Lights Out

Last night I had Jude in the bath all lovely and soapy, Mitch had just come upstairs to grab Jude & wrap him tightly, leaving Milo alone downstairs for a minute until I got downstairs. Then, without warning, we were plunged into complete blackness ('darkness' doesn't cover just how black it was - no light came in from outside at all. Instant cries from Jude and from Milo (on his own downstairs). All I could do was sit down with Jude where I was while Mitch fumbled his way through the unseen obstacle course of toys strewn throughout the house to find Milo, and a torch. Milo had great fun chasing a ball around in candlelight, and had a candlelit bath. The neighbours were quite jovial - I'd never seen the lady next door laugh or joke before last night, she's usually so quiet and shy! And our elderly neighbour Col was worried about eating his dinner in the dark so I gave him some candles. On the doorstep today there were a bag of apples from him as a thank-you. Went across the road in my PJ's to Janets house (the other side of the road had electricity) to warm Milo's bottle of milk and was offered a glass of sparkling wine. Amazing how social everyone became in our mini-disaster. Well except me - as soon as I had dished out candles etc I buggered off to bed grumbling that my electric blanket wouldn't work!

Mitch thought I would have been a nagging housewife from hell in the 1800s - I wouldn't leave a burning candle unattended and wouldn't trust him not to fall asleep with a candle burning. I was in the midst of telling him he'd have to burn tea lights in a bowl of water (just before I disappeared off to bed) when he was saved by the power coming back on.