~o~
Sunday 30th 44F/6.7C. Overcast and expected to rain all morning or beyond. It has been a very dry month until now. The small pond is already almost full from the roof down pipe.
Up at [8.15] after waking at [6am] and dozing. Guess who forgot to put the clocks forward?
No immediate plans for today. As usual I have lower back pain. So should go for a walk. It always helps within a few hundred meters. It's not as if I can't easily make myself waterproof. Though I seem to have developed feeling cold. I have been sleeping in a warm jumper over my usual T-shirt. The room was at 71F/22C at bedtime but I felt cold all evening.
Is this some kind of mild hypothermia? The result of getting chilled on the e-bike? My higher average speed and windy weather may be slowly cooling my core temperature. It's not as if I feel particularly chilled at the time. Though you could hardly describe it as warm. There is none of the hard work climbing hills on an e-bike. So I don't usually get sweaty.
I have just gone over to the Endura rain jacket as temperatures rise. From the warmer, layered jacket I have been wearing this winter. A "Game" jacket claiming to be 4000 breathable, 3-membrane, water repellent and windproof by ID Tech. After many rides down to -10C I have no reason to disbelieve them. I wish ID Tech made winter cycling gloves!
This "Game" jacket is high viz yellow/green and always noticeably warmer than the Endura. Yet not the least bit sweaty. So it must be highly breathable too. The Endura is windproof but, being thin, flattens itself against my chest and arms due to the constant headwind I generate. Becoming noticeably cold on my front on a longer ride in colder weather. The Endura doesn't breathe nearly as well as the "Game" and needs to be unzipped if it gets too warm. As I did yesterday. Unzipping is not helpful. It instantly chills the sweat already built up in what is basically an expensively tailored, bin bag.
The "Game" jacket is almost perfect. Except, that it is a walking jacket with hip pockets. So, not specifically for cycling. Where rear pockets are the norm and highly desirable. This rear pocket arrangement avoids conflicts with the pocket contents when pedaling rapidly. If these hip pockets aren't used then there are usually no other useful pockets to be found.
Which is why I have settled on cargo trousers. Therein lies a potential problem I have completely overlooked. I have given up wearing long, thermal underwear. To avoid saddle discomfort due to multiple layers between myself and the saddle.
Hence my constant search for a warm, windproof, winter cycling jacket in the charity shops. Investing in a brand new, cycling jacket would be very expensive and a complete lottery as to its benefits. Finding an honest product review online. Is to simultaneously believe in fairies, aliens and political promises.
You can almost see the wads of bank notes bulging in the reviewer's pockets! At the last count I had 16, mostly recycled jackets. Some of them from famous outdoor brands and supposedly membrane high tech. Being slightly secondhand doesn't make then any more waterproof or remotely less sweaty! So why would I be daft enough to spend literally hundreds of pounds equivalent? On a brand new version of their worthless crap at one of their corrupt "dealers?"
[9.45] 46F/8C. I really must go for a walk. Which jacket shall I wear? The Ventile. For its useful hood in case of rain or wind. Heavy but dependable. It also looks the part for a rural walker.
11.00 I have put the clocks forwards as the sun came out. [Briefly] The times on my blog have been altered to match today's supposed reality.
17.00 49F/9C. Watery, sunny periods. The greenhouse barely made it to 70F/21C. I actually remembered to drag two recycling bins along the drive, in daylight! For emptying, early tomorrow morning.
Dinner was fish fingers, peas and chips.
~o~
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