Becoming accustomed to Cyprus power cuts...

It's made a big difference knowing in advance when to expect power cuts, since the provisional schedule was published on Tuesday.

Even better was being able to sign up for mobile phone alerts. I appreciated the commenter who let me know how to do this, and signed up immediately. It wasn't all that helpful on Wednesday... the schedule had already informed me that our region's power cut would begin some time between 4.30 and 5.00. At 4.00pm a text message arrived, in Greek. I typed it quickly into Google Translate.. and it told me that disruption to our region would start some time between 4.30 and 5.00pm, and would last up to two and a half hours. Which is what I knew already. Still, it reminded me to turn the computer off around 4.25. I wasn't worried about the cut on Wednesday as we had been invited to the home of some friends.

On Thursday, however, I was very thankful for the phone alert. Assuming that between 4.30 and 5.00 was our regular scheduled time, I had not checked the Electricity Authority of Cyprus site. But around 3.00pm I had a text telling me that the cut would start some time between 3.30 and 4.00. We had been invited to the home of some other friends to eat, so again I wasn't worried from the cooking point of view - but it's much better to switch the computer off rather than have it suddenly go black due to a power cut.

On Friday, it was even earlier. And once again, my phone alert let me know that the cut might start at 2.30. So I was ready for it - and that's when it did start. It lasted for two and a half hours. I'd cooked a curry in the crockpot, starting it around 7.00am so I knew it would continue cooking gently during the power cut.

Friday evening, we had a second power cut. The site had said that it was possible, but this time the phone alert did not arrive until about five minutes after the blackout began at 8.40pm. Still, I had a feeling we might have a second cut and had been carrying an electric torch around with me. Tim lit some candles - it's pitch dark in Cyprus by that time - and tried to read his Kindle by candlelight:


But there wasn't enough light .And it was very humid, which felt worse without the ceiling fans running. So we went outside to sit on the front porch of our guest flat, almost as if we were Cypriots.

No cuts are scheduled for the weekend, and Monday's is supposed to start some time between 3.00 and 3.30pm, according to the EAC site. That means that we should have electricity back again some time between 5.30 and 6.00 so if I plan something in the slow cooker again, there will be plenty of time to use the oven for roast vegetables or similar after the power returns.

Confident that we would not have power cuts today - or, at least, that my phone would let me know if one became scheduled unexpectedly - I did the last work necessary to upgrade our family website, including concluding the notes for my rather rambling and detailed home education diary, ending in 2006 after Tim turned 18 and started on his degree course.

Cyprus power cuts - a provisional schedule is published

When I wrote my update on the Cyprus power cuts nearly a week ago, I said that it would have been nice to know when to expect the cuts. It's possible to work around them - switching off computers, for instance, ensuring we've used an electrical gadgets we need in the kitchen in advance - if they're on some kind of schedule.

I continued to make notes, wondering if a pattern would emerge. We had no cut last Wednesday. Thursday was the earliest and longest to date: 1.00pm to 3.35pm. Then a second one from 6.00pm - we don't know for how long as we went out to eat, treated by a friend staying in the guest flat. We could not go to our first choice - the local meze taverna - since they too were having a power cut. So we went back to Alexander's on the sea-front. Tourist areas seem to be immune from power outages.

On Friday and Saturday we then had no cuts at all. I think perhaps there was one Sunday morning when Tim and I were out at a church service and Richard was at the boat, since the air conditioning units showed flashing lights when we returned, and other people reported having had some cuts. But that didn't affect us at all.

Yesterday afternoon (Monday) the power went off at 4.30pm. I had a stifado in the slow cooker which had been gently simmering since shortly after 6.00am. I knew it would keep its heat well so didn't worry about that. However I had been planning to do some roasted sweet potatoes and other veggies in the oven, which take about 40 minutes. We hoped the power might come back again before two hours had passed, but it didn't. I didn't want to open the fridge during the cut, but reckoned that I could prepare the veg pretty quickly, with Tim's help, if the power came back at 6.30. It would mean we wouldn't get to eat until almost 7.15 but we thought we could just about deal with that.

The power didn't come on at 6.30.

At 6.35, Tim and I were watching the clock and starting to feel decidedly hungry. Neither of us is very good with disruption of plans, and I didn't really have a plan B. Cuts can last up to two and a half hours, and the thought of not even starting to prepare veggies until 7.00 just didn't bear thinking about.

