Blackout

Last night the power went off suddenly - I'd just got round to lighting candles when it came on again.
This morning, I found out what had happened, when I saw Arthur's Dad walking the dog. He and Shelley had been out having dinner at the Swan last night. It wasn't the most relaxing venue in Hay; the gas men have moved up the road, but the sewerage men have moved in outside, and they're working nights. So the meal was accompanied by the sound of jack hammers from outside. The lady at the Swan said that they'd carried on until 1am the night before, and she'd had to call the police to get them to stop!
So, halfway through the evening, the lights went out, and the sound of the jack hammers stopped. One guest said he'd been looking out of the window at the time, and had seen the 'pooph' of blue smoke as the workman hit the electric cable.
The people at the Swan were really good, apparently, putting candles out - and the chef came out of the kitchen to explain that he couldn't cook certain meals because they needed the electric oven, but he could still use the gas grill. Fortunately, power was restored pretty quickly.
So, full marks for quick thinking to the Swan, and minus several million to the sewerage workmen.