Primitive evening

Another result of this week's storm: after the initial 4 hour powercut, we thought we were getting off lightly. Should have known better - I was just about to cook dinner when everything went dark again. The wind was howling, the rain battering down, and I had just put the kettle on to boil for pasta.

The meal was actually a success - a little preparation beforehand, including cutting sprigs of thyme from their pot in the terrifying garden, meant that I was able to fry the strips of bacon (streaky, standing in for pancetta) in the butter, add strips of parsnips (2 for 2 people) with two cloves of garlic (chopped) and the thyme, then set them aside with a lid over them while I boiled the pasta water and cooked the tagliatelle, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water. I then returned the bacon pan to the single-burner camping gas stove briefly while I drained the pasta, piled it back into the pot along with the bacon mix, added the reserved cooking water with a pile of grated parmesan and a knob of butter and some pepper and a handful of parsley ... and poured the wine! Ok, the pasta bowls were cold (I like a warmed bowl) but the taste was delicious and we ate by candlelight.

The photo is not of the meal - I was too hungry to hold the camera steady - but of the sitting room where we both dozed off afterwards with the radio for company. Looks quite cosy - but I was delighted to waken this morning at 7am and see the hall light on, having gone to bed in the dark with a candle.

Today, the sun is shining, the wind has gone, the roof is mended and we have electricity. I feel we have returned to the present ... for now.