Electricity-free day - part two

This time, our simple day ended with Usain Bolt running the 100m in 9.63 seconds.   We seem to end our electricity free days with memorable radio listening.  Last time it was Stevie Wonder performing at the Diamond Jubilee concert; this time, the London 2012 Olympics.  I went to bed feeling satisfied and full of contentment.  Not so much is different about these days we have without electricity, but we just seem so much more in tune with the natural environment around us - bound by the daylight hours and simple food.

The children were much more supportive and into the whole adventure this time round.  They informed us - rather than the other way round, as they entered our bedroom at about 7am - that there was no t.v. this morning and they had shed light into their room by pulling up the blind rather than by the usual flick of the switch.

Dinner was amusing this time and perhaps not an advert for healthy living!  The children had pasta and cheese sauce all done on the gas hob, and for us, Chris made some delicious avocado bruschetta by toasting the bread over the gas flame!  One problem: we were still hungry, but not hungry enough to make  another whole dish.  Solution: a packet of crisps each and a chocolate mousse from the corner shop!  Oh well... At least we sat out on the swing-chair in the garden enjoying the natural light before retiring to bed with our trusty battery radio.

I can't really put into words why the days we have done this feel so satisfying.  My holidays at a friend's cottage in Shropshire have always stuck in my mind as something I would love to recreate one day.  Her extended family together own a little cottage near Leominster, in a tiny village, and every year she would take a group of friends for a little break in the summer.  No electricity, simple living - one room for the boys and another for the girls, paraffin lamps, a gas-run fridge and a river at the bottom of the garden.  Our days were filled with long, adventurous walks, card games, some wine and swimming in the river - it was bliss!  I haven't quite got the little basic cottage of my own yet but our own days without electricity go some way to replicating the simple pleasures, and the relaxation and feeling of liberation, that comes without technology and electricity.