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| Pedestrians dash through torrential rain along the Millennium Bridge, London, as the remnants of Hurricane Bertha swept across parts of the country. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA |
These people are clearly being stretched. Even so one, at least, appears to be smiling. They might feel differently if they were dressed differently. Sadly they are unlikely to be near their dry clothes and the comfort of warm shelter.
I must say I love this kind of weather. I find it so invigorating specially in this warm weather. All that can happen is that I get wet. If I'm moving, with it being warm anyway, this for me is no discomfort, after all when I get home there are dry clothes are available.
So what did I do last night at ten o'clock: I went for a quick walk to the Market Cross and backin thestrong wind and rain.
I loved the experience. Believe it or not, I have a friend who feels exactly the same.
Our attitudes to getting soaked have changedover the last century.
Within living memory (if you're over ninety!) some people remember men who walked from farm to farm in the Lake District who thought nothing of getting soaked to the skin as they did it. They were taking with them a strong male cart horse to 'serve' working mares. The foals so produced were essential to a working farms is a tractor now.When they arrived at each farm if soaked to the skin, They would simply stand/sit in front of the fire - the centre of all working farms and dry out in the clothes they wore: something people wouldn't dream of doing now.
In fact looking back at my childhood :it's so different to life now. People now would see it as hardship , but of course we knew no different:
Getting out of a warm bed into a freezing cold bedroom in the winter. Scampering down at the age of twelve to get dressed in front of the french design anthracite stove in the living room that was kept in all night. In the cold weather this was the only warm place in the house. Washing in freezing cold water.
This was normal and although we didn't like it, as there was no choice we learnt to live with it. Could it be perhaps, that's why present day's older people are 'tougher' than people who have got used to central heating and running hot water.
Could it be, this why I enjoy a quick 'blow' in the evening in the pouring rain outside returning to a dry warm house to sleep in dry clothes none the worse for wear.
In fact looking back at my childhood :it's so different to life now. People now would see it as hardship , but of course we knew no different:
Getting out of a warm bed into a freezing cold bedroom in the winter. Scampering down at the age of twelve to get dressed in front of the french design anthracite stove in the living room that was kept in all night. In the cold weather this was the only warm place in the house. Washing in freezing cold water.
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| French anthracite all night stove similar to the one Ilooked forward to seeing each morning when it was freezing in my bedroom ! |
This was normal and although we didn't like it, as there was no choice we learnt to live with it. Could it be perhaps, that's why present day's older people are 'tougher' than people who have got used to central heating and running hot water.
Could it be, this why I enjoy a quick 'blow' in the evening in the pouring rain outside returning to a dry warm house to sleep in dry clothes none the worse for wear.
2 comments:
I was a child during the last war and shortage of fuel ensured a freezing house. During the winter the blessing of a parrafin stove in the hall (stinking the house out) plus copius lagging, helped prevent frozen pipes. Even so they did freeze in our bedroom - a room with ice coated on the window. Our coats were hung in the kitchen (where we lived most of the time) where a fire was lit each morning as the only source for hot water and heating up where we ate our meals. Steam from drying clothes caused water to run down the window. Chilblains caused my toes to swell, hurt and itch. We would arrive wet at school too.Colds and coughs were common. But all this is a long story which I am sure would bore most people today!
Im sure Gladys, thatYounger people can't really imagine it. Now to be honest I can't really believe we coped with life back then.
Thanks to the experience of Hunters Hill Open Air boarding school we were encoraged to get used to the cold so that our bodies got toned up and a lot fitter. something that has benefitted me all my life.
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