Being brought up in Liverpool we called it Murphy’s Law. However I read recently that anything referring to anyone that might in any way be taken to be derogatory is no longer allowed. Sod doesn’t have anyone to defend him (or was Sod a ‘her’?) so that’ll have to do unless you can come up with something better.
Today the peninsula on which I live has no electricity. That means there is no cellphone signal at my home because I get my signal from a local repeater mast. I have no idea if the wifi is off because…. This is where Sod plays his part.
My house can be reasonably independent of the electricity supply on a short term basis because I have a generator. My mains supply board has a Big Switch which switches the house supply off from the mains supply and allows the generator supply to take over.
Every now and then I check the generator and run it for a while. I did this a week or so ago as soon as I got the first (of 4) letters from the electricity infrastructure company warning me that there would be no supply from 0900 until 1700 today.
This morning I went out early for my walk in the Castle Grounds and some visits and didn’t return from town until lunchtime. I turned the key of the generator starter and it refused to start. It was still refusing to start some time later and has consistently refused over the hours.
If next time I try it, it starts first time (as it usually does) I shall be less than amused.
Fortunately it’s been a pleasant afternoon and I’ve been in the garden and cut the grass.
I’ve not played bowls since the start of the season for various reasons but I decided that if the weather stayed good this evening I’d go and have a game before the season ends. The sun’s gone in and it’s clouded over but as I write this I’m still optimistic that the electricity will return so that I can post this and go off and play bowls.
Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll read some blogs too.
PS I’ve had plenty of coffee and soup because I have a gas camping stove for emergencies.
Unfortunate that the power does go off for those extended periods, Graham, but it seems you were able to get the post done (yeah). Being unfamiliar with the term, bowls, I had to check it out. It seems very similar to the game my Italian grandfather enjoyed, bocce.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice, I waited until the power came back on at 1858 hrs (2 minutes before the notified time) before I could post this although I wrote it on my laptop before that. I think that bocce is a little nearer to French boules but they are all part of the same family.
DeleteThat is so frustrating! Also, the main reason I hang onto my ageing gas barbecue - despite having a generator. Two weeks without power post-earthquake really made me appreciate the ability to boil a kettle for washing and coffee, and cooking - while the generator was used to charge phones and laptops and believe it or not, the fish tank filter. It worked, but was too noisy to run at night... No heating (lucky it was summer) and no fridge/freezer, but good old bottled gas to the rescue!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a lovely day and hope you got some bowls :)
Fi like many I can survive without mains electricity but only for a certain amount of time. Old stone houses like mine will get very cold quite quickly although I do have a Propane gas 'coal' fire in the living room. One Christmas in the 80s we lost power for three days and that was very hard although in that house we had a coal/wood/peat burning stove in the living room. We'd got rid of our Raeburn by then unfortunately. My grandmother survived in a huge four-storey house with no electricity when I was a small child. How Things have changed.
DeleteAnd, yes, thank you, I got to play bowls in the pouring rain and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Well, it looks like the electricity came back as you obviously managed to post this somehow :)
ReplyDeleteI just got a letter today that in two or three weeks they're going to change my electricity meter (which is probably in the basement somewhere, because it isn't in my flat); and when it happens, there will be a power outage for a while. It also says I will get a note when it's done. My reaction: Getting a note when it's over is no help when it comes to preparing for it... Even if the outage will probably be short, I'd prefer it not happen while I'm cooking, for example! (Sometimes it's like they assume no one is at home in flats during the day...)
Monica it was scheduled to be off between 0900 and 1700 and that turned out to be the outage time almost to the minute. You would expect some notice at least on the day - you could be in the shower for example!
DeleteSod's Law has at times applied to all of us I suspect. It is based on the premise of course that if anything can go wrong it will. Poor Murphy may have taken the blame in the past and in my house he (she?) still does. There are times when I think poor Miriam is convinced that I am Murphy incarnate, especially if I am determined to fix something I shouldn't even attempt. Fortunately, with the passage of time and the meagre wisdom age has conferred on me, I am ever more willing to simply pick up the phone and call the experts. Mind you, cardiac arrest is always a possibility when I see the bill. I definitely should have taken up plumbing!
ReplyDeleteDavid, I love the phrase "the meagre wisdom age has conferred on me". It applies to me so aptly that I shall purloin it. I know that when I left New Zealand plumbers were so scarce they were earning more than dentists.
DeleteI hope that you manage to sort out the pesky generator and give it a good talking to.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago a rare winter snow storm left us without electricity for a couole of days. Luckily we had an open fire, a gas hob and candles. We sat by the fire, wrapped in our duvets playing cards by candlelight. Very romantic.
Thank you, JayCee. I think I may be doing a David (above) and having a go and if not biting the bullet and ask an expert to sort it. It should be a simple question of checking the mixture but unfortunatly that involves taking have the apparatus to pieces.
DeleteGood the generator turned on.
ReplyDeleteApartment complex, no chance for a backup source. New owners have mini solar farm on roof for hot water. I ask if also for backup generator. Answer is no because we don't lose electricity enough in this part of Vermont. Does that qualify for Sod?
