Summer in France
Posted
#259193
(In Topic #14159)
Full Member
This year the weather in our part of France has been, well, shall we just say "mixed" ……….
We've had glorious "shirt sleeve" weather in February, we've had thunderstorms and icy winds in May and temperatures ranging anywhere between 13C and 34C this month. The only condition we seem to have missed out on so far is prolonged drought !!
We call it an "English summer" - sorry Scots, Welsh and Irish - Scotland "expects" icy winds throughout the year - as my brother, who lives in Angus says, everything over 17C is wasted - doesn't it rain every day in Wales :roll: and Ireland is far too exposed to the Atlantic to be healthy ……………….. :pedal
Last night we had what I can only call, a "substantial" storm …………. :shock:
We'd had a yellow thundestorm warning from "Meteo France" - the national weather forecasting organisation - and all I can say is, what on earth does a red warning storm look like !!!
The "strobe" sheet lightning should have carried a health warning but did at least create enough daylight for us to see the 90-100 kmph winds carry off most of our outdoor furniture to deposit it in the adjoining field where it became "trapped" in a standing crop of lucerne (a type of clover), otherwise it might have continued it's journey. Being essentially "sheet" lightning, we were spared most of the bangs and crashes normally associated with thuderstorms, more of a continuous heavenly rumble punctuated by the odd attempt to shake the house to bits on the offchance we may drift off into slumber. The rain wasn't so much "rain", more like someone tipping huge buckets of water over the house. Guttering was an unnecessary addition as torrents of water shot off the roof offering a pretty good imitation of Niagara Falls. Then the lights went out.
I do have 2 old "Tilley" pressure lamps which we use when dining al-fresco on balmy summer evenings but they were in an outbuilding. Venturing outside would have been foolhardy to say the least. Regardless of being soaked to the skin within seconds, there would also have been a risk of being blown off your feet and, if one managed to avoid those two events, flying debris would probably have proved "third time lucky" ………. The Tilley lamps remained in their shed whilst we sat by candle and torchlight discussing just how reliant we are on electricity. I had spent the first 3 years of my teens living in a house with no electricity but we did at least have piped "Calor" gas lighting plus several of the Tilley pressure lamps so lighting, whilst not exactly at the flick of a switch, was at least available.
No lighting, no TV, no radio, no coffee (we now only use a Nespresso machine), tea would have meant boiling water in a saucepan - we have a gas kettle but it's in the outhouse with the Tilley lamps, no internet and therefore no landline telephone, and, to my horror, almost nothing "downloaded" to any of our battery powered devices. Well before my normal time, as Samual Pepys would have said "and so, to bed".
Of course, we didn't know what was switched on and what was switched off when we called it a day. The electricity came back on at 1.30 this morning. And with it, the TV, kitchen lights, flashing lights on the bedside clocks and outside PIR security lights !!!
Today has been spent clearing up. It's now raining heavily again and we have another yellow thunderstorm warning in place for 2300 tonight !!
I may be gone some time …………………………. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
'Petermac
Posted
Site staff
Sounds like your having a time of it Peter !
Do you have any guests in the Yurts ???
Do you have any Yurts ?
:shock:
Wasnie me, a big boy did it and ran away
"Why did you volunteer ? I didn't Sir, the other three stepped backwards"
"Why did you volunteer ? I didn't Sir, the other three stepped backwards"
Posted
Breaker of Things
Stay safe!
And if it happens again - get your phone out and record the Next "Video of the Month"
Signatures? Where we're going we don't need no stinking signatures!
Posted
Site staff
In Scotland we call that Tues…… who am i kidding, that sounds mental.
Stay safe!
And if it happens again - get your phone out and record the Next "Video of the Month"
Wasnie me, a big boy did it and ran away
"Why did you volunteer ? I didn't Sir, the other three stepped backwards"
"Why did you volunteer ? I didn't Sir, the other three stepped backwards"
Posted
Site staff
That is if Peter remembers to charge his phone up before the electricity goes off again!