Inspiration struck.

We had been talking about having Tim's favourite fast food 'Souvlaki Express' some evening while he's here. I realised that I could put the stifado in the fridge for eating the following day. I mentioned this idea to Tim, and he suggested waiting until 6.40.

So we did, and the power still didn't come on. So Tim used his mobile phone to call Richard and ask him to meet him at the Souvlaki Express shop, which is about five minutes' walk from our house.

At 6.45, the power came back on. But by then we'd arranged to buy souvlaki fast food, so I decanted the stifado, and laid the table... it was almost still 7.15 before we ate.

Today, the power went off at 4.30pm. I had NO idea what we would do if it didn't return until 7.00pm - perhaps reheat portions of stifado in a saucepan on the (gas) hob, and do some rice with it, and find other veg to do in a saucepan.

But thankfully, it came back at 5.45, which gave me plenty of time to use the oven as I had intended.

Then Richard told me that a friend had discovered that a schedule has been published. I hunted around on the Cyprus Electricity site, without much success, eventually finding the schedule in Greek only. Google translate came to my rescue again. Basically it says that each region will get one cut per day of up to two and a half hours, at the same time each day. There are links to each city, and as far as I can make out, we are region 20.

Which means that we are due to get a power cut EVERY week day, starting some time between 4.30 and 5.00, lasting up to 7.00 or even 7.30.

So cooking is going to be quite a challenge. If it were winter, we might consider cooking in the morning and eating our main meal at lunch-time, but I can't face that during summer. Not starting to cook until 7.00 simply isn't an option - I can't manage eating late. No doubt we will figure something out; today's cut wasn't too bad, and I can of course do most of my preparation in the morning. It IS useful to know when we're likely to lose power... but I had rather hoped that there would be a weekly schedule, with different times each day. Entertaining friends for an evening meal is going to be pretty much impossible.

Ah well.

This is Cyprus.

Update on Cyprus power cuts

According to the Cyprus Electricity Authority a week ago, we were due for rolling two-hour power cuts every couple of hours.

However when Richard mentioned it to our neighbour, he called a friend who works for the Electricity Board, and who assured him that our area would not be getting any cuts. No explanation as to why.

And, indeed, on Wednesday we had power all day long. Late afternoon I posted on Facebook, to Cyprus friends only, asking if anyone else had had any power cuts. Some had not experienced any; some had had just power cut for a couple of hours at different times, and one person reported a two-hours-on followed by two-hours-off cycle all day.

On Thursday, I had just started preparing food for some visitors coming to share our evening meal. And the power went off. It was 3.15pm. That meant I could not use the electric mixer, or the ice cream maker, or the oven, or the microwave.. and we didn't want to open the fridge or freezer. But our friends were expected at 6.30, and I started getting a little anxious... so around 4.30 I did quickly open the fridge and started cooking using our stove-top, which, thankfully, is gas. Of course I had to use a match to start it, but that wasn't a huge problem!

At 5.00pm the power came on again, so I turned on the oven at once, and although I then didn't sit down for the next hour and a half, everything was, eventually, ready.

On Friday, I had been doing various things around the house in the morning, and sat down to read email and check Facebook after lunch, with the air conditioning on (at 28C, of course). At 2.30 the power went out. I decided to finish reading the Kindle book I was enjoying... only to have my Kindle run out of battery! And couldn't charge it without my computer on. At 4.20pm the power came on again, so I was able to cook for our evening meal without any problem.

On Saturday morning we woke up to find that the power had been off in the night, or perhaps early morning. It was then on all day, and we were just relaxing after eating when it went off at 8.00pm. And remained off for exactly two hours. Some of our neighbours sat outside and chatted... we found some torches and candles, and were pleased when it came on again, since it was quite a humid evening. It was interesting being able to look out from our balconies after dark and see that our little district was in darkness while other areas had light.

On Sunday, there were no cuts in our neighbourhood.

On Monday this week, we had just finished lunch and I was about to make our frappés when the power went out. So, I couldn't use the frappé machine. And while I could potentially have made them the old-fashioned way, shaking in a jar, I really didn't want to open the freezer while the power was off. That cut lasted exactly two hours too.

