Raindrops are falling on my head: part 3

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Raindrops are falling on my head: part 3

Today's installment is about the British handbag staple - the humble brolly. I'm never without mine, due to a severe phobia of bad hair days. But there are a few rules one ought to follow when it comes to umbrella usage, I find:

Never ever throw away/lose the little tubular 'sock' it comes with. When you're on a crowded train, the last thing you want is your sopping brolly getting pressed against your leg or dripping on your foot (or, indeed, risking the wrath of other commuters by pressing sopping brolly against their leg or foot). Keep hold of that sock so you can store the wet brolly out of the way until you get to your destination. Failing that, carry a small plastic bag to put it in.
Don't forget your brolly's in its little holder or wrapped up in its little velcro belt once you get to work/home and leave it soaking and festering for hours. The smell of a brolly that hasn't been left to dry properly is gag-inducing. Similar to wet dog, I find. Make sure you open it out to air it in the hallway or next to your desk (it's up to you: superstition or wet-dog smell. Your choice).
Observe brolly etiquette on the street: when passing someone walking towards you who also has their umbrella up, tilt, lift or manoeuvre your brolly out of their way (hopefully they will politely do the same. If not, feel free to grumble at them).
Choose a brolly that fits with your priorities. If all you want is something convenient and light/small enough to fit in your bag, by all means go for the compact, foldaway 'telescopic' ones. But if you'd rather have the reassurance of a brolly that doesn't turn inside out or bend out of all recognition at the mere hint of a gust of wind, perhaps go for a full-length option or a more sturdy automatic, which still folds part way up but is a little heavier and less teeny. Then laugh gaily at the sweary person battling with an inside out brolly on the pavement beside you as you saunter by with your own durable number.

If it wasn't for not wanting to irk every other pedestrian having to duck out of my way on a crowded pavement, I'd choose a golfing umbrella every time, as they're big enough to keep all of you dry, including your handbag (I hate it when the edge of your handbag creeps out from beneath the canopy and gets wet). But I also have a soft spot for beautiful brollies, despite knowing practicality should come first. However, I decided to show you a few gorgeous little numbers from Umbrellaheaven.com, including some sturdy options, and the site handily lets you know how windproof each brolly is by way of a star rating (also see the original Raindrops are falling on my head… post). There's nothing like a little ray of sunshine to brighten up a rainy day.