No Electricity

After a week end of slowly improving weather, today has once more gone back to winter.
 It didn't help by having a planned power cut. This was to lop tree branches so as not to damage overhead power lines. Here we are in 2013 and some of us unfortunate people had to suffer a power cut for almost 7 hours. One thing is certain, Londoners would not put up with this inconvenience. Besides that I have lost 7 hours of solar power. Although it was dreadfully cold, the sun was in general out although most times very hazy. still that seems to be the way it goes for some of us.
 I didn't waste my time though. I decided to clear some of the gunge that collects in the block paving. As I have a very large driveway there is no way I can do this task in a day. To be honest it generally takes me the best part of a week taking it steady.  Incidentally I wore one of the brushes out. They have steel heads which are shaped as to go inbetween the blocks.
 It was bitter out there and being on the east side of my property the biting easterly winds made my eyes run and my hands were frozen. I heard a toot of a horn from a motor and it was the local Farmer inspecting his wheat field, which in all honesty looks as good if not better than any other wheat field I have seen this year.
 While I was cleaning the paving the Postman called. I asked him if he managed to get his potatoes set. He told me he had and also set some broad beans but nothing else as the ground is still cold. I told him at the week end that the weather for this week would start very cold and that biting east wind but should improve just a little by late in the week but would not be warm. He did remark just how cold it was again today.
 Anyway I managed to get about 50% of the block paving cleaned. The trouble was that with the gale force winds blowing, as I scraped the dirt  and  grime out the wind just blew the bits all over the place.
 I decided to finish for the day at 2.00pm. and went in for a drink. Not easy as my cooker which is gas has electricity to work the pilot lights. I also have no gas kettle. Who has these days?. I got a lighter to light the gas and had a saucepan for heating the water so I managed somehow. I guess we don't know how much we rely on electricity. Incidentally I did turn my gas heating up early this morning as I could see that it was going to be a cold day. It was in fact nice and warm in my home when I went in for a drink.
  I hope that this situation will not happen again for a few years, but in all honesty I expect it again if not next year, the year after for certain.
 So instead of generating 10kw. hours of electricity I have managed just over 2 kw. hours. Nothing I can do about it, just put it down to where we are, it is another millstone round people who live in the country.
My mate who came last Thursday told me that my local filling station with a garage was charging 9p a litre than the supermarkets in Skegness but the politicians are not interested in helping those who need the car most with a National Fuel price. 9p a litre is over 40p a gallon more than those who live in Skegness. Scandalous.   More soon.