Tag: miserable

#365daysofbiking Wetter than an otter’s pocket

December 15th – The weather remained grim, and so did my mood. I had a lot to do still, with work end-of-year paperwork still bogging me down and medical tests scheduled for early in the coming week. My stomach was not good, and the rain relentless.

At Wharf Lane, pausing under the bridge for a rest and listening to the music of the rain on the water was almost therapeutic, and sustained me; at least until it started to get into my shoes.

The return home was unpleasant.

That Christmas spirit continues to be elusive.

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May 29th – A dreadful day, and an awful ride.

Being bank holiday, I wanted to get out, and checking the forecast, convinced myself that the heavy showers predicted wouldn’t come to much. I needed some bits for the bike, so decided to ride into Birmingham along the Stockland Green/Brookvale route and on to the canal, then ride back.

The rain started as I left home and didn’t stop. I spent 45 minutes waiting for a break in the rain in a subway under the m6 at Witton. I was soaked to the skin, my feet were wet and I was miserable.

Arriving in Birmingham the rain eased off a little, I got what I came for and had a coffee and something to eat. I decided to get the train back to Shenstone as the rain was coming on again.

It’s a long time since I’ve seen such a bank holiday washout. I really felt for anyone who’d organised an event. A wet, soaking and sodden afternoon.

March 22nd – A rainy, horrid day: I found myself at New Street waiting for a delayed train mid-morning, in a frankly foul mood. Nothing was moving and I felt stuck. As I looked out from the end of the platform, I spotted this train driver, heading to his post in the rain, and felt an instant sympathy.

Rainy day commutes are horrid.

January 22nd – It was hard leaving the house today. Occasionally in winter it can be, and on yet another headache-grey day, I didn’t expect to find much of note. A 25 mile ride was fast, and the bike felt good under me, but the lack of light was tortuous and made for very poor images. I looked in vain for something of the coming spring – aconites, maybe, or even snowdrops – but all I found was Mrs. Muscovy, the Newtown One, who seems to be getting friendlier – actually waddling towards me today until she realised I had no food. Either she’s been taking tutelage from the begging, uncouth swans or someone’s feeding her and making her tame. 

I hope Foxeh isn’t paying attention.

Way more skittish and frustratingly hard to photograph in any light, let alone this murk, the goo sanders are still speeding around the local canal, here near Ogley Junction. One of the three females present last week seems to have departed, but the remaining birds are acting like a close unit.

January 13th – I was grumbling uphill in Bradford Street, Walsall, and a piece of fresh graffiti art caught my eye. In light of the recent grumbles I’ve been having about the weather, it seemed like a message from fate.

In the last couple of days I had a message from a good friend and reader of this journal ‘Stop moaning about the rain!’

I shall try, promise. There’s always hope, after all.

January 22nd – I passed through New Street mid-afternoon. The whole place was grey. It’s still chaos, and has been clearly designed with anything but the passengers in mind.

I stood waiting for a late train. Ever signal I could see was red. Sometimes, commuting feels like this. 

To quote Dexy’s, tell me when my red light turns green.

New Year’s Day – I was miserable. The weather was miserable. That’s all there was to it.

I wasn’t feeling good – not over-indulgence, but the semi-regular bad stomach and that post-Christmas feeling when the work that seemed so far away two days ago is suddenly noticed, bearing down.

I span out after dark, up Coppice Lane and the cycleway, and back along the canal. It was raining, and windy so quite tough going. But I felt better for it, and got home more cheerful than I left it.

I always find January 1st difficult if I’m hemmed in. Tomorrow will be a better day.

March 6th – The spring evaporated today. On the way home, it rained, and the the wind was horrid. It wasn’t a good day to be out on a bike and I found myself longing for the mild weather to return. 

Sadly, the dry towpaths I’d been enjoying for a couple of weeks took a set back into muddy slurry again.

Ah well, there’s always tomorrow…

February 11th – The weather is getting worse, not better, but did hold an unexpected surprise for me today. I set out in the morning to the station, and the rain was heavy with a harsh wind. Even with waterproofs, I got soaked, and sat on the train dripping, miserable and cold. Fortunately, the subsequent train I caught to Telford was very warm, and dried me out a treat. This was by far the worst commute I’ve had for ages.

At Cosford, the torrential rain had become heavy snow, and was setting fast. When I alighted, there was about 10mm. Although wet and cold, it was a delight to see and cycle in, and I enjoyed the scenery and spectacle. 

A couple of hours later, the sun was out and all the snow melted away. Glad I caught it, though.