Dear Lorraine
My husband and I read your pages regularly, and enjoy them greatly.
We have been together since the 1960s, when we were both working away from home,
and living in digs some miles apart. He used to come to visit me on his bicycle,
wearing his cotton anorak and, on wet days he wore his hood up, and wore waterproof
trousers over his ordinary ones. His mother had always insisted on him wearing
his gaberdine mac to school, properly buttoned up, and he had a double breasted
mac which he wore for work. She told me that if I was going to be serious about
him, I should make sure that he always wore his raincoat, and kept it buttoned
up properly. She was very particular about this, and even when he was in his
twenties she would check his buttons and belt before he left the house, and
order him to fasten his top button if she thought it necessary. She also checked
me over too, but I had always been a good girl when it came to wearing my gaberdine
at school, buttoning it to the neck and wearing my hood whenever Mummy told
me, so I always had my own trenchcoat properly fastened for my mother-in-law.
I persuaded John to wear his hood up at all times on his bicycle, and bought
him a nylon raincoat to go over it in the warmer weather. I made him wear his
waterproof trousers all the time on the bike too, along with wellington boots,
to keep his ordinary trousers clean. For the winter, we bought him an American
military raincoat, of the sort which were being sold off as surplus. It was
double breasted, buttoned to the neck and had an extra strap with a button on
the collar, to keep the collar up and tight around the throat. For extra warmth
in winter I also insisted that he wore a woollen balaclava under his anorak
hood, and a woollen scarf over his mouth and nose. He accepted all this extra
clothing with no problems, much to my amazement, but he was helped by the fact
that when I rode my bicycle I always wore my old school gaberdine buttoned to
the neck and hooded, with wellingtons, a silk scarf over my face inside my hood,
and a plastic mac and hood. In rain, we both wore yellow waterproof cycle capes,
which we kept otherwise in our saddle bags ready for use.
We still like to wear our raincoats, and always go to work in them except on very hot summer days. John cycles to work still, about two miles to his office where he works mainly on his own. This morning he has gone in his waterproof nylon trousers and cagoule, with an elderly trenchcoat over the top, buttoned to the neck. He commented that it was getting very warm for his inner jacket, so I told him he must wear his thermal balaclava, which covers his whole face except his eyes, for the next week, to remind him not to be so silly. I made sure that his hood was fastened extra tightly to reinforce the reminder, and he will have to wear it every day with the thermal. I am going shopping later, and I will wear my usual outfit of nylon trousers over my tights but under my skirt ( I don't wear trousers - very unfeminine) and inside my long leather boots, and my proofed nylon cagoule, under a fully buttoned and belted trenchcoat. I shall wear my wool beret and warm gloves, and carry my plastic overmac in my bag, in case of rain. Why should my other half have all the fun?
We also have our capes, which we wear on the bikes - neither of us drives, so bikes and buses are our normal transport. They are home made by me, in PVC, with the seams treated by a friend of mine who can do this, to make them waterproof. They are loke ordinary old style cycle capes, but both have an additional high collar which fastens with a buckled strap at the side of the neck. This means that the collar can actually be fastened quite tightly over our mouths, and there are innner neck straps which keep the cape from slipping down, so our protection is quite complete. Inside, they can be fastened with a belt, and there are also loops to fasten around our arms and wrists, so the cape is impossible to remove without help. When these loops are used, it is also impossible to get your hands outside the cape to adjust the collar or bottons, so it can be used as a sort of punishment garment. John doesn't yet know, but his silly remark this morning will mean that he will be caped up this saturday when we to go and visit my sister, about ten miles away. He will then have to be strapped back into the cape for the return trip, which will amuse my sister greatly. If it rains, I shall take the bus! If not, I shall follow John.
As you can see, we love our raincoats, we love to be dressed in them as severely as possible, and we are very strict about wearing them. And, as it is now threatening rain, I have decided that I will wear my cagoule hood up and tied tightly over my beret, and my silk scarf over my mouth and nose inside the hood. I will also wear my plastic overmac, fully fastened and hooded, and also my old Rukka cape, which has a lovely peak on the hood. John will be home soon after that, and I have just phoned him to tell him to wear his cycle cape with the collar up and fastened over his mouth on the tightest setting. He will love it - even better if the rain has stopped!
I have gone on too long, but one final question. I read somewhere of someone being locked into a raincoat. Does anyone know how to lock a raincoat so that it cannot be removed?
Judith
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