Unfortunately, Maywyn, the generator misbehaved.
DeleteMurphy rules supreme around here. Sod doesn't get many mentions. I've heard him (definitely a him) being told to sod off and referred to as a poor sod but his law? Nah, rarely a mention. I can see that generator getting a good seeing to after letting you down like that. Glad you got by - and hope you enjoyed the bowls.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pauline. It poured down and, despite that, 8 of us played and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
DeletePower outages are very frustrating and inconvenient. We rarely have an outage but if you're in the country you need to be prepared.
ReplyDeleteRed, we don't get many outages but this was a planned one to do essential work on the main cable to the area.
DeleteI hate to admit it but I don't think I would know what to do without power these days!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if it would be more annoying if the generator started on the next go or if it didn't.
All the bowls clubs here have closed (maybe not all but all the ones I can think of) I can think of one that remains open as a restaurant, one is a childcare centre and I know a couple that are weed ridden and neglected.
Kylie, when I lived in Napier the bowling clubs were closing (although there were still quite a few in the area) however Croquet was (and is) flourishing.
DeleteThat's a sod right enough. If it's a petrol genset then watch the E10 petrol, it only has a shelf or tank life of a month or two. It's easy enough to remove the ethanol but then you are paying for stuff you can't use. Fortunately I have a diesel generator, suspect it will earn it's keep this winter.
ReplyDeleteAdrian thanks for the E10 information. We are still on E5 and I'd just put 5l of new stuff in. I suspect a diesel generator will be a bit more expensive than my occasional needs warrant.
DeleteI am by nature a happy pessimist. I am happy because I got a 4KVA set last year for £450.00p with 8hrs on it. I can see power cuts being regular when it's cloudy and still. They can cut power quickly with smart meters.
DeleteI got mine from an auction once removed. The government bought them for the Nightingale hospitals. The dealer had half a dozen so I bought two, sold one and kept one. They are about £2.5K new. Mine has a Kubota engine so not shabby.
Check the E10 info it could be bollocks and be just a conspiracy theory, I'll ask Marriana Sprung to check. I am using it in the golf and fuel consumption is down from 40MPG to 32MPG. Not very green as it will be cheaper to buy full strength full fat petrol.
I'll stick with my economical oil burner for the moment. Until there is sufficient infrastructure in the Highlands I wouldn't even contemplate electric.
DeleteIt's a universal problem; what to do when the power fails. But at least they gave you warning, here no such luck. A couple of lightning flashes, and off it goes. My only advice can be to keep plenty of wood for the fire, gas for cooking, and candles for light.
ReplyDeleteCro, this was a planned outage. I have gas for emergency heat and cooking. I have plenty of candles but this was daytime. At night I have a load of battery LED lights in the house which are great for emergencies (and getting around on a winter's night without putting all the main lights on and blinding oneself).
DeleteI hope your power is back on permanently by now, or at least you have managed to fire up your generator. I find it enough of an inconvenience when it's off for only a short while here (usually in order to service the boiler). It is only then I realise just how much I depend on it. X
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jules. It came on 2 minutes before the specified 1700hrs.
DeleteLike Monica said, I was thinking that somehow you must have had power enough to post this.
ReplyDeleteWe've not had a power outtage in a long time, but it would make me completely unable to work, cook or even make myself a cup of tea. Hot water would only last until the large boiler (serving my and the top floor flat) cools off. If it were dark, I would have plenty of candles and matches, but other than that, I depend on electricity so much that it is rather scary.
PS: Last night, I finished St. Kilda Fever. I enjoyed it and will post a review soon!
DeleteMeike, I posted this after the power came back on. I had coffee this morning with Fiona (of St Kilda Fever). I'm glad you enjoyed it. I shall make sure she sees the review.
DeleteI expect in 30 years so so we will have power rationing again just as I spoke of the other day when I reminded you of the 1970s.
ReplyDeleteYes, Rachel, nothing in that line would surprise me. I remember the power strikes well.
DeleteIf the elecricity is off for work to be done and your generator won't fire up that's Sod's Law . If the power goes off unexpectedly that's the time to check other properties. Our's used to trip out too often especially at night and the handy Giant 4 battery Maglite came into it's own to get down to the sous sol and flip the switches! Then if no joy to sort out the candles and go out for a meal. Touching wood, I have not had a power (elec. or gas) cut here in two years but the Maglite is still kept just to hand. It's baby brother has been in service a week or so on the early morning dog walk for poo spotting and bagging! Lesley
ReplyDeleteLesley, we have been fortunate in that out power cuts are few and far between in recent years. Our worst ones came with snow and ice combines with hight winds. We get the latter still but rarely do we get snow and ice now.
DeleteLesley we call it "knocking on wood" here. I enjoy noting our differences.
DeleteVery inconvenient not having power when you have things to do. We call it Murphy's Law here too, I have no idea where it came from but it gets used alot. At least you had a back up generator, but shame it wouldn't worth, that's where the gas stove came in handy.
