cold nights, no electricity and going to the DOGS.

OK, it is stinking cold here in the Southern Hemisphere....we keep having power outages...so the little oil heater...that works like a radiator goes off...and without HEAT in our home...it gets cold!I can not recall more than 4 or 5 times in my 53 + years of living...that I didn't have electricity in the US...as in under a power outage! How can this country have blackouts every stinking week...usually 2 or 3 times per week.Could it be the "free" electric that they keep giving to people...without building new power stations!How can the electric company that used to supply the power to a very minute part of the population pre 1994, give electricity to an additional 80 % of the population that previous lived in villages????This whole business makes no sense to me?We woke up to snow on the mountains on Tuesday... the mountains which pretty much form some kind of ring around our town.No snow in town...thank goodness....its hard enough to drive without there being any impediment caused by MOTHER NATURE.That would only add aggravation to an already "less than safe" driving situation!Bob is happy that the cold is holding...as it means he can walk safely on the mountain with no fear of another face to face with a COBRA! :o) I am sick of the cold!Sick of heating up hot water bottles to warm my bed up at the feet! Doing a mental countdown until it starts warming up here...or I come to the US, whichever comes first. Of course, since I am scheduled to arrive back in the US on OCT. 29, it will be getting warm here...and getting cold there....so I will miss some of the South African summer. I don't think I can win this year????!!!!!Just now I am worried about my luggage allowance for the return trip to the States. I have always flown British Air...so always had same luggage allowance...and it could be checked through...but this return trip I am flying Virgin Atlantic to London..then United to States. Hope they will check luggage through as London United flights only allow 1 bag...weighing only 21 k total..about 40 pounds. Not very much....especially traveling Eskridge style! Yikes....hope no problems. Dogs have kept us up three days running..so I am beat tonight. One stinking dog across the road...with very deep WOOF, sounds like the dog from "Lady and The TRamp" DOG. He barked so long last night...he woke Bob up....I could hear him with my earplugs in my ears. No sleep!His owners left to go out of town for the long weekend, ..for Women's day. Hate it when they leave...which is every long weekend. And you can't complain to the cops about it...they don't care...or the dog pound...they don't either. Heck...the owner's don't care!Just hope he is worn out for tonight as I am about to go to bed. Hope your days are warm...and nights are without barking! Later!