Un-electric

What do you do when the lights go out? When they go out suddenly - and everything else loses power too.

No heating, no hot water ... worst of all, no internet. And the phone running low on battery!

At night, you go to bed, but not to read, unless your eyes are young and strong and you're willing to risk candles in the bedroom. You try to sleep and hope "they" will have fixed it by morning.

But they haven't. No-one, it seems, phoned 105 to let the electricity-magicians know that there was a problem.

So at first light I dressed warmly and went to the nearest coffee shop for a cup of the necessary, and to charge the phone. Then I went home to find something to do.

Looked out the window for a while (grey sky, not a lot of people out), and noticed how lovely the little flowers in the windowbox were looking -

Looked round the room at the other flowers and took some pix of those -

From the garden

From the shop

The lining fabric purchased yesterday at Rolls 'n' Rems came out of my bag, and I rootled round in the studio to find the boiled wool skirt fabric and at least get the pattern cut out -

but the navy blue needed pressing before cutting, the purple needed to wait till the blue was checked for fit. For pressing you need ... the electric iron. Put that job on hold.

In the studio I had started work on an idea for the "In Print" CQ challenge, and had a somewhat "interesting" time deconstructing a hidden corner where I was almost certain some rolls of tulle were lurking.

The older sketchbooks are safely stowed, out of sight
- and out of mind - under the worktop

No rolls of tulle, but other discoveries ... felt, for instance ...

Horrible to look at, but so delightful to stitch into!

The subtleties of the back are more interesting than
the random, unfocussed, misguided, purposeless stitching

This one was based on a Nolde seascape - but
got a little tooooo much felting; it will make lovely insoles

The only bit of tulle I found was on this "byzantine bird" (at least 10 years old!) - which is strangely like the recent "monsters" woodcuts -

That bit of tulle is now glued onto the cut-up newspaper, holding the strips together -

Tricky to keep all the strips in the right place while glueing

... but it doesn't look too bad once it's dried

While the glue was drying, and as the temperature in the flat dropped, I went to cafe#2, used their internet and had a coffee

did some drawing of "monsters" based on a copper tabletop found on Kathy Loomis's blog -

and had some lunch, then risked going back home. Brrr chilly outside - "feels like -1" - and colder still tomorrow. I'll be out there walking, possibly quite quickly, and with hat and gloves on. And double socks.

The power is back, thank goodness, and there's still a little time left today (it being Wednesday, woodblock printing morning) to work on the woodcuts. Not time enough for printing, today; an assessment of what to do with what I have would be a very useful next step.

While at the cafe I came across the contemporary woodcuts of Nana Shiomi and found them very inspiring - they made me think about how to recombine the blocks I already have, and what could be added to extend the range.

Before the electricity goes off again, I'll be getting a power pack that will give some charge on the phone (and access to "the internet"); a stock of candles; and possibly - do they still make them? - a battery-operated radio.

When it does happen, I'll check the fuse box and if the switch on the left is up (in the ON position) will immediately phone 105 to notify "them". Maybe boil a pan of water on the gas cooker and make a nice cup of tea....