An explosion ..

I still owe you an explanation about last Wednesday’s ‘forced’ day off from work. But first of all I would like to thank you all for posting such ‘inventive’ comments. I’ve enjoyed each and every one of them. Reading them I was reminded why I like blogging so much. The virtual exchanges with kindred minds are so enjoyable and satisfying.

Here’s what happened. At about 5.45 a.m. an hour before I arrived at work, a transformer in the main electrical utility cabin exploded, causing a small fire and a general power cut in the main building. This building is 10 stories high; midgets compared to the skyscrapers that are typical for many a skyline all over the world. However, the building into which my department moved in the beginning of November 2012 after being located for over 4 years in an annex, which only has three stories and wasn’t touched by the power cut. The fire was very quickly under control, thanks to the fast intervention of the night intervention team and the skilful help of the local fire brigade. However, the power was cut off and the badge controlled barriers keeping unauthorized people out, were out of order, and so were the main gates into the three underground parking garages. Moreover, the whole building was one black ‘hulk’ looming over the pond and surrounding grounds.

Finally, by 7.45 a.m. our diligent technical team managed to open one of the garages and we were let in. By then there was an enormous line of cars causing a traffic jam on the nearby boulevard. We parked our cars and ventured into the semi-obscure main entrance hall. There we were stopped by security. I ran into a former colleague and patiently waited for what was to come next.

As time moved on, more and more people came pouring into the hall. Some, who had found a place to sit down in the comfortable chairs that are usually reserved for visitors, had already pulled out their laptops and were working – on battery power – with their laptop dangerously balancing on their knees.

I had my laptop with me too, but I knew that the battery was flat. So I waited, chatting … At 8 a.m. a man showed up, requesting for silence. He explained what had happened, insisted that there was no danger, but that we had wait in the hallway until the technical team had fully assessed the situation. There was some commotion because he failed to repeat the announcement in French … a very delicate and tricky situation in a small country where some people – who are not bilingual – tend to get frustrated when they ‘feel’ they are being ignored. (Stop, no politics here!!).

Fifteen minutes later we were allowed to go to our offices with the request ‘to keep ourselves occupied’ … very difficult when you have no computer, no heating and no light. I feel sorry for the poor souls who had to walk up 10 flights of stairs (I work on the first floor), because only 2 out of the 8 lifts were operational. And, sheer catastrophe, the coffee, soft drinks and snack machines were also out of order. To my surprise the toilettes were brightly lit. No power cut there!

At 9 a.m. a new announcement came over the intercom system – which was working perfectly! The technicians were still assessing the situation and bottled water would be distributed at the coffee corners. By then, everybody was beginning to get restless. And somehow – don’t ask we why – there wasn’t a manager in sight! At 10 a.m. the long awaited message came! We were allowed to go home.

The exodus was well organized, with dedicated staff making sure that everybody could leave the grounds without causing another traffic jam. By 11 a.m. I was home and ready to enjoy an unexpected day off. I did switch on my laptop though and received some emails from colleagues located in the annex building. Later I learnt that they had received a free sandwich lunch and a bottle of mineral … A nice gesture, right!? I must admit that my employer handled this crisis beautifully and in a very correct and human way. Thanks boss!


P.S. Still no photos, but I have some very appetizing ones for you presently ... You'll see!

Home already ...

Today I was home from work before 11 a.m. Not because I took the afternoon off, or because I felt poorly ...

When I arrived this morning at 6:50 a.m. there was a long queue of at least thirty cars waiting to be let into the underground parking garage. This has happened in the past because it officially opens at 6:45 a.m. and people tend to come in early to have a good spot, especially as there aren’t enough places to accommodate the complete office population. Parking in the streets around the building has become a problem since - two years ago - the local council instituted a ‘blue’ parking zone in the area. Changing your parking disc every two hours is a tricky and dangerous option. You can’t rush out every two hours to change your ‘time of arrival’. Moreover, the police often uses a primitive, yet efficient trick, to check whether your car has moved since the last time of control.

Using an ordinary piece of chalk, they draw a line on one of the tyres, and on the asphalt. If after two hours you haven’t taken the trouble of moving your car, they will see that the lines on the tyre and on the asphalt still match and that the car has been sitting there for longer than the authorized parking time.

But back to our ‘crisis situation’. When by ten past seven the gates were still closed, people in the queue, which by then was beginning to cause traffic problems on the nearby boulevard, were beginning to get nervous. I guess most of them were longing for their morning coffee … a daily routine most can’t do without. Everybody kept the motor running though, as it was freezing cold outside and the temperature in the car quickly became uncomfortable when you turned the engine off.

Finally, a sturdy man came walking down the line of cars, stopping and chatting to each driver. When he arrived at my car, I lowered the window to listen to what he had to say …

Being short of ‘exciting’ topics to write about lately, and because I know you like cliff-hangers … I’ll be back later with the rest of the story! Care to take a guess?


P.S. No photo today, because I didn’t have my camera on me and it was too dark anyway to take a decent shot showing the line of cars waiting to be let in.

Eggs

I’ve always been fond of eggs. They are so versatile: soft or hard boiled, omelettes, scrambled, with some smoked salmon, fried – sunny side up – raw, in a fresh beef tartar, Scotch eggs, in home-made mayonnaise, or as a binding element in a meatloaf or meatballs. 

 
I regularly serve hard-boiled quail eggs as an appetizer and they look really cute and tasty as fried eggs on top of a salad. On several occasions I have used them to make mini Scotch'eggs as a starter. People never guess what they are when you serve the one inch ‘meatballs’ on a salad with some good olive oil, salt pepper and a dash of lemon juice.

 
Why am I writing about eggs today? Simply because my cleaning lady, who comes in once every fortnight, brought me some free-range eggs from her chickens. They weren’t exactly a present, because she charges 0.10 euro per egg. She claims to be the ‘cheapest’ of the non-official egg suppliers in our village. But, after tasting one of the eggs yesterday for breakfast, I’m willing to pay the double. These eggs are sooooooo good!
   
Until now I have been buying ‘cocorette’ eggs, free-range eggs from Northern France, which are really good too. And I wouldn’t mind buying them again in the future, when my cleaning lady’s chickens are taking their annual break.
 

In the meantime however, I’m looking forward to these extra fresh eggs … which really come in all sizes …