On Fri, 19 Oct 2012 11:57:30 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:18:51 +0100, Michael Kilpatrick wrote:

It's more a question of whether the households with said board games,
books, etc have also got some candles to see them by!

Nasty dangerous things candles unless you are talking tea lights and even
then you need to be careful.
But with lakeland for example knocking em out at 2.99 for 50 a cheap
way of getting some light if used sensibly.

Best is a gas lantern, they will run for many hours chucking out as much
light as a 80W tungsten bulb. Lasts even longer if you turn it down. Gas
cannisters don't go flat in storeage.

Not everybody has suitable storage for paraffin but we still have the
oil lamps the family used on the farm before they got a dynamo 75
years ago*,a 240 ac set 55 years ago and mains 48 years ago.
They have justified there retention several times despite the
successive types of electric power. The light from an oil lamp with a
proper mantle is actually quite pleasant and bright.

*did the final clear out of deceased dads shed/workshop the other
day,found a roll of lead covered 2 core cable left from that first
installation done by grandfather. It was 50Volt DC I was once told.

G.Harman