Blackout

Early on 2 January I took the dog out for his late walk. I followed our usual route round the block. As I approached the next parallel street it was like walking at the edge of the world. Total darkness ahead. Only the sound of the odd fire alarm ringing. As far as I could see there were no street lights or house lights. Just shadows and darkness. It made you appreciate what thousands will have experienced for days after Storm Arwen.

Back home a quick check on the SP energy website ( at least the internet was working) showed an impressive amount of detail on the outage. When it had happened (some 20 minutes earlier) the postcodes it covered and when they expected to repair it. We were right on the edge and fortunately still had power - other than a few flickering lights.

The rest of the day involved a lovely service at church of nine readings and carols. Then back into the garden. Yesterday I got the onion and leek seeds sown. Today I belatedly planted some bulbs. Those I planted a few months ago are now, in some cases, peeking through the soil. They are in for a shock.