And if it happens again - get your phone out and record the Next "Video of the Month"
Ron
NCE DCC ; 00 scale UK outline.
NCE DCC ; 00 scale UK outline.
Posted
Full Member
Cheers Pete.
Posted
Full Member
Cheers MIKE
I'm like my avatar - a local ruin!
I'm like my avatar - a local ruin!
Posted
Full Member
9C, Hibel Road & Macclesfield Central: 30 May 1941. Various scales
Landscape 1:150, Buildings 1:152·4, 9mm Track 1:159·5, Stock 1:148
Landscape 1:150, Buildings 1:152·4, 9mm Track 1:159·5, Stock 1:148
Posted
Full Member
Alan
Posted
Site staff
That's one reason why I've kept and will keep my landline, together with an old fashioned phone that doesn't need elektricity to work.
No such luck here in Oz , Alan when we go National Broadband Network. The home phone is over the Broadband so if power goes, so does the modem & phone line. Have to have a mobile service then…
Ron
NCE DCC ; 00 scale UK outline.
NCE DCC ; 00 scale UK outline.
Posted
Full Member
:sad:
9C, Hibel Road & Macclesfield Central: 30 May 1941. Various scales
Landscape 1:150, Buildings 1:152·4, 9mm Track 1:159·5, Stock 1:148
Landscape 1:150, Buildings 1:152·4, 9mm Track 1:159·5, Stock 1:148
Posted
Site staff
Hi Alan,That's one reason why I've kept and will keep my landline, together with an old fashioned phone that doesn't need elektricity to work.
Only until 2025 in the UK. The PSTN is being switched off after over 100 years of self-powered phones. We are going over to "Voice over internet" instead. Anyone without broadband will get a mini-broadband system included in their line rental. More info:
https://business.bt.com/insights/digital-transformation/uk-pstn-switch-off/
To go on using old phones, you will need some sort of adaptor unit, and a power supply for the adaptor. i.e. you will need a mains socket near your phone socket (and no power cuts, although I imagine the adaptor will have some sort of internal battery backup for 999 calls).
cheers,
Martin.
Posted
Full Member
I'm sure my current broadband provider will be pleased when I tell them that a decision by BT will cost them a customer.
Last edit: by 6243
9C, Hibel Road & Macclesfield Central: 30 May 1941. Various scales
Landscape 1:150, Buildings 1:152·4, 9mm Track 1:159·5, Stock 1:148
Landscape 1:150, Buildings 1:152·4, 9mm Track 1:159·5, Stock 1:148
Posted
Full Member
My response is unprintable!!!
But from what I read, it doesn't matter who your provider is - you WILL go Digital.
Last edit: by Alan W
Alan
Posted
Full Member
9C, Hibel Road & Macclesfield Central: 30 May 1941. Various scales
Landscape 1:150, Buildings 1:152·4, 9mm Track 1:159·5, Stock 1:148
Landscape 1:150, Buildings 1:152·4, 9mm Track 1:159·5, Stock 1:148
Posted
Full Member
I need broadband for ordering my click and collect groceries and other purchases, all done on 22" widescreen monitors.
Alan
Posted
Breaker of Things
Signatures? Where we're going we don't need no stinking signatures!
Posted
Site staff
I can do all this, via the App from anywhere, at any time, even abroad as its all done via tinternet :thumbs Oh and as its BT I can use any BT roaming, so can connect to any bt internet that takes part in the service, so many thousands of hotspots around the country. I very , I hardly touch my mobile data allowance these days
Tis the Future I tell you :pathead
Cheers
Matt
Wasnie me, a big boy did it and ran away
"Why did you volunteer ? I didn't Sir, the other three stepped backwards"
"Why did you volunteer ? I didn't Sir, the other three stepped backwards"
Posted
Full Member
Hope nothing was damaged.
Posted
Full Member
Cheers Pete.
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