Pulling ponchos off the rain game

Whether the weather

Obviously, even as an Englishman avoiding the trite conversation about the weather might be the maturation of communication skills. As a Mancunian, it is literally unavoidable when it is practically obvious.

The weather forecast had already indicated it was going to rain from the mid-afternoon onwards, so come rain or shine, I still had to get out for my walk. After my dreadful experience in the rain and the dark on Tuesday, the last thing I wanted was to lament with self-flagellation and pitiable abandon.

The poncho is out

The poncho was not doing it for me, I needed good cover, warmth, pockets and protection for my face and glasses. I went out yesterday and get a decent all-weather jacket with a hood. None had breast pockets, but the side zipper that could allow in the air seemed a good trade-off because I could put my phone in one of the pockets and pass the cable through the slit traversing the inside of my jacket to my ears.

I have not convinced myself of Bluetooth headphones or ear pods. To protect my face, I wore a baseball cap under the hood and in the light of day made out to a park in the rain. It never stopped for the 12 kilometres I walked. I was tired enough at the end of it, though the pace was slow and I did sweat a bit. My conclusion, the jacket beats the poncho, hands down. I suspect the night would be quite sleepy too.