How to shed time

My first real experience with load shedding:

When the lights went out at 8 sharp and I realized they, Eishkom, were actually following through with their threat to include our area in the load shedding grid, I panicked a little. What is one to do without electricity for any substantial amount of time? Robbie was already lights-out on the couch but for me it was too early to sleep. I made some calls hoping to ignite one of those conversations that can consume a good hour, but anyone who answered kept it brief and returned to their lives blissfully uninterrupted by blinding darkness.

In the two hours that followed I bathed, read my book by torch and ate a delicious Pink Lady apple on the balcony trying to work out where the lights began again.

The countdown of the last 10 minutes was like waiting for the fast to end on Yom Kippur... but overall, not a terrible way to spend a couple of hours.