amount used. No wonder the planet’s ecosystems are struggling under our exploitation, no wonder the planet is heating up.

My motto is “leave it a little better than you find it” but I see our actions, the planet over, is “LIAL worse TYFI”. Lots of little actions wasting away our world.

6 billion people potentially doing that and we have a big problem. Don’t we?

I think we have to regain the common sense frugality that has been part of human life – up until recent times. I’d guess up until about 100 years ago, in Europe. Cheap electricity and petrol comes at a cost. But who cares when it pours out of every tap, is there at the flick of a switch?

We who live on these islands already feel the pinch more than most, with high fuel costs, transport and hence the cost of produce. Not to mention storms and rising sea levels, or the loss of the North Atlantic drift. So, if anyone is to change, who better? It is in our own best interest to be more efficient, frugal, independent. In essence, better housekeepers. I’m sure a lot of you already are but I write of my own experience and for the majority. One home. One planet.

This weekend has been invaluable, in raising my awareness. I hope the lessons learnt will not be forgotten so easily. I hope others will try this too.
You have to experience it to really feel it and become aware.

2 days without a few things – no real hardship at all – still so much better off than many on the planet – so no complaints! But a real eye opener.

Back in the electronic world

Monday Morning – fast approaching afternoon.

We have electricity and water again. After two days, three nights cut off.
I can rest from carrying buckets of water.

The following is an honest transcript of my hand written notes made over the weekend. It is the nature of blogs to write what maybe no one wants to read but maybe someone will empathise or learn from our experience. So, I make no apologies for the ramble, that itself is part of life by candle light – time expands.

Saturday morning:
Awaking to no water, no electricity, no phone, no access to money.
What is going on?
Came home last night to a dark house. Power cut. Trod on the cats, found matches and candles, and delighted in the flickering flame and warm light. Lay in bed talking for hours.

(A bad nights sleep – due to noisy drunks at various times passing by the house. Shrieks, shouts and tumbling beer cans).

Morning. Flushed the toilet and noticed no water. R starts to ask lots of questions, a clear increase in anxiety. It being that time of month and sanitary issues. I calm her down explaining we still have water in the hot system, a bucket and a water butt in the garden full of rainwater. It is my problem that the garden is 200m away.

Later in the morning:
Orange juice instead of tea.
The thought of carrying buckets of water – what a lot of effort to just flush the toilet – it would be easier to walk up to the garden and do it there. The idea of an outside toilet becomes preferable, or a dry composting toilet. Especially as sea level rises more. I am reminded that human faeces can be composted like any other animal waste. Urine can be collected and carried up to the compost heap – no smell, no waste, and less hassle. Now regretting eating so much fibre.

Now to figure out fire and heating – to boil water.

Saturday 11am
No shower. No refreshing wake up. Hair a mess.

4.30 pm Saturday
Sat beside coal fire in living room. Chimney needs sweeping.
Have buckets of water in bath ready to flush toilet. Candles and hurricane lantern ready, paraffin topped up. Matches are damp so drying by fire.
Got a gas camping stove from the garden shed and have boiled rain water for washing dishes. Woo hoo. Bottled water to drink. Had first cup of tea mid afternoon – a refreshing Oolong.

I am filled with the urge to do chores, to make things better, to get on top of this new situation. And feel content, knowing have sorted out fire, water, food and shelter. But I keep wanting to tidy and organise, putting things in the right place where they can be found in the dark. It is not fun being lazy. Planning food, what to use first before the fridge is no more (it is now 20 hours since the power went out). There is a strong feeling of calm and control.

I am off to the shop for water – luckily have a £20 note – but need to be frugal as everything counts. The weather is misty and cool, the sun gradually poking through. We are very aware of sound, the crack of the fire, the ferry engine, a passing car, the scratch of my pen on paper – and my stomache rumbling!

Power Off

This will be the last post for a while.

The power is about to be turned off – so all diary notes will be written in long hand and typed up after the weekend experiment.

The time is 6.30pm on Firday. We are heading off out for the evening, so I will switch all off before we go.

1) Turning off electricity, water mains, mobile and phone

2) No use of credit / debit cards and no withdrawing money

Just got to make do with whatever we got.

(Power will be back on Monday morning, when we awake).

🙂