Dear all the people,
Hello! How are you doing?
This is going to be another different type of email – like they all are! I was asked to fill in a thing the other day to describe what this email is about - y’know, so people can see it and go ‘ooh, that sounds like the sort of thing I’d like to read’. I still haven’t worked out what this newsletter is about! This doesn’t help me encourage other people to sign up! If you know what this email is about, feel free to send me a message! And if you like it, send it to someone else!
This week, there’s a bit of an overriding theme. I am currently sitting in someone else’s house, in the warm for the first time in two days. The reason? Storm Ciaran.
So, this week, I’ll be telling you about:
The storm.
That’s it.
The bullet points are just keeping with the email format that I always use! Can’t mess with the format!!
Sorry if this week’s newsletter is, then, a bit one-track – but I think you’ll understand why.
So, batten down the hatches and prepare for the worst!
Take care
James x
It’s Just A Storm
Living in Finistère, you are sort of used to storms. Storms, rain, sun, rain, clouds, rain, storms, rain, sun… oh and wind? Did I mention the wind?
So, when we first heard that there was a storm coming, it didn’t even register. It was just another day and another storm. It was October when they announced it and that’s just normal October weather.
But the warnings became stronger and stronger and when you hear people in Finistère saying they think it will be a big one, you start to take notice.
I immediately went out and bought some buckles for the solar panel that we have on the floor in the garden. And I even fitted one of them…
…and then a couple of hours later, we decided to bring it in. Something which made no logical sense but it was a feeling. And then we decided to put the car in the garage too – something we have never done.
It was a feeling.
Wednesday, 1 November
16h00
The car and solar panel and everything that could be moved from the garden had been put in the garage and the door closed. The weather had been crap all day. I’d got soaked a few times. But at least I’d tidied up the garden hoses. So there was that.
18h49
The Prefectures of Finistère, Cotes d’Armor and La Manche earned the dubious honour of being the first organisations in France to use the FR-ALERT system to push an Alerte Grave to their population.
23h20
The size and gravity of the storm suddenly became very apparent. It had been stormy all day but this graphic brought it home.
But it was only going to be a storm. Just like the others.
So to bed. I decided to listen to an Off Menu podcast.
Thursday 2 November
03h00
The winds at la Pointe Saint-Mathieu reach 193km/h.
At ours, it was 143km/h.
03h10
I went to sleep about midnight and woke at 3.20am to a noise that I can only describe as indescribable. At the time, I described it as horrific.
We were 50 minutes away from the highest winds. We had hit 147km/h.
03h20
We lost electricity.
Incredibly, the mobile network remained live.
03h50
The winds were still at 147km/h. We had had 50 minutes of incredibly high winds. The noise was incredible. The feeling was terrifying. Somehow, I had not heard a single tree fall.
04h00
The winds hit 148km/h.
It wasn’t the end but, at least, it was the beginning of the end.
06h02
A second announcement on everyone’s mobile via FR-ALERT. The Prefet had banned anyone from driving (with an exception for those working in the health sector, the emergency services and those who were working on getting the electricity and communications back online).
We would later learn that 780,000 households out of 1.2 million in Brittany had no electricity at 7am. Over 3,000 agents from the electricity network were engaged on getting us back on the electricity network.
We waited.
In the dark.
Like most houses in France, we have shutters on the windows. Ours, like many, are motorised – and they’re electric. So we were literally and metaphorically in the dark.
I had a quick look outside and, somehow, the house seemed to still be standing, along with most of the garden.
We tried to keep warm but we had to stay inside – we couldn’t drive and it kept pissing down outside.
We all went to bed at 18h00.
Friday 3 November
With one child poorly and it being freezing cold, it had been a long night.
On top of that, all of the batteries that we had charged to recharge the phones were now empty.
So we headed to the next big town, where we knew they had electricity. We went to McDo – because they have plugs!
Unfortunately, McDo had no toilets and, shortly after we ordered, they also ran out of drinks because the water pressure had gone as there were problems with the electricity supply to the local water treatment plant.
There was a moment… I’m not sure whether I should mention it… but… Heineken being offered with Happy Meals… No, really.
But it was a great couple of hours. It was warm. The plugs worked. The coffee was warm. The food was… well, you can’t have everything! Although, to be fair, wavy fries! They’re nice!
Anyway, back to the house of darkness and still no electricity. It was even colder.
I went for a walk around the neighbourhood and took some photos…
Also, our little orchard that we’ve planted out over the past couple of years is in a bad way. This olive tree (that we bought to replace a lovely 10-year-old one that one of the local farmers killed, promised to replace and then didn’t - still annoyed about that) doesn’t look in a great way…
We’ll salvage what we can and save up to replace the rest. Shame, though. These things don’t grow quickly.
But the phrase of the moment is ‘it could have been so much worse’.
And it really could have.
Much.
And then…
Our Mayor has just posted to say that there is hope that the electricity will be back online by tomorrow lunchtime. That would be great.
Oh and I spoke with my insurer today and the contents of the chest freezer are covered up to 250€ - but we pay the first 150€… so that’s… great!
Also, I found out another thing today – wind over 118km/h is classed as a hurricane. So I can tick that off the list. And I don’t recommend it!
Powered by Coffee and Generosity
I always say ‘These emails are powered by coffee!’ but I’ve not been able to have coffee for the past couple of days! So, if you feel so inclined, I’d be even more grateful than normal! They really are hugely appreciated! My buymeacoffee link is at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jamesmb
Thank you!
Edition 25
Congratulations, by the way, to everyone who noticed that the last newsletter was called Pony because a pony is Cockney rhyming slang for £25. However, like a lot of Cockney rhyming slang, it doesn’t rhyme! The term pony came from British soliders who served in India during the time of empire because the 25 rupee note featured a photo of a pony.
Also, the 500 rupee note featured a monkey - which is why £500 is a monkey.
That said, a five rupee note didn’t feature Lady Godiva - that actually rhymes with fiver!
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So, that’s it for this week. I’m very hopeful that next week’s email will be much more boring…
…and that it will be written from a warm home!
Take care!
James x
PS As I write, we are one of over 124,000 households who still do not have electricity. 90% of us will be reconnected by next week. The final 10% are harder to reach. And it still could have been worse.
Glad you are all ok. Now start chopping wood and get yourself a stove with a mini oven in it. (We love ours. it comes in handy during the power cuts we're not meant to have).
And in regards to the email... For me it feels like 'Missives and observations exploring the rich cultural tapestry of the here and now. Sometimes funny. Always in need of coffee.' or 'Anecdotes, stories, and reflections wrapped up in a mildly cynical exploration of expat life'.