Brownouts. Welcome to suburbia.

I've just experienced my first-ever brownout!

It was so weird, I thought at first we'd maybe blown a fuse, so I went to check it out. I stumbled around in the dark with my iphone screen lighting my way (which kept going to sleep at inopportune times, I'm complaining to Apple) and checked out the fuse box outside. Yes I should have some sort of high powered torch device but I'm a girl.

Even if I did have one it would likely not have any batteries and it would probably be put away in such an obscure place that I'd only be able to find it in the daytime.

Sue me.

So anyway the fuses all looked fine, but for good measure I thought I'd turn everything off and back on again anyway. I mean, that works with a computer right? Yeah?

The washing machine started beeping incessantly so I thought I must be onto a winner. And some of the lights came on but only partially - like we'd dimmed the bulbs way the hell down. My laptop was working but the modem was not, the iphone charger was working but the alarm clock was only showing the middle : symbol.

Anyway like the intelligent and educated person I claim to be, I got out my ipad and started to google for electricity issues in the Toowoomba region.

D'oh...ipad only works when modem engaged.

Ooops.

So back to the (not very charged) iphone, where Energex proudly informed me there was nothing bloody wrong in my entire postcode.

So out I went down the driveway looking rather fetching in my bathrobe and earmuffs to check out the street.

Across the road there's people wandering around their (completely dark) house with a torch. The house next door to them was blazing with light. The house next door to me in darkness, but up and down the street I saw some houses with light, and some not.

Meanwhile E is telling me he thinks there's a ghost in our house that is playing tricks to get us to move out and that he was scared, blah blah. I'm trying to maintain my cool (whilst sitting in the dark) telling him not to be silly but wondering WTF to do as after 3 years living in a highrise where the one and only time the lights stopped working it was because of a fuse issue, during the DAYTIME, and the fuse box was located right next to the bathroom, I am now a complete noob when it comes to knowing what to do! If we ever had any issues before we had an onsite manager who'd come and fix it all up for us.

Anyway after about an hour suddenly the lights were on and we were home!

But of course nothing is that simple. The alarm on the house where I'd seen the people with a torch previously started wailing like a banshee with a bright light flashing and the whole box and dice. Nice.

Even through my earmuffs the volume seemed to rise to earsplitting limits and it went on FOREVER. Then it would stop so I'd get all relieved, only for it to start up again about 10 seconds later with a new (and un-improved) screech that was grating on my every last nerve.

So after four cycles of this, we now have blessed relief. Fingers crossed.

God I lead an exciting life. But at least my hair looks good. Even with earmuffs.

xx