Picture this…sitting quietly, alone, at the computer. Sweltering hot Saturday afternoon, about 4:30 p.m. Getting in earlier with your blog post than you have all week.
WHAM!!! The power cuts out, followed immediately by a series of intermittent crackling sounds, out on the street.
Computer’s down and work’s not saved.
Walking up the driveway to the road, I noticed, as I have constantly over the last few days, that it is cooler outdoors than inside at the moment.
There wasn’t a single soul in site. And the whole area seemed eerily silent.
About ten minutes later a friend of my daughters, a volunteer fireman, contacted her to let us know that a power pole had fallen over, just up the road and around the corner from our house.
The crackling sounds I had heard must have been the power arcing after the pole fell.
Emma and I took ourselves outside, braving the heat and the steep walk up the hill, to investigate the situation. Never without her iphone, the above photo is compliments of Emma.
As you can see, the pole covered the entry to a street, which just happens to be the only access to our own secluded pocket of houses in the village.
The power pole had been threatening to fall for some time, slanting over gradually further each day, although not regarded as a priority repair job by the local electricity company.
Umm…not a priority, we asked? A man could fit his fist into the centre of the pole, which had been eaten away by termites!
Within feet of this power pole children play, cars are parked, dogs are walked. The hill is a favourite exercise walking routine for a number of locals. The local public school is located just across the road!
Miracles do happen ~ no one was hurt.
At around 5:30 p.m. we were told to expect the power to be cut for at least two to three hours.
By nightfall, with bar-be-que cranked up and a salad prepared by candle light, we were told perhaps it would be another couple of hours.
The night air seemed to become hotter and more dense. Perhaps it was my imagination working overtime, knowing that the electric fans were still! When my family chimed in with complaints, I felt assured that it wasn’t just me complaining. The night felt so hot that I imagined a knife could have cut through the air!
Further investigation at around 10:30 p.m. showed that at least they were getting somewhere. A new pole was in place and the power lines were being reconnected.
Maybe there would be hope for today’s blog post after all, I thought. They just have to connect us back up before midnight….
After dosing off for about an hour on my favourite comfy lounge chair, I took myself off to bed at around 12:30 a.m. this morning.
Wouldn’t you know it, maybe two minutes after my head hit the pillow the power came back on!
Oh well, I couldn’t perform a miracle without electricity and add a post yesterday, although it has supplied me with an unexpected story to share today! 🙂
In My World 