Early fall is when my ballet classes and master’s swim club start up again after a summer break, so it’s a joyful time of seeing friends again. It’s also when I try the to finish challenges that I have been thinking about since spring – I’m at my strongest after the summer, the weather is great with no bugs, and time is running out for this completist to get them done.
Late fall, when it’s rainy and dark, is much less exciting and then I am thankful the external discipline of formal classes to keep me going.
But I still need to move around the city, and I prefer to do that on my bike, if possible. The right gear to keep you warm and dry helps a lot. This morning I rode to the office through the drizzle, while wearing my bright red cycling rain cape. It made me feel like this:
An undated ad for Big Ben rain wear by the artist Fiep Westendorp, courtesy of @CoolBikeArt1 on Twitter.
I am renaming cold drizzly fall. From now on, it’s Red Cape Season.
Diane Harper lives in Ottawa.
