Yesterday evening I decided to do a couple of loads of washing, and get some more of my paperwork sorted out.

I loaded the machine and took an armfull of folders and loose papers downstairs. The DB was watching TV. I’d only just settled down and started spreading papers across the sofa when the lights and the TV went out. I lit the candles while DB phoned the power cut hotline. We were apparently the first ones to call.

Ten minutes later the power was still out. 

I’d got into the swing of things (and my eyes had adjusted to the half-dark). The DB can’t sit still at the best of times, and with nothing to do but watch me spread chaos he was edgy. He sat it out for another couple of minutes before getting up and playing with the fuse box. The lights flickered and died.

This was repeated a few times to make sure it wasn’t fluke. Then he went out to check on the mains. No luck there either. Back to the fuse box. This time he went through listing every powersucking device on the circuit. He got as far as washing machine and ran upstairs to investigate.

Apparently water had got into one of the sockets on the extension lead and shorted.

That was promptly sorted out and the lights came back on.

DB went back to watching his documentary and I carried on with my filing. I was finished before the washing machine, and had hung everything up before the programme finished.

Paperwork’s certainly easier when you can see, but candles are cosy and fantastic for making things exciting 🙂