Brolly season in the city

It's about 3 degrees centigrade outside and raining.

I just did my 15 block commute home from work.

I'm somewhat used to it now but the first time in the rain here was interesting.

You see there are plenty of people all commuting and living their lives on foot. Most have an umbrella.

With the rain here usually comes a gusty breeze that the streets, avenues and skyscrapers seem to funnel and make worse.

As a bloke you don't carry a hand bag (or man-bag?) to contain an umbrella. So when the heavens open out of the blue, you scurry inside, or to the nearest street vendor to purchase your $5 Chinese made brolly.

Now these things are utter crap. Probably cost 20c to make. Flimsy like you wouldn't believe possible.

Now the fun begins. You have to control this aerofoil you are holding over your head in the face of constantly changing winds. It's like catching a cricket ball. Soft hands. Anticipate.

A strong gust the wrong way will see your brolly turn inside out, or ripped and useless. And you undoubtedly look like and idiot out of towner who doesn't know how to handle a brolly in a storm.

So you've got the kite sail under control. The next obstacle is the sea of other umbrellas, all seemingly much bigger and more sturdy than your own. The street wars begin. When passing someone, who raises and who ducks? What about those 100cm women (4'11" in stupid units) whose sharp pointy brolly ends are at your eye level and don't seem to care? What about when the breeze is so strong that the you need to point the umbrella into it to stop it turning inside out and you cant see the guy coming the other way?

And when it's all over you see the streets and bins littered with the carcases of brollies that didn't make it. Probably were owned by other idiot foreigners who hadn't yet worked out the art of the brolly in the breeze.

Another important lesson is to watch out of the crazy cabbies who drive to close to the gutter and spray up a puddle when you least expect it.

All things you have to learn in your first storm in the city.