soaping in the dark
Posted on | April 25, 2007 | No Comments
we started soapmaking in the late afternoon, yesterday.
laaaaate afternoon.
first soap up is a layered thing that requires military precision and operatic timing and balletic balance.
seriously.
we call it the divorce soap because we never know if our marriage will survive making it.
so, we make the first batch and it gets split and poured into 6 moulds (each holding 48 bars).
phew, first layer in the moulds, the lye is cooling perfectly for the next layer, everything is looking good.
i start to make the next batch and POOOF!! the electricity goes out.
i immediately notice that it is starting to get quite dark outside, as i switch to hand whisking.
maurice looks around outside and it’s the whole neighbourhood without power, not just us…..so he swings into action.
within minutes, he has fuelled up the generator, started it, attached my stick blender and the water pump.
he grabs some big torches and sets those up.
i carry on making soap….once you start, you cannot stop…..but manage to reset my scales using battery power.
even with the torches, it was horrible trying to get the colours right, but we soldiered on and got the next 2 layers poured into the moulds….all the while discussing contingency plans for NEXT time the power should go out.
probably the best plan is to make soap earlier in the day. hehehe.
we had a break for an hour or so and when the power came back on, we made another 11 batches.
i feel like we were soaping all night long. it was certainly late when we finished.
we had just got ourselves showered and were perched with mugs of spiced cocoa and were salivating in anticipation of a french movie…le closet….and the electricity went out again!
and so, to bed.
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