Despite what the weather girls had foretold, Monday remained dry and bright right through the afternoon and evening so the two stalls Brighton Lions had at the Hove carnival did pretty well. In fact, they did very well taking just over £300 between them. But on Monday evening, both Alexis (local) and Nina (national) told us that the forecast for Tuesday was for rain in the south-east. Guess where I live?
[Nina is my cousin's daughter-in-law and is married to an army officer who has just been promoted to full colonel. Well done, John!]
Sure enough, when I opened the bedroom curtains yesterday morning I had no need to shade my eyes from the strength of the sunlight. It was raining. It rained while I walked the dog in the park. It was still raining as I left just before 9.00 to take my car to the garage.
And this is where those foolish things crop up. I realise I'm not alone; we have - each and everyone of us - done foolish things at times. Don't bother to deny it because I won't believe you if you try to tell me that you have never in your life committed a foolish deed.
It had seemed a good idea at the time. I had an appointment with my rheumatologist at Hove Polyclinic at 10.30. The car needed to be taken to a VW specialist in Hove. Why not kill two birds with one throw of the dice? Take the car to the garage, leaving myself about an hour and a quarter to walk the three miles or so to the Polyclinic.
(I've just checked: it's not three miles, it's just under two.)
The doctor is almost certain to be running late so if I reckon to leave the clinic between 11.15 and 11.30 I would be back at the garage at about 12.30. That would give them time to check what is wrong with the parking brake and prepare me a quote for doing the work. Simples! (as the meerkats say.)
(I wonder if I could get paid for giving them a mention?)
As I said, it seemed a good idea at the time. But when I fixed the garage appointment I was unaware of the weather forecast.
So, it was raining yesterday when I woke up. It rained as I walked the dog. It was still raining when I left the car at the garage. I got pretty wet getting to the clinic, even if I did cheat and catch a bus part of the way, which made me early for my appointment but I'd had the good sense to take a book with me. The doctor was not running late; in fact, I was out of the consulting room before the time of my appointment. It was raining as I left the clinic with two hours before I was due to collect the car. I hung around for 20 minutes to catch a bus part of the way back to the garage but still had to pop into bookshops and a library to kill time (and attempt to dry off).
And it had seemed such a good idea at the time!
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I suppose this rain might be welcome to some people who want it for their gardens. As far as I am concerned, it has at least washed some of the gulls' droppings off the car. Where we live we are under the direct flight path of what seem like thousands of herring gulls and they all manage to hit my car. Well, some of them do.
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Monday afternoon. Glorious weather so a walk round the Roman Camp was in order. From the northern rampart I looked throug an arc of 180 degrees and counted no fewer than 14 fields sown with oil seed rape. There must be a subsidy from the EU! This was one of the fields, although the photo was taken from a different spot on a different day.
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