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Top 10 things to do in a blackout

10 Bring those little solar-powered lights in from the garden

No point letting the foxes get all the benefit of our space-age technology. If you’ve thought ahead and bought one of those solar-powered iPod chargers (and assuming for one moment that we’ve had some nice weather) then charge up your iPod. Because you can

9 Eat all the ice-cream in the freezer

It’ll only melt otherwise. And melted then refrozen ice-cream is horrid. While you’re at it, see if there’s any beer or white wine in the fridge. They’re just not the same warm and whereas, technically, you can re-cool beer you’re going to need something to get you through the next few hours

8 For that matter eat every biscuit, cake, and piece of fruit in the house

Even if you have a gas oven, there’s still no sense in cooking anything. You’re in the grip of a drama and it’s important to enter into the spirit of the thing

7 Wake the kids up

If the power cut happens after the hours of darkness, and let’s face it every blackout worthy of the name does, then it’s important that you don’t deny your offspring the character-building Blitz Spirit experience of being dragged from their bed and having terrifying M.R. James stories read to them by a torch-wielding parent

6 Play Snake on your mobile

Yes, it’s true that your mobile phone might be the only reliable alarm clock left in the house and that if the outage continues after bedtime there’s no reliable means of rousing yourself for work the following morning, but there’s no better use of your limited battery power than testing your reflexes against the ubiquitous and addictive Nokia serpent-steering game. Besides, you have got that solar charger haven’t you?

5 Think about any elderly or vulnerable neighbours you might have

Pop around and make sure they’re alright. Take a flask of tea over if you can. They’ll probably know some great old Vera Lynn songs you can sing

4 Indulge in a little amateur astronomy

If the power cut is widespread enough it should have a marked effect on the light pollution in your area. Get the whole family out in the street to look at the stars. With any luck someone else in your road will have had the same idea and you can enjoy a rare neighbourly bond as you speculate wildly about the possible duration of the outage

3 Read a book

If you’re on your own, you’ll find a quiet read by candlelight is a quite distinct experience from the snatched half a chapter on a busy commuter train. If you have any Dickens or Austen in the house, enjoy the classics the way their original readers did

2 Do all the sensible things: unplug computers, TVs, Sky boxes etc

After all, power cuts are fun at first but you don’t want to be dealing with a blown fuse when everyone else has their power back

1 Have sex

Despite persistent rumours, there was no “Baby Boom” nine months after the great New York Blackout of 1965. Nevertheless, a power cut is a tremendous excuse for an early night, and it’s not as if you can really read a book