According to my calendar this Sunday is the official start of autumn. In the blink of an eye summer faded and an unpredictable weather front crept over the Netherlands with a mischievous smirk on its face, just as we were all finishing up our ice creams and rubbing the last drops of sun cream on from the bottle. Most of us weren't quite prepared for the onslaught of the rain, hail, wind and greyness.
It's the time of year known as "four seasons in one day", also known as autumn, fall or
herfst. To survive it you need sixteen items.
- Sunglasses - when it makes an appearance the sun is still bright and strong and you need eye protection (can also prove helpful against leaves - see tip 8)
- A sense of humour - you have to be able to see the funny side of getting hailed on in your sunglasses
- A rain coat - one that is very waterproof indeed
- A rain hat - unless your rain coat has a built in hood that actually stays on your head (unlike mine which was apparently designed with the head of the Gruffalo in mind) it is worth investing in a rather fetching rain hat. Okay, it may not be attractive, but the 'drowned rat with limp hair' look isn't hot either
- Waterproof trousers - particularly if you don't like to be parted from your bicycle. Again, not a sexy look but it is a dry look
- Two pastic bags - one to put over your bicycle seat and the other big enough to put over your child's bike seat, should you have one
- A gale proof umbrella - if you have the choice between a bog-standard umbrella and a super-duper wind proof monster version, opt for the latter. The Netherlands is a wasteland of decrepit, washed up umbrellas, torn apart by gale force winds and lashing rain. Don't let your umbrella become the next victim
- A scarf - the Dutch autumn wind blows cold and wild when the mood takes it. As a bonus to keeping warm, wrapping a scarf round your face is also a clever way to avoid getting a surprise smack in the face by a wayward dry crispy leaf or two
- Jumpers (or sweaters if you are American) - the temperature drops and it gets a bit nippy out there
- A summer jacket - some days the sun shines and it's actually quite warm so don't hide that summer jacket away just yet
- Short sleeve T-shirts - some days it is so warm you'll start thinking you imagined the hail, rain and wind of two days ago
- A winter coat - and then reality hits, the sun decides it's done for the year, tucks itself up behind a big blanket of clouds and sleeps until spring. Be prepared, before you know it you'll be needing that big, thick, snuggly coat
- Wellington boots - whether or not you are into puddle jumping you will need some kind of waterproof boots before the year is out, unless your preference is to walk around in soggy socks
- De-icer for the car - chilly mornings ease their way in gradually and what begins as a friendly layer of frost on your windscreen soon turns into a stubborn blanket of ice
- A selection of plastic zip up bags - it's not just squirrels that are collecting stuff in autumn, kids do it too. They collect conkers, acorns, fir cones, leaves and general crap from the floor. You're going to want to put it all in a sealed off bag. Trust me.
- A big rucksack - last but not least you will need a really big bag to put the other fifteen items in. Think the kind of bag you see hikers and campers lugging around.
I wish you all good luck with the decline to colder, wetter, darker days. See you all again in spring!
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| Photo: Claire Noe (Stock.Xchng) |
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