Day 49 Part 2 - Drenched

(continued from Part One)

(Part 2)
South of Shenstone the skies darkened and I began to think about rain. Timing the moment at which to pull on the waterproofs is an art I'm mastering.

I saw lightning strike the TV transmitter mast in the distance and more rumbles of thunder approached.

I past a field of cows as the wind began to blow stronger. They jostled each other into the corner of the field and began to moo anxiously.

It still wasn't raining and I reckoned I could make it to the next group of dense trees before getting dressed for the inevitable downpour.

The rain started just at the predicted moment and I pulled my waterproofs out of the rucksack and wrapped it in its waterproof cover. I tried something new - putting on the hood of my rainjacket underneath my hat. It worked brilliantly and I was spared the nuisance of water running down the back of my neck.

The storm intensified in minutes, the water running down the edges of the narrow lane getting wider and deeper all the time. It wasn't long until it became one rushing torrent, sandy brown with the soil washed from fields. I splashed through it, dangling my strip of orange fabric in the hope that any driver would see me.

I counted the delay between the flashes of lightning and booming thunder. Five seconds, then three seconds and then two. That meant the strikes were grounding about half-a-mile away. Above me hung three-phase mains electricity cables. Was it safest to be near them but not under them, so that the earth wire could divert any nearby strike?

Thankfully the storm passed over and I was left to contend with the steady rain.

(continues in Part Three)