Yesterday, the power went out just before 4.00pm. We had some people coming over for coffee, but were able to offer them juice instead... and since I wasn't planning on cooking at the time, it wasn't a problem, other than being rather warm and sticky without even fans running. That cut lasted exactly two hours, again.

Today, Wednesday... we haven't yet had a cut. This worries me slightly. Tim is making us a chicken pie for tonight's meal, which should go in the oven about 6.00pm. What are the chances of a cut at that time....? We really don't want to have to wait until 8.30 to eat...

The problem with not knowing when the power is likely to go out is that it's difficult to organise the day. Since we haven't yet had any morning cuts, I've been able to make bread in the breadmaker and it's been fine. But I don't want to do our accounts since it could corrupt the database if the power went off before I had closed the (rather old) program down. I was hoping we might have had a cut about 2.00 today, which would have meant I was safe to get things done after 4.00.

Of course, power cuts are a minor inconvenience compared to the tragic loss of life caused by the explosion, and the horrendous destruction of the electricity plant. Other countries are supplying some large generators, and the Northern part of Cyprus is supplying some power, which should almost be sufficient. At least when the tourists have left and the temperatures have cooled somewhat. The Electricity Authority is asking people not to use air conditioners... but with computers it's vital that we do, otherwise they will overheat. Confusingly, they are also telling people not to run them at temperatures cooler than 25C. Something we would never do anyway, since 28 is quite sufficient to feel cooler than outside, and to reduce the awful humidity.

But it would be nice to know when we should expect to lose power!

Tragedy, inefficiency, and extensive disruption

Many people will be aware that, early this morning, there was a major explosion at the Zygi naval base in Cyprus. It's probably 40km from Larnaka, so we were unaware that it had happened until we turned on our computers and saw the news.

It's a tragic loss of life, and my heart goes out to the relatives. I hope and pray that those injured will recover, and that those made homeless will receive the help they need. It's a tragedy that should not have happened, according to the above reports, and many more pouring in from newspapers and news sites. Storing munitions in canisters in Cyprus summer temperatures was extremely unwise; apparently they survived last year, however, so perhaps the authorities assumed they would be fine this year, too. A brush fire is supposed to have been the trigger, with the explosion rocking the neighbourhood. Ministers have resigned over this issue, and no doubt recriminations will be thrown about widely, with nobody wanting to take full responsibility.

The pictures on the BBC site show utter devastation in the area, and other reports talk of debris for miles around. The nearby towns were seriously disrupted, and the Limassol Highway has been closed. Apparently there were some widespread power cuts this morning, since there was a nearby electricity plant, which has been knocked out. It is likely that it will have to be re-built from scratch... and this is the plant that provides half the island's power. It occurs to me that, while the loss of life is appalling, and heart-breaking to their loved ones, it is something of a miracle that there were not many hundreds more injuries and fatalities.

We understand that this disaster will lead to widespread disruption around Cyprus for the next six months, or perhaps more. Temperatures and humidity started to soar over the weekend, meaning that homes, shops, hotels and other buildings will be using air conditioning - and many people seem to run their thermostats at surprisingly low temperatures. The de-salination plants have apparently been turned off for now, so we're relying on water from the reservoirs once more. It was a fairly wet winter, so there's enough water for now... but Cyprus has been relying on de-salinated water for a while now, to supply the excess.

Rumour has it that there are likely to be disruptions of both electricity and water, in planned (but probably un-announced) waves across the island for the next few months. We are usually fairly careful about our water and electricity use, but not as much as we used to be when there were regular water restrictions. We run our air conditioners only in rooms we're using, and keep the thermostat at 28C; perhaps we should increase that to 29, which should still be all right for the computers, and would continue to remove humidity which is the worst part of the summer from our perspective.

Apparently we're asked to run washing machines and dishwashers as little as possible, and not during peak working hours. I don't run ours other than when they're full, but will try to remember to do them at night, or early in the morning. Tumble driers are not generally used in Cyprus, and I can't imagine anyone would use one in the summer; we don't have one. We're asked not to iron unecessarily. That one's easy enough, since I iron almost nothing anyway. No doubt we'll be told not to water our patios and streets - something else that I don't do.

