Black out

Tuesday 7 September: I had my second power cut today. It came at the end of a long day. Earlier there had been a “bit of a cock up on the catering front.” I am not sure what happened exactly but for some reason there was no food and so Mike was unable to prepare lunch. Nobody seemed that concerned – I cannot see people in the Assembly being philosophical about not having food at lunch time but it just seemed to pass without much comment. At least, a couple of people asked at different times if I wanted to go out for food or, later, if I wanted them to bring me chicken and chips. In fact my well being seemed the greatest concern to everyone. However, I am determined to fit in with the office culture, and certainly do not want special treatment, so I said I was fine – which I was actually – shored up by Mike’s coffee.

That has however drawn my attention to quite a difference in eating and lunch habits. In the Assembly life is one long chuck wagon from bowls of cereal in the morning (and throughout the day) to sandwiches, microwaved meals at lunchtime and cakes, fruit or chocolates more or less on tap the rest of the time. Here, in a week and a half, the only food I have seen, apart from lunch, was at yesterday’s staff meeting when there were two plates of (dry) crackers. Fair enough, a decent lunch is provided normally – but I have little doubt that in today’s situation Assembly staff would have been rushing out to get food from somewhere. And that is another thing – there does not seem to be the same mass exodus at lunchtime.

The upshot of all this excitement was that I arrived home at about 6.30 to be greeted by a flash and a ping and a black out. I do have a gas stove alongside the electric cooker – clearly power cuts happen frequently. But I did not fancy cooking on it in the dark and nibbled a few crackers to wait until normal service was resumed which was after about an hour.