THE PERFECT STORM

If I wasn’t so cynical, I’d think the current energy crisis was the Government’s way of achieving its Net Zero policy by stealth having seen an article about the latest price cap increase on the Beeb’s website. It leaves me drained of energy just reading about all this stuff!

Doing nothing is definitely the way forward for the Tories as rocketing prices is the only way to ensure the public changes its attitudes and behaviours towards a more energy efficient mindset thus saving them the trouble of having to actually fix the broken Energy Market.

Gadgets all use power that we now can't afford

For years, the Government has been ramping up demand for electricity by forcing us to buy electric cars or persuading us to get rid of energy efficient gas appliances so that it can justify the need for all those renewable energy licences it doled out like sweeties to companies who put profit before planet. Now it transpires that the cost of renewable energy is linked to the stock market’s general energy pricing mechanisms as opposed to being based on the price of a ‘free’ underlying resource ie wind or sun. We have all been well and truly f**ked from the very beginning.

No electric blankets, thermal underpants or knitted jumpers for me this winter. No siree. This is how I’m planning to get through the energy crisis. Southern Comfort is far cheaper than electricity and after skinful, cold weather will have about as much impact as rummaging about in the freezer for a bag of potato croquettes. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ….

Booze - the best way to live through the energy crisis

While we lurch from one ‘perfect storm’ to another in our everyday lives, it was truly a perfect storm yesterday morning as rain unexpectedly crept up on us like a dark clothed cyclist with no lights. With no guttering on the back of the house, the downpour swept off the roof and onto the patio quicker than I could bale out the buckets I’d lined up for such an eventuality.

Temporary guttering

It didn’t take long for me to almost fill our green wheelie bin with lots of the precious wet stuff which I will be saving to use on future dry days.

Using the green bin as an extra water butt

As if torrential rain wasn’t enough, the new kitchen also arrived yesterday. Thankfully delivery took place after the rain stopped or we may have been facing another crisis.

The lounge is now looking like an Amazon warehouse, boxes and bits piled up all over the place. There’s barely enough room for the ‘home office’ on the dining table.

Before delivery

And afterwards

We now have kitchen but we’re still a long way from getting it fitted. Plastering has been the name of the game this week in the new extension.

Fitting plasterboard onto the ceiling

To create a smooth base ready for plastering

Freshly plastered ceiling

There’s now a lovely smooth ceiling and side wall, with the rest to follow. In my mind’s eye I can begin to see how I might decorate the walls or fill the available spaces.