Gecko Towers:
Having no water, for months, was limiting and a little frustrating; having no electricity for heaven’s know how long is devastating. By this, I, of course, mean to those who are in hospital on life support equipment, undergoing dialysis or breathing with the assistance of an “iron lung”, or do I?
We took water for granted until it was rationed and therefore enjoyed less, but with electricity, it’s not a question of enjoying less; it’s switched off. No power to a fridge full of food, the freezer compartment, the air-con and the Wi-Fi— oh, calamity! No 5G and diminishing bars of battery on phone, iPad and laptops. In the latter case, I happen upon a partial solution, to drive around with the iPhone plugged into the Apple CarPlay – at least you’ll get battery but you wont have anyone to text or speak to!
We have simply become too reliant on the switch that can apparently be so easily switched off. Having checked that I paid the most recent electricity bill, I reasoned with myself about the prospect of doing nothing. Nada. I believe the country-wide BlackOut happened around 12.00 what actually happened is still shrouded in mystery.
That was a challenge as even for my advanced years, being kept frantically busy with all manner of otherwise vital commitments has become a way of life. I am at a normal age for retirement, but I have zero plans to retire. Not sure what I’d do, and there’s only so much shopping, cleaning, and furniture arranging that one soul can do before your wife returns home and re-arranges all the carefully placed items. No, that’s not an option, and anyway, I have a myriad of things I want to do.
I first became aware of the lack of “luce” (light) on a trip to Mercadona to stock up on some of the essentials of the Mediterranean diet: olive oil, gazpacho and delicious vinegared bouquerones steeped in olive oil, etc. A lot of olive oil features here.
The underground car park was black as a coal pit with the occasional twinkle of phone torches as patrons sought to leave their cars and head upstairs to the shop. On my way in, I heard a Spanish lady asking if it’s okay to use cards to make a purchase. She was assured that it is possible.
Inside, the lights are definitely dimmed, and the silver shutters are down on the usually refrigerated shelves, making product selection a little more challenging but not impossible. Making my way to the counter, the lack of electricity has turned into somewhat of a Feria atmosphere. The lady cashier assures me with great authority that the whole of Spain, France, Portugal, and curiously, Andorra are all equally affected, and nobody has any idea how long it will be off for.
The owners of Mercadona are held on a pedestal by their staff, as their ethos is admirable and engenders an almost a family vibe. I was recently told by a member of staff who we must have seen in three renovated shops over 20-plus years that they were not given any staff discount as the owners embraced the idea that prices should be kept as low as possible both for patrons and staff alike. Kudos, team Mercadona. The cashier tells me with some pride that given the foresight of the owners, solar panels were installed for just such an eventuality, allowing basic refrigeration to continue and powering card EPOS readers to complete purchases.
Arriving at Mrs W’s place of work in Nueva Andalucía, I wanted to make sure she was ok. She confirmed that someone had heard on the wireless that the above countries had indeed all lost power. She reported a theory expounded by a neighbour that there must have been a terrorist incident. Having been advised to save his battery, he saw such a state of affairs as simply shocking. It has to be said that if there exists a point in the power grid enjoyed by each of the four countries mentioned that is so strategic and frail that some single event can paralyse the economies of these nations then that knowledge should be denied to terrorist groups!
Further comment was received from an unverified source that the electricity would probably be out for 70 hours – that’s nearly three days!!! For friends and family outside Southern Europe we hope that the news services are telling the story so they know that we are not ignoring their WhatsApps, attending their Team/Zoom meetings, we are not refusing to laugh at their Mind Health Ice Bucket challenges, nor handle their replies to our frequent correspondences – this is certainly an odd and somewhat isolating feeling.
So when it gets dark at 9.00 or thereabouts – short of building a bonfire or barbecue in the garden to give some light as well as warm food we will be retiring early along with the rest of several million people. There seem to two likely outcomes of this: a. A lot of dark fumbling and associated excitement and b. A population explosion in January 2026!
As a post script to our day with now power after seven hours the efforts of all involved culminated in restoring services, the WhatsApps blinked as the Wi-Fi chirruped into action and with relief we reentered the first World. It rather frustrated the prospect of an early evening in bed…..
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