I couldn't find the single candle. Oh its back again. LOL Gone again. Either that or the fan is becoming alive on its own or haunted.
I have often thought of getting one of my grandparents' old oil maps filled and ready for use in the event of power failures. They used them before rural electrification in our area in the 1950s.
The biggest shock in rural electrification apparently wasn't the light, or having radio, but that people realised for the first time how dirty and dusty their homes were. By oil lamps and soft candle lights a lot of the dirt was invisible, especially as thatched houses had small windows so rooms weren't very bright in day time. The first reaction on electric light turning on was to say "oh my god! Look at the dirt and dust everywhere. I never saw it before." It had been invisible in the dimly lit parts of rooms. Now, the light got everywhere and everything could be seen.
There were a lot of embarrassed housewives (it was the eta of strict gender demarcation in work) mortified at the state of their homes until they realised everywhere, from thatched houses to castles were in the same boat. So vast amounts of cleaning followed on from the electric light turning on.
On farms, cows were spooked by electric light rather than oil lamps and candles. So were dogs and cats. Even though their eyesight works differently, they could tell that something was different and it took them quite a while to get used to it. I noticed that with my sister's cats. Even though they can see in the dark, in a power cut they kept looking around thinking "something is different." I had to grab Damien when he made a move to walk along the mantlepiece. His tail and the lit candle were liable to collide.
Power still gone, after a few spurts. At least that means they are trying to fix it. Thank god for that silver candelabra!
⏩ Jim Duffy is a writer-historian.
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