Fuddland

I’ve given up trying to watch the DVD I intended to screen this evening due to a temperamental electricity supply: three or four times tonight, the lights have dimmed, the microwave clock has reset and my PC has switched itself off. After convincing myself it was my PC shorting the whole house somehow, I did the sensible thing and rang the local electricity distributors: they’ve had other reports of the same kind of problem in the area and are investigating. I’m typing this in the full knowledge that everything will fail again and I’ll lose the entire entry. Still, I’ve got my contingency plan all ready: two torches, a bunch of candles and a box of matches are all laid out on the table.

Growing up, power-cuts were a regular occurrence, especially during the winter [I think our local supply was based at the bottom of a hill and prone to flooding], and everyone on our side of the street got quite used to having no power for several hours at a time. Of course I wasn’t anywhere near so dependent on electricity back then — we had an open fire and a gas cooker, and a healthy stock of boardgames. One thing I never quite understood was why the telephones always continued to work — it seemed strange to me that they should use a completely different source for their power. When things go down these days, it’s quite a different story, as Manly noted earlier on today.

I worked for Greenpeace in Canada during my year out before my first degree, and we regularly had No Electricity Parties in the office after work. All very hippy-ish, I know, but good fun nonetheless: people brought acoustic instruments [I even gave an extremely rare public performance on my guitar], we lit the entire place with candles, got in a few crates of beer and sat around chatting. This evening’s troubles have made me strangely nostalgic for those times and the power-cuts of my youth, thinking back to candlelit games of Mastermind with my brother and the wave of relief when the video recorder’s clock blinked back to life before the food in the freezer ruined.

With that, I’m switching off for the night.

#1

Gordon | 2004 / 11 / 09 – 10:52

That’s not a bad idea that - No Electricity Party. I remember those nights as a youngster when you realised exactly what pitch dark really means.

#2

Jann | 2004 / 11 / 09 – 11:15

What’s with the moustachioed dude and the scantily-clad chick on the box though, eh?

Jeez, nostalgic musings on nostalgic musings…whatever next…

#3

David | 2004 / 11 / 09 – 11:38

Re #1: So you were locked in the airing cupboard when you were naughty too? ;)

Re #2: Took me a second to figure out what you meant, but now that you mention it, the picture on the Mastermind box was slightly odd. It seems to imply that if you pursue intellectual diversions, scantily-clad ladies will appear at your side, which is not the case thus far. [My moustache is coming on a treat though…]

#4

David | 2004 / 11 / 09 – 18:29

Further to #3: As you can see at Games2Collect.com, our memories seem to have removed some clothing from the lady over the years — not so much “scantily clad” as “wearing a nightie”.

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