Last night's windstorm, which Dorothy noted in Chateauguay, knocked out the hydro in my part of Stratford for more than an hour in the shank of the evening. Edmund's collection of camping gadgets includes a rechargeable lantern with a solar panel on one side, a USB cable and even a crank; fortunately, it retained enough energy to light my way to light the stove (yay gas!), make a bit of supper, clean out the litterbox, and go to bed. Across the street, I could see Neighbour Neil's flashlight bobbing about on what looked like similar missions. About five minutes after I hit the sack, the lights came on again and I had to get up and turn everything off.

The books are stowed, and the library lacks only the big green Bokhara rug, currently out for cleaning, and the teak-framed sofa from the sitting room. I also have to fold up the six-foot work table and get it downstairs again, most likely with help from wonderful, long-suffering Neil. I can carry that table on the flat, but I'm fairly sure I would have trouble controlling it on the stairs.

Edmund's rechargeable lantern now lives in the front of the bottom right kitchen drawer, where I can find it in the darkest dark. I should get another one for upstairs; power failures are not unusual in these parts.