AC/DC

Everything to do with electricity is a mystery to me.

My exposure to physics at school was limited to testing the 9V block battery in the transistor radio because the Radio Luxembourg reception was poor. The unpleasant sting on one's tongue meant the problem was probably due to atmospherics under the bed blankets rather than the battery.

In the family there are loads of electricians. Angie's sister Sigi is one as is her husband Gerhard and ex brother-in-law Manfred, who did all the wiring in our old horse stables in Grosskitzighofen. He taught me the very basics but unlike him, I ensure all plugs are out, all fuses turned off, I'm wearing rubber soled shoes and nowhere near metal or water. I ignore his claims that it's safe to touch two of the wires despite him showing me how.

My last colleagues at work were all electricians and or physicists working daily with 400kV electron microscopes with massive lead shielding as protection but then having the stupidity to pump water around the gear to cool it down. I stayed in the office and wrote invoices and secretly checked up that the Employers Accident Indemnity Insurance Premium was paid on time.

At home I try to limit my exposure to the stuff by restricting myself to checking the electric horse fence. What I like is that there are only two wires - I can just about work out why household plugs have 3 wires but get totally thrown when I am confronted with a junction box with 5.

Although the fence battery says it is 9V, I don't try placing my tongue on the wire but use a volt meter. Nobody can explain to me in understandable English or German how a 9V battery can show 6000V on the meter and give me a horrible whack if I touch the fence by accident. The pain continues for hours.

Once out on a ride with a group of friends, we had to cross a stream and didn't see an electric wire fence which a farmer had placed to allow his cattle to drink from the stream. One horse broke the wire and so it had to be repaired - I didn't volunteer but still got the job. Standing in water trying to join two end of "live" wire. 20 years later, paricipants of this ride still talk about it.

No idea what comes out of these Bliped machines near Ollarzried. There are about 8 close to the village. Most of Bavaria is not considered a good wind "rich" area. As with all forms of renewable energy it has it's pros and cons. Not sure I would like one in my backyard, not just because of noise and shadows but the idea of so many volts above my head. However it's one of the alternatives we need until we eventually find a truly economical and environmentally acceptable solution.

I drove past here today on my way to collect another trailer (small trailer as horsebox still not unloaded) of paving stones. Nice small size normal paving bricks and probably only a few hundred kilos.

Got home to connect up the swimming pool pump. Switched it on, water spurted, a small puff and the pump stopped. Electricity & water, just what I needed. Unplug pump, go to house knock out fuse, open pump and find a blackened wire but luckily only because it had come loose. Managed to fix it, tighten hose clamps and restart. Looks good - a few drips here & there but all within reason and I can hopefully seal without too much problem or wait for the limescale to do it's job.

Now just need some sunshine to get the pool heating working and the water temperature to 3o°C when I might consider dipping a toe in. Angie starts as soon as it gets to 15°C and complains bitterly when it gets above 22°C.