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Here comes the rain again
Blog Date - 06 July 2011
Yes indeed, sure enough the rain has returned. We should not complain. We'd be complaining more if/when there's a hosepipe ban, then we'll whinge like hell if we end up with stand pipes. I remember the drought of 1976, I was living in Yorkshire at the time and I remember as a 5 year old boy carrying buckets of water back to the house from the tap at the far end of the road. Eeeee by gum, times were grim then, they don't know how lucky they are these days...
It's also what keeps this place a green and pleasant land. Having ridden through central Spain in the summer I've seen the effects that "Guaranteed Sunsine" can have. If we're to have lush green woodlands, rolling fields full of long grass and georgous waterfalls in wooded glades then we have to tolerate, even embrace, the rain.
If only it were a perfect world. Imagine a summer where the sun shines bright and warm from 0500 until 2200 and a gentle breeze keeps us from overheating. Imagine then at night, from perhaps 0100 until 0400 it would rain. Everyone would be in bed and it would make for a cool comfortable night's sleep. That way we could have the summer we all want without the problems of a lack of water. What it is to dream eh.
Summer rain's not so bad though. It can rain very hard in summer and soak through even the most determined of waterproofs, but it doesn't matter. It's not cold, not like the damp biting grinding cold of winter rain. Summer rain rarely lasts for any length of time, it tends to come then go. Roads dry quickly and bike gear dries quickly too. Not like winter where wet gloves can take 2, 3 or even 4 days to dry, only to become soaked again the next day. It's just so much easier to be wet in summer as there's always hope of drying out soon.
Taking all that into consideration, you still can't beat a dry day. Not too hot you understand, if everyone around you is wearing only shorts and a smile then riding with leathers and helmet is going to be a sticky, smelly affair. It's tolerable when you're on the move but if you get stuck at the lights or in bad traffic then it can be hell. No, my perfect weather is dry with no chance of rain, but a few clouds rolling accross the sky and a bit of a breeze to keep the temperature under control.
So here's hoping for rain at night and when I'm at work, and dry weekends and evenings. But I'll take whatever I'm given.
Reader's Comments
Garth said :-
With the weather being so bad I would murder just warmth. Bring on summer.
12/02/2018 22:45:57 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
You're speaking my language Garth.
The thing is I spend all winter hankering after summer, then when we get our first warm dry day the roads are filled with day trippers and suicidal nutters on motorcycles. I then wish it was cold and wet again.
I am doomed to be a miserable grumpy old git am I not.
13/02/2018 06:10:42 UTC
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