Memories from Beryl, 79
Oh,
the joys of electricity!!!
Not
that a 32 volt plant was anything like the modern mains power,
but it meant lights from wall switches wherever one wanted
to have them, instead of kerosene lamps or the “dodgy” carbide
lights.
It
also enabled one to have an electric washing machine and iron
– the use of these often depended on me remembering to get
the men folk to start the engine before they went off to work
or if I could then start it on my own. Sometimes, this proved
to be a simple matter, but many a time I walked away in disgust.
If
it was only ironing to be done, the wood stove provided the
necessary heat for good old Mrs Pott's flat irons. The stove
was going all day so it was easier to go that way than to
swing the handle of the engine and get no result. The washing,
though, was a different matter. I had no wish to go back to
the copper boiler and hand washing, so that job waited until
another day!
This
goes back to the 1950s and 1960s and lasted until the 1980s.
Today, the power supply is the same as in town – such a blessing
to be able to have everything one desires in the line of electrical
appliances – and no engine to start before using them.
Still,
regardless of all the hassles encountered, having the 32v
power was a milestone very much appreciated by me and doubtless
many other country women.
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