10.02.2020 Get ahead. Get a hood!

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Monday 10th 43F, heavy overcast. A mixture of calm and gusts as the sky races across from the southwest. The wind is in the west now. Our most sheltered wind direction. It is just getting light at 7.45. I can't see any damage so far. Walked to the village under a broken sky. Leaden to the north as I was buffeted by fierce gusts roaring in the trees.

I probably caught the very edge of the rain as the sun struggled to peek through to the SE. Even some patches of turquoise going over. No sign of any damage. A trampoline, with safety netting, leaning awkwardly against a hedge. Just a few dead twigs blown out of the roadside trees. None thicker than my thumb or longer than my arm. We were lucky this time.

Tuesday 11th 37-?F, very very dark at 7.30am. Still dark at 7.45. Went for a walk at 8.30 only for my nose to start dripping blood. Changeable, windy weather continues with light showers. Spent the day tidying the trike shed.

Wednesday 12th 38F, dark overcast with showers and windy again. Walked to the lanes in showers and gales. Spent the day replacing the expansion tank after the old one sprang a leak. It could have been a lot easier if the new tank hadn't had different connections. I flushed the system while I was at it.

Without any heating [at all] for nearly three days the indoor temperature had dropped to 57F/ 14C. It was only about 37-38F/ 3-4C outside for the whole time and very windy. I fitted 30-40cm/ 12-16" of Rockwool in the roof somewhere around 2000 after the Storm of the Century damaged part of the roof. That probably helped maintain a tolerable indoor temperature. An old down jacket is a handy accessory at such times.

Thursday 13th 36F, calmer and brighter but cloud forecast. Or sunny? Eeny, meany, miney mo. I had hardly managed 5 meters before it started raining. Though it was as soon over as it had begun. The roads were saturated as usual. Which meant retreating to the back of the verge with every vehicle passing, where possible.

The roadside, hedge clipping tractor had been along. Which meant prickly twigs scattered across the entire width of the road. They have uninvented road sweeping. So the mess will turn to mulch under the tyres of the traffic. Then turn dirty, soggy brown strips until the weather finally washes it away.

I have discovered the hood on my jacket is remarkably efficient in stopping a head-on wind. Being made of doubled cotton, it is much stiffer than man-made materials. It is also wired at the rim. A bubble of still air forms in front of my face thanks to the enveloping hood. Drop the hood and the eye watering gale instantly returns. Back up with the hood and all is calm again. None of my previous hoods was ever stiff enough to manage this. So it was quite a surprise to enjoy such comfort in the recent gales. The sides of the hood do not interfere with my sideways vision so it must only be level with my face. There is certainly no tunnel vision effect.

There may be some value to some cyclists in this interesting personal discovery. An enclosed recumbent rider could enjoy an open-faced, stiff, cotton hood instead of the usual, tiny, clear plastic screen and fiberglass bubble overhead. With all its attendant problems of getting scratched, overheating, noise and rain obscuring the view.

Friday 14th 37F, overcast and almost calm. Lots of sunshine is promised. Or very little. Eany, meany, miney.. No sun by 10:00am and the wind has gone around to the NE. Avoid Colombian avocados. They are stripping the Amazon forest and turning it into an avocado desert of corruption.

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