Is there such a thing as bad weather? Defying the odds. How long have we been in lockdown here?

I went out running in the rain this morning. It had eased off some compared to what it was like when I first snoozed my alarm, but even so, rain was still falling. 

 

En route I took a picture of a house all decked out for Hallowe’en and posted it on Facebook when I got back. 

A friend of mine almost instantly commented: “have you been out in all this rain?” I could hear the indignation and astonishment and disbelief pouring out of even the printed words. This is the person who needed extra blankets on the bed when she visited us one time in Galicia in July! Granted it wasn’t the hottest July we had ever seen in Galicia but even so! And, okay, she does suffer from arthritis and poor circulation but ... once, again, even so!

So I quipped back that someone or other had once said that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes! Quite so! But then I got to wondering who it was who said it and did a little research.

Here’s one thing I found:-

 

"There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." This phrase hails from Scandinavia, where it's a common mantra repeated by parents who insist that their children spend time outdoors every day.

And here’s another:- 

 

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes.” That’s how the saying goes. When I first heard this phrase it was attributed to the comedian Billy Connolly. It has also been attributed to the Victorian-era art critic John Ruskin, the explorer Ranulph Fiennes and the fell-walker Alfred Wainwright.

And then I found this, which purports to be an actual quote from the writer John Ruskin:-

There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.

Anyway, with the days growing shorter and finishing earlier, Phil and I have decided that we’ll take that sentiment for our own and go out for a well-wrapped-up walk, even in the pouring rain, almost everyday.

In the event, it wasn’t so necessary today as by midday it had brightened up quite considerably. But we donned our waterproofs just in case - an insurance policy is always a good idea - and set off to walk up Lark Hill once again. The wind was cold but we managed to get up the hill and down without being rained on. Let’s see what tomorrow brings. 

 

Meanwhile we continue in tier 3 of Covid restrictions. It becomes rather difficult to organise family adventures. As our daughter is usually accompanied by two small people, neither of whom would be counted in Scotland, she has to choose which other member of her family can come with her so that we don’t break the RULE OF SIX.

 

I was reminded in an article about how the increased restrictions began just as Eid was about to be celebrated that we have effectively been in a kind of lockdown here since the end of July. The article said that there is quite a lot of feeling that the timing of the introduction of restrictions fuelled anti-muslim hate feelings. As if the Asian communities here were the only ones not social-distancing within the family. When you examine the figures more closely it turns out that there are probably more cases in largely white parts of our community. But that gets little or no attention. 

However, it remains true that Oldham is suffering. From figures sent by my brother-in-law I see that Oldham is top of the league for Cases in Greater Manchester, with 592.5 cases per 100,000, while the national average is 207.5. 

And now I read that the Spanish government has declared a six-month state of emergency and ordered a nationwide curfew. Italians have also been strongly advised to stay at home as the country imposes tough limits on people’s movements in a effort to contain the second wave of the coronavirus. That’s too places we like to visit. I doubt we’ll be going anywhere in a great hurry any time soon.

And now it’s started raining again. I shall dedicate the rest of the afternoon to some therapeutic baking, I think.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!