"Let it be one cheerful rational voice amidst the din of mourners and polemics." Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1840. A Brit-in-Helsinki's blog about global politics, climbing, cycling, things that annoy me and other bits of life. But not necessarily in that order.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The wind at your back
November Cycling from Toby A. on Vimeo.
November - it really isn't the greatest month. I saw an old friend yesterday, visiting from Beirut. It was lovely to see her - but why anyone would leave the sunny Mediterranean for dank, dark Helsinki in November, I have no idea. Lebanon's political history must give it's citizens a dark sense of humour. The Finns tend to see themselves as a dark and brooding bunch - whether they actually are more dark and brooding than, say, any other northern Europeans is, I think, not clear - but come to Helsinki in November and you can well understand why they think they might be.
Anyway, cycling in this weather becomes a chore. Yesterday I rode to work and it was gusty and a few degrees below freezing, meaning numerous layers of clothing to put on including over-shoes for my feet, as I have real problems keeping my toes warm once it is much below zero. It's a chore to get ready to cycle, and then cycling itself felt a chore, slow going with strong side winds. But at least I could watch the sunrise as I went. Cycling home today should have been awful - dark as coal with high winds that were blasting drizzle and sleet about - but it wasn't awful. Rather, with a 10 m/s wind behind me the whole way it was a perverse joy (to the extent that I felt the urge to try and capture it on video). In summer I see hundreds of other cyclists during the 25 kms journey. Tonight I saw five. So, fellow miserable-November-still-cycling-dudes, I salute you!
You'd probably rather not know the conditions I'm walking to work in down here in November!
ReplyDelete;-)
But when its getting rainy and cool in May for you - then we'll laugh! :-)
ReplyDeleteHaven't you heard? There hasn't been a rainy May here in central Victoria for about 15 years now! I've been walking to work for two years and I reckon I've only had to contend with rain 5 or 6 times altogether. Climate change is biting big time here!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I thought you were in Melbourne, not inland. When I visited it was over 15 years ago and it rained the whole the time - hence I always think of cool and rainy with Melbourne! :-) Have they been getting the same drought? And have these storms up in Brisbane meant any more rain further south?
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