Cretan Diary - Chapter 22 | |||||||
Friday - Powerless!October 9, 2009 Today we planned to go to Xaniá to get cash from the bank and to buy a TV set. We had just finished breakfast when the power went off. Thanks to the new UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply unit) my computer continued to work so I was able to check and reply to emails before switching it off. My shaver is mains-powered so I had to connect a 230 volt inverter to a large battery, and plug my shaver into that. I shaved while sitting on the floor. We drove to Xaniá. The Peugeot is performing well and seems reasonably economical. We left it in the usual multistorey car park to be parked for us and took our ticket. We withdrew some money from the bank and, by coincidence, met our agent, Georgios, there. He explained that the previous house owner had asked for the table and TV to be given to a charitable organisation that looks after poor people here. So that explains where they went. I explained the problems with the outside lamp and the canopy that almost blew away, so he's arranging for someone to come and fix them - probably avrio. He asked us to leave the shed unlocked so the mains power point was accessible. We looked in several shops for a small TV set for our bedroom. We found a suitable one and bought a wall-mounting bracket, too. As we trudged to the car park, the TV began to scrape on the ground. I thought my arm was stretching until Jenny pointed out that the bag was about to burst! The car park receptionist kindly allowed is to store them in her office while we went out again. We searched for an "Optika", zig-zagging through the streets (including the one is called "The Street of Knives", because it's full of shops selling weapons) until we found a shop selling clip-on sunglasses. We went to an electrical wholesalers and bought a replacement outside lamp - a "bulkhead lamp" type that won't blow away! We also bought two computer desk lamps because the fan light in our office is quite dim. We also bought a salt, pepper, vinegar and oil bottle condiments set and a small washing-up bowl. When we returned home the power was still off! Jenny boiled a pan on the tiny Calor Gas camping stove that came on the van and made us a pot of tea, while I squatted down and connected my computer system to a 230 volt inverter, running off the large battery. This arrangement got me "connected" for long enough to check emails, then I switched it off to conserve battery power. I had a short nap Hey, I didn't get out of breath! On the way back the cat had vanished and two full-looking dogs barked at us. Jenny made "pastitseea" for dinner. I forgot to take a photo but you probably know what spaghetti bolognese looks like. Eetan pollee kaloh. (it was very nice - with apologies to vegetarians.) This evening I received a "Skype" call from my mother's cousin in England. Amazingly, both of our cameras were working and the audio was clear. It was lovely to see a familiar face from "back home". Unfortunately, it was just after dark so I couldn't "walk" the camera around the garden. Maybe next time. Finally, my friend, Tim, pointed out this site to me: And more information here: It'll give you something to think about. My guess is that we've already reached "peak oil". Fuel prices are already fluctuating and the general trend is upwards. I think we'll see a significant change within TWO years*. This is one reason why I've chosen a 1.6 litre car instead of a much larger engine that I'm accustomed to. We could go smaller still if necessary. *Boy, was I right. Petrol is 1.12 Euros per litre now (October 2009) but, as I'm editing this in May 2010 it is 1.65 per litre! Our water is heated by the sun, of course and, when I can afford to, I'm hoping to install solar panels to charge batteries that will, as a minimum, run all the house lights. I noticed that our water-heating panel on the roof is dusty so I must clean it tomorrow. Also it's a very crude one and I think I can get a much more efficient one - but it all comes down to money! | |||||||
during which the power came back on. We walked to the shop to get provisions. On the way there, we saw a brave cat on the wall of the barking dogs house. But no dogs. 
There was a strange creature on the fence post. At first I thought it was a vulture but, as we approached, I realised it was a turkey. I was worried that it might hop onto the road and get run over so I shooed it away, back into the garden. Then I realised I'd missed a golden "photo opportunity". Sorry. 