If everyone pulls together and is sensible about water and electricity, we might find that life is not too disrupted; decreased bills might even make it more attractive to use power more efficiently. The alternative would seem to be widespread cuts, more people leaving Cyprus, fewer tourists, and the gradual descent into the lifestyle of a non-developed country.

Power cuts in Cyprus

On Friday, several people received notices that their electricity would be cut sporadically on Sunday, while some new cables were laid in the street outside. Much better, of course, than having it go off without warning. But it was a bit inconvenient since one of the buildings was a bakery (open 7 days a week) and another was St Helena's Church, where Tim is the organist. They use a digital piano for the main morning service, switched to organ mode for hymns. And today was Remembrance Sunday, a big event in the Anglican Church.

Unsure whether it would be advisable even to switch the piano on - since a power surge could potentially damage it - Tim took his classical guitar with him. He had never played any of the hymns chosen for the service on the guitar, and didn't have chords available, so had to read the piano music and turn it into guitar chords on the spur of the moment. Apparently he succeeded, and even though some of the folk who attend morning service don't like guitars much, it was better than singing a capella.

The PA system obviously didn't work either, so those leading the service had to speak extra-loud, but it's not a huge church. One of them apparently did have a mental block at the last hymn... he put an acetate on the overhead projector, and then couldn't understand, for a moment, why it didn't work! Fortunately most of the words used were in the hymn book. Just as well this happened in November, so they weren't expecting to use the air conditioning.

Tim said, when he got home, that evening service might be cancelled if the power wasn't returned. I asked why - after all, he usually plays his guitar for the evening service, and as there are only usually about twenty people there, they can manage easily without microphones.

I had forgotten one important fact. By 6.30pm it's dark. Without power, they wouldn't be able to see a thing....

Richard dropped him at the church at 6pm and the lights were working. So, presumably, the power is now on again.

Green Monday and a Power Cut

Today is the first day of Lent in the Greek Orthodox Church.

This year, unusually, Western and Eastern Easter fall on the same day (April 8th) so this week is the start of Lent for us all - however we have two days less in the Western/Protestant church since of course Shrove Tuesday is tomorrow, and Ash Wednesday, the day after, is the first day of Western Lent. Perhaps it's due to different methods of counting 40 days, but it seems odd to me that there would be two days' difference.

In theory, the Greek Orthodox Christians fast from meat during Lent. In practise, in Cyprus, most of them take little or no notice of this, although some do cut out meat during Holy Week (ie the week before Easter). When we first came to Cyprus, we were careful not to have a barbecue during Lent, not wishing to offend any of our neighbours. Eight years later, there is meat available everywhere, and few vegetarian options in restaurants.

I only wish some of them would think of fasting from cigarettes, since smoke is also around almost everywhere, including restaurants and public buildings. At best there's a small no-smoking area, but as it's usually in the same room as smoking, it hardly makes any difference. At least they've made supermarkets and banks non-smoking, as well as the airport, so that's a start.

Many of the Cypriots go on picnics today, which is known as Green Monday, and is a public holiday. The roads are usually packed with people out for the day. Richard took the day off but we haven't done much.

At 12.30, just before lunch, my computer suddenly switched itself off and we realised we had a power cut. These happen occasionally, not usually lasting for very long. Not a huge problem in the middle of the day. I was pleased that the washing machine had finished, as had the breadmaker, so I could hang out the laundry and we could eat the warm bread. We have a kettle that works on the gas hob, so we could make coffee after lunch - and as it's winter, the house isn't particularly hot so we didn't worry over-much about the fridge.

The power cut lasted two hours. By the end of it we were realising just how much we rely on electricity! Water pressure was poor - it's usually pumped electronically. The heating, although powered with gas, is also pumped by electricity and the timers are electric. The hob on the stove-top is gas, but the oven is electric - as is, of course, the regular kettle, the microwave, the steamer, the juice extractor, the dishwasher...

Perhaps the electricians were all out on picnics, with their mobile phones switched off. Two hours did seem a long time to be without electricity, and it was clearly a fairly widespread problem as someone who had popped into Richard's office (about a mile away) said there was a power cut there too. Meaning he had to go and start all the computers up again once the electricity was back on again.

(For anyone interested in Daniel's life on the Doulos, he's currently in the Philippines. There are some recent blog entries at http://brummieatsea.blogspot.com)