pain, sweat and nightmares at 3:30am

demonicpicaxeguy

Senior Member
the sun isn't up and i'm already in pain

at 3.30 ish this morning i got woken up by my very sweaty 6 year old son letting me know that he had had a nightmare because the nightlight had gone out, i realised after trying to look around that the power was out after quick trip to the meter box (fun - not)

it turned out somthing in the house was causing a fault and tripping the switch,30 mins later after many many trips to the meterbox the trip switch stayed up, :)

since the wife was awake now with no prospect of going back to sleep i thought i might make coffee, i went to the kettle grabbed the lead to plug it in (it's one of those ones you plug in at the back) and BANG!, i had just discovered the hard way what the cause of the fault was, the local field rats (that had been evicted by the local council when they cleared some land behind our house) had been busy chewing at this cord that i had just grabbed,

to make things worse it was completly dark again, and there was now glass from a coffeecup my arm took out that is now smashed on the floor which i couldn't see because i had tripped the power again,and i couldn't feel my right arm,

anyway it's now sorted, i'm nursing a sore right hand my son is now asleep again, and my wife is grumbly because she won't get coffee what a lousey way to end the year... it's been a crap one...
 

Wrenow

Senior Member
Sorry, but can't help ROFLOL! Been there, done that, got the T-shirt and wore a hole in it. My sincere sympathies as I chuckle away.

Cheers,

Wreno
 

papaof2

Senior Member
I spent the few extra $ and plugged a "power failure" light (either AA or NiCad powered) into one outlet in each of the kitchen, bedroom, and basement.

I'm usually aware when the power goes off, as the UPS unit on the home network will play its "beep, beep" chorus...

John
 

kevrus

New Member
3 hour non-maintained emergency lights are useful in situations like this, a picaxe project beckons...oh, and a spare kettle wouldnt go amiss - will pay dividends when Mrs Demonpicaxeguy gets her coffee!
 

demonicpicaxeguy

Senior Member
3 hour non-maintained emergency lights are useful in situations like this, a picaxe project beckons...oh, and a spare kettle wouldnt go amiss - will pay dividends when Mrs Demonpicaxeguy gets her coffee!
or 1 of the 6 torches i have to actaully be fully charged when needed the led work light would have been usefull as i keep it right next to the bed and the battery was dead
 

manuka

Senior Member
Electric kettle? I thought you Australians lived around your gas BBQ this time of year! Well at least you didn't then stand on the broken glass with your bare feet, trip over the cat, or stumble over a cane toad. All up I'd say something stronger than coffee may be in order.

Mmm-given the Australian $$$$$$$ poured over the last 60 years into "toadbusting",there may be even be scope for some PICAXE based CANE TOAD control?! As the rascals are apparently attracted by disco style lighting, perhaps some hacked solar powered garden lamp pulsating UV LEDs may have merit as a toad disco? Given insights from past pesky Nisbet & starling threads, perhaps the Forum's collected wisdom merits a 2008 toad brainstorm?

Footnote: I've limited personal experiences with these toads, as thankfully they've not (yet) made it across the pond to NZ. For those "up top" who think Australia is all beer,bikinis & BBQs, see => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_Toad
 

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hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
3 hour non-maintained emergency lights are useful in situations like this
I have to agree.

Hope everything goes well for everyone in the New Year.

My tale of woe was waking up this morning, having a good leg stretch then a calf muscle snapped taunt. Ouch. Must be that time of year for things to go wrong.
 

demonicpicaxeguy

Senior Member
Electric kettle? I thought you Australians lived around your gas BBQ this time of year! Well at least you didn't then stand on the broken glass with your bare feet, trip over the cat, or stumble over a cane toad. All up I'd say something stronger than coffee may be in order.
there are some of us that practically do around this area going off the smell,

typically the last day of the year is usaully a bad one ,new years eve last year i had to drive my sister in law to hospital because she had had beyond too much to drink and was very sick and that was after carrying her 2km up the beach down at a place called huskinson south of sydney

this year our neighbors are getting together on one of the driveways typically who ever has the largest bbq brings it everyone brings their own meat and drinks and chips in for gas/beer
 

catalina

New Member
pain,sweat and nightmares at 3:30am

Hey manuka, if you want to broaden your experience come across the puddle for a visit. Unfortunately, you've just missed the hand-powered express that arrived Sydney yesterday.

We'll arm you with a 4x2 and show how to get rid of the pests in a fun way. There's nothing like the pop as they make as you belt them around the ears. Lot more physical than Picaxing but better for the figure.

Have a good new year
 

D n T

Senior Member
demonicpicaxechick and nightlight issues

Mate!!! I understand.
Possible SOLution (watch out for Stan the man with this one)
Get hold of a couple of small solar panels from oatley or Dicksmith electronics or what ever and a some nicads or the like and make a solar powered night light, demonicpicaxeson might even get interesteds in electronics, other than watching dad get fried, and then you can gang up on demonicpicaxechick when you need something.

To fix the middle of the night lack of caffine or coffee keep a carton of coke in the fridge, with the weather we have been having, it could be handy and does not have the negative effects of alcohol as you previously described. PS you might want to get some diet coke or zero if demonicpicaxechick is anything like She D n T and won't drink normal coke because of the sugar.

Have an awesome new year,
See you all next year.
 
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