Dear LPG readers, 

In these days when the power hardly ever goes out at home, I have no doubt that most people under the age of thirty might have never found themselves living, no matter how briefly, without all the power-driven amenities that we take for granted these days.  I know that they happen all over the world, and in parts of the UK when there is a storm or a flood, but they are few and far between for those of us who live in London.  Do you remember the days when it was not unusual to find yourself in darkness because of an electricity outage?  

The 20th century was a time when electricity went out a lot more often than now.   Most people under the age of forty have never received one, but I remember the days when you would get a little postcard through the door giving a couple of days’ notice of a planned power cut.  In those days, they really did not last too long; perhaps a couple of hours while some work was in progress on the power cables.   

Anyone over the age of fifty will also remember the coal miners strikes and the ‘three-day week’ way of life that we all got used to in the mid-1970s.  They left us with bills that shot up a bit, but not as drastically as they have during the past couple of years.  We were also a lot more used to the gas and water supplies being cut from time to time and it was just a part of life.   

I am not saying that it never happens these days, and I can remember one planned outage this century so far, but in a world when it hardly ever happens anymore, I wonder how many readers would be able to find another source of light if it all happened tonight?  Would you know where to find a candle or a torch if it happened right now?   

I know where I would find my torch but I can’t remember the last time I checked the batteries in it and I have lots of candles, but they are designed to aid your sense of smell rather than sight these days. 

I have to admit that candles are my go to present for my many friends who have everything they need, but it occurred to me that we should all be reminded of the importance of having a few designed to give off a bit of light, as well as those that you use to freshen the air. 

Given recent history, it is highly unlikely that it would ever happen but I found some interesting online information worth taking a look at just in case the unlikely surprises us.  


GA, Bromley. 

 

GA has found some online information that it might help to take a look at…

 

 

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…and this illustration of having no electricity for a year will open your eyes…

 

 

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