Electricity woes

On Thursday the power went off in the afternoon. We were expecting Patricia and Mike for dinner here later and had the meal all planned. As the afternoon wore on we went out and bought a couple of torches and began to think up alternative ways of cooking.  Sure enough we ended up toasting bruschettas individually over the gas ring (fortunately we have a gas hob) and browning the cheese with a blowtorch. 

Jon used his soldering blowtorch.

The roast potatoes became mash.

Mike's trying to figure out what on earth he's been offered while Patricia's admiring the electric lights in the house opposite.

During the course of the evening, Mike noticed that other houses in our street now had lights showing - it was just us who remained cut off.  The consolation was that it was very atmospheric eating by candlelight.

The next day I tried to ring EDF but failed the second instruction on the automatic answering system - I think they wanted some detail from my bill and all our bills are in England anyway. Finally got our neighbour Evelyne to ring for me and we discovered there was a second trip we had not known about.  Reset that and we had power again!  Feeling a bit stupid but relieved.

Now we were expecting the arrival of an Australian family we met in the hotel in Derby the night before our flight out. This time we planned a barbecue with oven-roasted potatoes.  They arrived at 4.30 and guess what?  Lights out again about 6pm.  Ah ha.  We know what to do now, don't we? Reset trip no.1, reset trip no.2 - no way. Both trips immediately turned off.  Our newly-made friends spent an hour or more trying to track down the fault, removing fuses and pulling plugs but the trips simply wouldn't reset.  So another scratch meal by candlelight. More mash. At least this time we had two appreciative young children who thought it a great adventure going round a strange house by candlelight and torchlight.  But two guests sleeping downstairs couldn't use the toilet, shower or basin, as the waste water has to be pumped out and the pump's electric.  Poor things were on a big, but rapid European trip and had hopes of showers and hair straighteners, phone charging and WiFi but EDF said Non!

Our unlucky Aussie guests enjoying the daylight next day

We tried the trips again before they left and then rang EDF again.  This time I managed the automatic questions better but the result was that the fault lay in the house, not with EDF.  Managed to get an electrician to call at 11, and the darn trips obediently reset! So it's a mystery.  And remains so, as the power has stayed on since.

Now the next problem to tackle is my Carte Bleue which the machine ate and the bank can't send the replacement to me as their system says there is no no.5 in our road.  The bank says we don't exist so we have to have it sent to the same long-suffering neighbours.  Only it hasn't appeared yet, after nearly two weeks and we're beginning to fear it may have gone to England instead!