September 30 - Day 138 (137.5) - 'For the rain it raineth every day.' - Shakespeare

The weather, despite the forecast, hasn’t improved a great deal but my new approach to warm socks and fleece tops has at least meant I haven’t been as cold when getting to work or home, even if the soakings continue.

We had a discussion in our morning meeting today at work about who had given in and put their winter duvet or their central heating on. I have done the latter but like to hold out for the winter duvet until later in October. It does feel much colder though and so when I saw this calf having clearly recently been born it did seem a little unfair compared to those that arrived in spring or summer to warm weather and clear skies. I suppose the grass probably tastes better when it’s been raining though.

With all the windows having to be open at the Centre for Covid, it has certainly required clients and staff to ‘layer up’ as they say and has allowed us to share comments about the days before central heating when I remember ice forming on the inside of my bedroom windows in Frecheville vicarage. I suppose what cycling has done is take me back to a time when people probably released that light and weather influenced them and the introduction of clocks and deadlines, lost some of that. I certainly understand much more the sense of seasons. The grass on the moorland has gone from green to brown in a matter of days and the piles of leaves have started to appear along the road and on the pavements. It’s a good reminder to us all to just show down sometimes and appreciate where we are, rather than where we are going - as we say about the importance of the Centre - letting people ‘just be’ , rather than aiming for something new. It’s a good lesson for all of us.