Energy breakdown

Prolonged loss of power is enervating. I refer today to the energy breakdown affecting most of the island of Malta for most of the day Tuesday.
I was very calm and took the day’s events in my stride. Things changed dramatically on the next day when I got a water bill for nearly €2,000.
When I went to check the consumption on my meter I realised that the clock was racing, yet all my taps and utilities were off.
But let me start on Tuesday.
My lights went off at 10.30 just as I was leaving home.
No big deal, even if I had to tackle the stairs (no light between the 2nd and 1st floors) struggling with my large bag (I intended to include a swim in my schedule) and two rubbish bags (one recyclable).
As I parked on the street where I wanted to do some shopping later, I noticed I had a puncture. Again no big deal, I called the breakdown service from my mobile phone and realised my battery was running low.
After getting an engaged tone after several calls. I decided to cool off with a swim and try again later. I assumed they were having a very busy morning.
There would still be time to attend to my other commitments.
When I still could not get through after several other calls and it was getting close to noon, I guessed that the company's phones needed electricity to work.
How on earth can a company, providing a service as essential as car breakdown rescue, operate without a 24hour serviceable line? Even I had thought of this eventuality and stuck to GO (Malta's fixed line provider). Even mobile phones need recharging and mine was running dangerously low.
Anyway, I still refused to get het up. I would just have to cancel a couple of appointments, delay my shopping, which needed refrigeration, walk home, have some lunch and do some work.
However, since there was no Internet service I had a siesta instead.
How can one complain of the “good life”.
Swimming, lunch and siesta – heaven.
However, by 15.30 I was getting a bit restless. I finally managed to get the breakdown service (I was told their power was now back on) and made an appointment to meet near the car in an hour.
As I got changed my freezer alarm went off, which indicated that my power was back on. Wow, that was not too bad.
But just as though a clown had popped his head up and said “Not really”, as I pressed the button to call the lift, the power failed again. A second later I would have been trapped. Phew! This time I picked up a torch and could see my way down the ‘black spot’ on the stairs.
I was now concerned that the breakdown service phones were out again and that my full freezer might be slowly defrosting.
Anyway, to cut to the chase, the breakdown service arrived, a little late, but my car was back on the road. But the power was still not back.
I could not work on my computer or watch BBC World or CNN to catch up on what was happening in Iran. I decided I would read. I had three books on the go – Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope”, Martin Amis’s “House of Meetings” and Stephen King’s “Christine” (It is a car not a woman).
I poured myself a glass of chilled white wine and sat on the roof enjoying the view of the boats in the calm harbour with the bastions in the background, knowing that the views days were numbered, unless MEPA (Planning Authority) miraculously changed its ways.
But there was a problem. I cannot bear noise and generators were on full throttle all around me....
More later.