Day Four: Saturday
On Saturdays, work starts at 10:00am, so I got a bit of a lie-in this morning—great! I had set my alarm to go off at 6:30am, but this was totally unrealistic of me. Of course, I hit the 'snooze' button, and duly woke up two hours later. Had time to make porridge, coffee, and had enough hot water to have a wash too.
The gas stove has worked really well: it has been a worthwhile investment. The only reap issue with it is that I can only cook one thing at a time on it, as it only has one burner. Not a huge issue if you're making one-pan meals or just boiling water. It did present a problem when I made chilli and pasta, as the chilli cooled down while the pasta was cooking.
So far the water rationing scheme has held up, although I now think that I didn't budget enough for the dog; she really needs about 1.5 litres per day, as opposed to the 1 litre I had budgeted. This has eaten into my ration. Even so, I have still managed to stay within the limits. At the end of each day, I have been adding any surplus water to the next day's ration, and so far I have had enough to get by. However, I have not washed any dishes yet. I have managed to have a 'shower' (in the bath), and wash my hair. I also managed a shave on Friday morning, although it is not unusual for me to turn up to work or tech looking rather scruffy. Considering that I'm not using any bottled water to flush the toilet, I think that the 3 litres per day recommended by Civil Defense is quite a tight limit.
Work also finishes early on Saturdays; 4:00pm. I cycled home again, this time in daylight. Played with the dog for a while, outside in the fading sun. After she tired, I went inside and set a fire, since today was quite a bit colder that it has been during the rest of the week. This was great: the insulation which the landlords had installed last year really made a difference. During the first winter J.H. and I had spent in the flat, it was freezing cold, even though it wasn't a particularly severe winter in Canterbury. The problem wasn't helped by the fact that our flat is heavily shaded by a huge oak tree growing in the grounds of the Baptist church next door. This means that the flat doesn't get direct sunlight until about 10:00am.
Anyway, once the fire was burning nicely, I made dinner. Vegetable soup today, with more bread. I ate this by the fire and relaxed, listening to National Radio and reading. As Saturday was half-way through the Week of Penury, I also had a celebratory museli bar. When dinner had settled, I took the dog out for a quick walk around the block. Later, I got my guitar out and did some practice.
My ex-flatmates J.S. and C.S. came over to pick up the last of their belongings and some mail, and were quite suprised to find the house in darkness. I thought I had told them about what I was doing, but evidently I hadn't. Everyone who I have told about the Week of Penury have been both amused and supportive, which has been encouraging. I'm not sure that they would necessarily have a go themselves, but they have been interested to hear about what I am doing and how it is affecting my daily life.
Went to bed at about 11:00pm.
The gas stove has worked really well: it has been a worthwhile investment. The only reap issue with it is that I can only cook one thing at a time on it, as it only has one burner. Not a huge issue if you're making one-pan meals or just boiling water. It did present a problem when I made chilli and pasta, as the chilli cooled down while the pasta was cooking.
So far the water rationing scheme has held up, although I now think that I didn't budget enough for the dog; she really needs about 1.5 litres per day, as opposed to the 1 litre I had budgeted. This has eaten into my ration. Even so, I have still managed to stay within the limits. At the end of each day, I have been adding any surplus water to the next day's ration, and so far I have had enough to get by. However, I have not washed any dishes yet. I have managed to have a 'shower' (in the bath), and wash my hair. I also managed a shave on Friday morning, although it is not unusual for me to turn up to work or tech looking rather scruffy. Considering that I'm not using any bottled water to flush the toilet, I think that the 3 litres per day recommended by Civil Defense is quite a tight limit.
Work also finishes early on Saturdays; 4:00pm. I cycled home again, this time in daylight. Played with the dog for a while, outside in the fading sun. After she tired, I went inside and set a fire, since today was quite a bit colder that it has been during the rest of the week. This was great: the insulation which the landlords had installed last year really made a difference. During the first winter J.H. and I had spent in the flat, it was freezing cold, even though it wasn't a particularly severe winter in Canterbury. The problem wasn't helped by the fact that our flat is heavily shaded by a huge oak tree growing in the grounds of the Baptist church next door. This means that the flat doesn't get direct sunlight until about 10:00am.
Anyway, once the fire was burning nicely, I made dinner. Vegetable soup today, with more bread. I ate this by the fire and relaxed, listening to National Radio and reading. As Saturday was half-way through the Week of Penury, I also had a celebratory museli bar. When dinner had settled, I took the dog out for a quick walk around the block. Later, I got my guitar out and did some practice.
My ex-flatmates J.S. and C.S. came over to pick up the last of their belongings and some mail, and were quite suprised to find the house in darkness. I thought I had told them about what I was doing, but evidently I hadn't. Everyone who I have told about the Week of Penury have been both amused and supportive, which has been encouraging. I'm not sure that they would necessarily have a go themselves, but they have been interested to hear about what I am doing and how it is affecting my daily life.
Went to bed at about 11:00pm.
posted by J.L. at 11:40 am
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