Powering down…

Power outages are common in the rural areas although this does not usually seriously affect the individual hut owner as they are not connected anyway. Communal facilities such as clinic fridges and the deeper electric pumped bore holes are a different matter but acceptance is a way of life as the elderly distribution transformer burst its spleen for the final time. A part has been ordered from Blantyre and although this is only an eight hour drive away the reality is that service restoration is likely to be several weeks. Head-torches come into their own in at this point, especially for avoiding festive-sized cockroaches, rats and anything else that enjoys nocturnal visits. Meanwhile, personal for-granted-electricals devoid of charge, die a slow and lingering death cutting off any contact with the outside world.