Live Simply? I think I am being tested....

I have said I wanted to live more simply. Well, now's my chance it seems! Without electricity for three days I could write the blogs, but couldn't post them - so here are a few....

2 Jan 2012

After a storm which wrecked the greenhouse we have had no power now for 14 hours.

How we do take it for granted! No light (yes, my word for 2012 is LIGHTER!!), no internet, no phone, no mobile signal, no cooker, no washing machine, no vacuum cleaner, no radio, no music....

I decided this evening would be a good time to sort the candle shelf. I've always loved using candles and over many years have bought lots of pretty candleholders, mostly made of glass. I got them all out and decided to use up all those odd leftover bits of candle - a festival of candles.

Luckily we have a woodburning stove which heats water (though the pump which circulated it through the radiators is electric, so just one warm room) and we have a Trangia - a tiny camping stove which runs on meths, and we also borrowed a kettle to sit on top of the stove. It looks very jolly. We can make toast on the fire and top it with prawns warmed in butter on the Trangia, with lots of salt and pepper and parsley and a glass of wine, and I might make the delicious recipe found in Nigel Slater's Real Quick Desserts book (thank you Laura). Orange segments, brown sugar, a bit of cinnamon stick and 2 teaspoons of Cointreau.  Warmed together on top of the woodburner - heavenly with some good ice cream. (Shame I ate all the ice cream last night!)

I do think of those for whom a lack of power is not just a temporary inconvenience, and I do count my blessings.

But for me, here, now..it is very beautiful, and very peaceful and I am very content.