Next door neighbour - a widow of 89 who lives on her own and is getting
pretty frail, had a total power failure yesterday morning. And couldn't
summon help as both her phones are cordless, and no mobile. So was only
discovered when her daughter visited that evening, as she does every day.

Turned out to be the supply into the house which had failed. So UK Power
Network supplied a generator, which arrived sometime in the middle of the
night and is thrumming away nicely now.

As it happens I know a bit about her wiring. Some years ago I installed
the cordless phones for her. As the cabled one was in the very cold
hallway. Put an extension BT socket in the lounge and also a mains socket
for the base station since there wasn't one handy. The second one went in
her bedroom, I was told. Left the original phone in the hall, still
working normally.

Now the ring main had been installed by her long dead husband. Mainly
surface wired with those 50s surface MK sockets. Only earth in the house
to the water main. Rest of the wiring ancient - porcelain fuses with
separate breakers - the usual mess of added things. Very likely dating to
well before WW2 - although light switches had been replaced by modern ones.

So wondering if the supply, once replaced, will be re-connected?

--
*Time is the best teacher; unfortunately it kills all its students.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.