ReplyDeleteLooking back Amy it made me realise just what a first world problem it was.
DeleteYou are lucky to have a generator but it would be better if it works when you need it. I see you survived.
ReplyDeleteDiane, as we say in Scotland it's not a disaster, naebody's deid.
DeleteYou want Sod's law, Murphy by another name? Even those trusting their luck like my good self, with a good sprinkling of misplaced optimism, will find their nemesis.
ReplyDeleteGraham, try a power outage mid Christmas lunch, goose in the oven. Variation of which: Hot water and faucet clamming up after Christmas whilst trying to wash up. A plumber not to be had till the New Year. Never have I boiled as many kettles as then (for TWO weeks). Teaches you to be stoic in the face of adversity. Eventually you are grateful to all that could go wrong but hasn't (yet).
Or mice. Or something. The other day I woke up, middle of the night. There was some rumbling noise. I wasn't exactly alarmed. What's the worst that can happen? Be sliced? The downer was, on following the trail where I suspected the axe murderer round the corner, I came to realize it was my stomach making itself known in what can only be described as "eerie".
May all your woes absolve themselves; in the meantime relish your time off the internet and eat raw radishes.
Generator greetings,
U
Ursula I was chatting the outage over with a friend on yesterday morning and we could remember two Christmases here on Lewis without electricity. Both were snowstorms accompanied by heavy gales and were a very long time ago. I've finished my home-grown radishes and i'm fortunate enough to have few if any woes.
DeleteAnother example of p/c nonsense going over-board! "Murphy's Law" is used down here, too...and have not yet heard that we're not supposed to use the term. Sod it! I'll continue using "Murphy's Law' when the situation calls for it!!
ReplyDeleteMay the power come back on soon...very soon. Neighbours over the way have a generator, but this property doesn't.
Take care, Graham. :)
Lee, the power came back 2 minutes before the allotted time. Everything is back to normal until the next time.
DeleteGlad you had your little camping stove to fall back on. I'm inclined to visit someone who does have power when we have a planned outage, as I can never seem to find things to do all day otherwise. Mxx
ReplyDeleteMargaret, there's nothing like a camping stove to make sure one can have soup and coffee! Nice and warming.
DeleteI believe in Almighty Sod and indeed The Son of Sod. Five days after this blogpost was published I am going to assume that your electricity supply is now back to normal. Thanks be to Sod.
ReplyDeleteYes, YP. The electricity came back on 2 minutes before the allotted time.
DeleteLate to the party - I hope you have been able to diagnose why the generator would not start.
ReplyDeleteGiven the gas/electricity price debacle the country now finds itself in you may be needing it more in future (note to self - need to make sure ours will start up . . .)
Hi Jayne, I'm late returning to my post and Blogland. Hopefully the electricity rationing of the past won't happen again.
DeleteNot sure why a generic phrase like "Murphy's Law" would be offensive to anyone, even if they were named Murphy. It's not blaming Murphy, it's naming a law of not-physics after them, so what's the insult?
ReplyDeleteHere's a bit of info I found online regarding Murphy and his Law:
"Believe it or not, Edward J Murphy was a real person. No, really. In fact, he was a Major in the US Air Force in the 1940s, specializing in development engineering. As much of his work involved testing experimental designs, he was frequently faced with things that didn't exactly go to plan. Scholars differ on precisely what words were originally used when the phrase "Murphy's Law" was first coined, but the meaning is clear.
Furthermore, as Murphy and his team were breaking new ground, they were unable to rely on the kind of tried-and-tested procedures used effectively elsewhere in the military to ensure zero defects. As a result, they had to depend on their own initiative to get things right, and one team member in particular could virtually be relied upon to step on the proverbial banana skin. This almost certainly led to the Performance Management application of Murphy's Law given above.
(Some people believe that Murphy's Law was first proposed by a guy named Sod and the law should be called after him accordingly.)"
As for power outages, having a gas stove in the kitchen has saved our bacon a time or two. The gas can be lit with a grill lighter, and you can still boil your water, scramble your eggs, heat up baked beans, toast your bread under the broiler, etc. regardless of whether there's electricity. It's fairly awesome.
Glad you have your juice back! Happy bowling!
Marcheline, my comment about Murphy's Law was largely tongue-in-cheek but also contained an element of the way these days we are not allowed to make any comment which might be derogatory to or making generalisations about a particular group of people. I didn't know the origin of Murphy's Law and I expect the majority of people don't. They just associate it with a general concept of the Irish (with whom the name is associated).
DeleteI have emergency gas cooking, heating and lighting but, unfortunately, it won't power the internet!
Oh, I know you were being cheeky - and I was just doing the same, because "I'm offended" has become the anthem of society and I just don't lie down and take it. At least now we all know who Murphy was!
DeleteIf Taco Bell could work with Microsoft, I'm sure they could come up with a gas-powered laptop. Placement of the tubing might be a bit uncomfortable butt I'm sure it would all come out right in the end....