Thursday, March 13

Thankful for electricity and the lack of it

Thankful Thursday with APL Wednesday morning saw me waking up slightly after one thirty to discover there was no electricity. Thankfully it wasn't the hottest of nights and nor is it the most uncommon event at this time of year so I didn't think much of it and rolled right back over and went to sleep. 

Before long the children had woken up and felt the need to let me know there was no power. Not something I was particularly thankful for, but what can you do? After a few rounds of musical beds we finally decided on the coolest room and settled down for the rest of the night. 

When morning finally dawned we were still without electricity. Only it wasn't just our little suburb, it was the entire city and stretched for nearly 400km. Again not something to be overly thankful for. At least not on the surface. 
image thanks to the NT News Facebook page

By the time it became clear that the power would not becoming on any time soon and schools were closed for the day I was starting to feel a little thankful. I was even more thankful for the fact we have a gas cooker and were still able to heat up water for some coffee. Something my mother was also thankful for as her house is all electric.

Since mum was over so bright and early in the morning, she decided to tackle the disaster zone that is (or at least was) my house. As thankful as I am to have the opportunity for full time hours (and pay) for two weeks, even after two days it is evident the housework is not coping with my absence. I was supremely thankful for mum being a driving force is sorting out some of the mess.

Mind you I would have been even more thankful if we could have tackled some of the washing as well, but as I seem to be saying a lot lately, you can't win 'em all.

As the day wore on I found myself becoming thankful for a fridge with great seals and the ability to remain cool, even without electricity. Same goes for the freezer. Other crazy little things I found my self thankful for included a second battery in the car meaning I could safely charge and use my phone and keep abreast of all the news. Thankfully the news services here did a fantastic job of keeping Facebook updated with all that was going on.

While some suburbs had their power restored as early as 9.30, thankfully where I live was not one of them. I say thankfully because if I had of been I would have had to go to work and I was quickly become accustomed to the idea of a day off. Despite that meaning I would not get paid.

By the time power was restored at home it was nearly one o'clock, making it nearly twelve whole hours without electricity. Work had been turned on a little earlier so off I went. Thankfully, Mr Awesome, who had been at work all morning, was now home and able to hang in the clean house with the girls.

As much as I was settling into the whole having a day off thing I was also quite thankful to escape for a few hours. After a night of little sleep and a morning of cleaning and no electricity the girls were all a bit grouchy so it was nice not to deal with them for the afternoon.

Thankfully for the time being at least it appears as if the problem has been fixed. Even more to be thankful for is that it was only twelve hours that we had to make do without power. It was a great chance for the girls to realise just how lucky we are to have the wonders of electricity. Something that for the most part I think we all take for granted.

What about you? What are you thankful for today?




 photo fwbksignature_zps702ebc7d.jpg

22 comments:

  1. Wow that sounded like quite a mission, why did it go out?? Quite a big deal for a lot of businesses I bet. Glad you managed to find the good side. I would LOVE the power to go off, just to have a break from noise, and work, no computer means I can't work!!! :)

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    1. Yep quite an expensive exercise I think for lots of people. Especially the government as they are the ones responsible for electricity here

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  2. I don;t think I could have been thankful for no power - I really do depend on it way more than I should! Thanks for hosting - I'm pleased I could finally join in again!

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    1. Thanks for joining in. I rely on it a lot as well but since I could make coffees and charge my phone all felt quite right with the world

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  3. We had a lot of blackouts as a child, I actually loved switching off! I don't mind power shortages anymore, happy to light all the candles and go to bed early.

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    1. Yes there is something nice about getting back to basics. I have always felt that we take electricity for granted so don't mind going without it sometimes to remember how fortunate we are.

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  4. Oh no!! My kids would have been besides themsleves lol with no power!!
    Pleased it was only a short time and not a day or two or more!!

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    1. Yes very true that it could have been worse if it were much longer.

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  5. Hate it when the power goes out, we keep candles on hand. Have a few power cuts when the rain hits the dust on top of the power poles (WA). xx

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    1. We don't do candles so much anymore. Though the black outs at night at that common any more. Years ago as a kid there were a lot more at night

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  6. Most of my family and a lot of friends are in Darwin so I have heard all about this power outage. It is covering my Facebook feed!! It has caused a lot of anxiety and worry and annoyance for so many people. You are wonderful that you can see a silver lining, xS

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    1. I was amazed at all the annoyance it caused. I really didn't see the annoying part at all. In fact I was more annoyed when it came back on!

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  7. Its amazing how much we rely on these things hey!!??!! So glad you were able to see positives in what I imagine was a hot, sticky mess :) xx

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    1. We are lucky to have a pool to jump in when we got to hot and sticky!

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  8. Its amazing how much we rely on these things hey!!??!! So glad you were able to see positives in what I imagine was a hot, sticky mess :) xx

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  9. I could deal with a powercut in winter I reckon, but being hot would make me grumpy as! Kudos to you for finding the silver lining xx

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    1. Thankfully it wasn't a too hot a day Emma

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  10. Oh I heard about that on the radio. I actually love it when we lose power in storms, it's a good excuse to get down to the basics.

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    1. Yes I gathered it was wide spread news as I got quite a few calls from people down south to see how I was coping

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  11. I heard about the power outage up your way on the news and I immediately thought of you! Glad you were able to see the *bright* side and have a nice day. ;)

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  12. Your patience and self-possession in the face of no power for hours is humbling! The thought of not putting on the kettle for tea leaves me very tense. It's good to be mindful and thankful for our mod-cons and not take them for granted (as I do) :)

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