Monday, March 28, 2016

Hail



Well, my plans to walk Olga yesterday turned out to be ill-advised, at least in their timing.

We had our normal walk in the early morning, and that went fine. We found a shisha lounge in our neighborhood that seems to be remodeling or going out of business, and was trashing its comically cheesy artwork. No, I did not bring it home.


But then, about 11:30, we went for a long walk on the Heath.  The weather forecast called for rain about 2 p.m., so I thought we'd be able to get there and back with no problem. But weather in England is a wildly unpredictable affair, and no sooner had we reached the Heath than it began to pour, and then hail. For a minute or two we were pelted with BB-sized grains.

I had an umbrella, but Olga immediately bolted for the shelter of a cluster of holly bushes. She only came out when the rain lightened up.

As it continued to drizzle we took a quick spin through Golders Green Park, where I thought we could find shelter, but the minute we reached a bench with a roof over it, the rain stopped...

 

...and before we knew it, the sun was out again and we were back to normal.

I think Olga enjoyed her walk, even with the bout of bad weather. I'm telling myself that, anyway. She certainly needed a thorough bath when we got home.

In the afternoon I Skyped with my dad and stepmother, who I hadn't spoken to in a couple of months, and they seem to be doing fine. And in the evening, Dave and I watched "The Danish Girl," which we really enjoyed. It was replete with the kind of gray, severely Protestant architecture and decor that I'd expect from early 20th-century Denmark, and it beautifully captured the conflict of the main characters at a time when transgendered people weren't even known to exist.

This morning, it's windy and blustery as all get-out. Katie has arrived!

9 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

It is such a shame that you didn't rescue that stunning piece of artwork by Mohamed Nagy. It looks like an original to me and would have been worth up to £500,000 at auction. It would also have looked stunning above your mantelpiece.

Ms. Moon said...

It appears to finally have quit raining here. I had sort of forgotten that was possible.

ellen abbott said...

I worked outside all day yesterday and since the dog attaches herself to me she was out all day as well and not getting her naps. she conked out the minute I came in and was dead to the world all night.

Sharon said...

Olga looks completely put out by the weather situation sitting there in the reeds. And then, she looks so full of joy when the sun was shining again.

Linda Sue said...

Dogs are the best people, they just roll with whatever, Glad you went for a walk anyway, The weather here is the same as yours , we dress for all seasons, never knowing from moment to moment .
Rarely do we see umbrellas, just hooded jackets because we do not even have time to open an umbrella. You and Dave should venture up here sometime, Vancouver is pretty awesome and the mountains are stunning. You will be good at adjusting to this weather!

Red said...

You're getting some very nasty weather.

jenny_o said...

What perfect pictures of Olga's misery and delight! She is a character. I love Linda Sue's comment - "dogs are the best people"! Hope you stay warm and dry during the storm.

Mwa said...

I loved The Danish Girl as well, but hadn't seen the end coming (my husband thinks I'm a moron because of that). I was heartbroken! Why did they have to kill her? (Okay, I know it happened in real life.) Sob.

The Bug said...

I love Olga under the bushes giving you a baleful eye - that picture could be used to illustrate any story about a person done wrong :)