It doesn’t rain here for months on end and then suddenly…
And we are being told that this is going to be one of our very occasional very rainy winters here in Sevilla. And although everyone here really appreciates the rain – we really don’t get enough on a regular basis – having to be rain-soaked for the next four months is not a very happy prospect.
Clearly umbrellas don’t help all that much – other than keeping your head and shoulders somewhat dry. Luckily I bought my first ever raincoat last spring, so I hope it works. And I’ll be waterproofing my shoes as well. But how does one keep dry, or dryish, when it ends up constantly raining for about four months?
Also, it tends to be the sort of rain whereby it doesn’t rain at all for an hour or so and then totally buckets down without any warning. I got caught out in one of these massive downpours this morning coming home from an early class and after about five minutes it just didn’t matter any more as it was impossible to get any wetter.
So, any advice from those who live in very rainy climates? As I say, it almost never rains here but we do end up getting occasional very rainy winters (last one, as I recall, was about eight years ago). And as I also recall, it was total hell getting our clothes to dry . . .
Though maybe all I really need is a pair of cute red rainboots! 
casa azahar 
Oilskin coat!
I just LOVE my Drizabone- an aussie riding coat I originally bought for Geek almost ten years ago. Fortunately he grew out of it 🙂 I´ve never really grown into it, but with a sweater it´s OK as long as it´s not too cold – and it reaches down to my ankles. Good to be a shortie sometimes. 😉
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Rain. I remember rain. I saw some once…
Seriously, I was once up in Darwin during the weat season (as opposed to the dry season, which is the only other season they have in the tropics). A big umbrella was the only water-deflecting device worth having. Just resign yourself to feet and knees getting splashed.
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In Singapore during the monsoon season: we saw people with big umbrellas. But the operative way of dealing with the afternoon thundershower was to notice it was coming and get under cover. Find a nice cafe somewhere and sit it out with a cup of coffee or a beer.
Of course, that was the tropics and if you got wet you were wet, not wet and cold.
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The classical Danish saying is “there is no such thing as bad weather; only the wrong clothing” 😉
For me, the most important things are a raincoat that works and waterproof shoes/boots. Surprisingly many of the “modern material” raincoats are ok for a shower but fails when the rain gets more persistent. Surprisingly, the one I currently have is fine even in 3 hours of rain even if it was rather cheap. Still want a Goretex XCR jacket – but that’s just because I’m an outdoor gear geek.
Shoes always is a problem. The cute red rainboots will do the trick. But they’re not good for walking any distances. I recently got myself a pair of Ecco’s Receptor-line shoes. With Goretex XCR 🙂 I’ve been standing in water with them, I’ve walked for half hours in long, wet grass – and still I haven’t had wet feet in them. Fab! (they’re not exactly cheap – I had them for €70, on sale…)
Oh, and a hat. Even if the rest of me is dry, I feel wet if I have water running down my face and neck…
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Keeping dry in the rain — I currently have only an umbrella to keep me dry, all my coats are water wicks.
Sometimes, I find that when the “it’s too late to be dry” stage has passed, that the downpour can be exhilarating — Me against the elements!!!
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“The classical Danish saying is “there is no such thing as bad weather; only the wrong clothing””
This is quite true. In fact, what made me consider cute red rainboots was remembering Canadian winters when wearing snowboots was the norm and most people carried either proper shoes or a pair of comfy slippers with them to change into, depending on their destination.
Though a quick look around a few shoe shops here this morning has proved that finding rainboots of any sort (let alone cute red ones) is going to be almost impossible.
I’m really not the sort of person who will ever want to go for long walks in the pissing down rain, but getting from here to there and vice versa would definitely be more comfortable with waterproof footwear.
I think the raincoat I have, combined with an umbrella, will be sufficient for my needs … but what to do about my feet? Even water-proofed leather shoes or boots still end up leaking and getting soaked through. Especially when there is a sudden downpour and there are massive puddles resembling small lakes that appear everywhere in the mostly cobblestoned or slate-tiled steets in the centre of Sevilla.
Having triple-EEE wide feet means that almost no standard footwear fits me, so I don’t think I could ever order anything on the internet.
Though I am now convinced that having some proper waterproof rainboots is the answer to my dilemma.
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“Sometimes, I find that when the “it’s too late to be dry” stage has passed, that the downpour can be exhilarating — Me against the elements!!!”
I can quite enjoy that feeling too, SC, as long as I am on my way home and know that once I get there I can have a nice hot shower and change into some dry clothes. But when I am on my way to work it just ends up a total pain in the whatsit.
I also love it when it is totally bucketing down out there and I know I don’t have to go out … there’s a kind of ‘extra cosy’ feeling to that somehow.
Frankly, I’d rather go out into a massive snow blizzard (properly dressed, of course) than out into a massive downpour of rain.
Though of course I’d rather just be able to go out and not get rained on at all.
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Today is one of those very cosy-feeling stay-at-home days when my students come to me while it’s totally bucketing down.
But tomorrow at 8.30am will be a whole other story.
I’ll have to get out there no matter what!
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Just raining… we´re expecting snow… Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Meanwhile, we’re praying for rain. Any amount will do.
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Hmmmmm, Triple EEE? Have you tried either Land’s End UK http://www.landsend.co.uk/icat/cl_l5_5107 (waterproof red boots!) ?
I don’t know if they come in your width, but they do offer variable wideth women’s footwear.
Just a suggestion!
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It’s a good idea and if I didn’t have such bloody hard to fit feet I would probably order some online as I seriously doubt I’ll find any rainboots here at all.
Meanwhile, check out the five day forecast (which can also be found on my Weather in Sevilla sidebar widget).
Not sure about that ‘30% chance of rain’ prediction for tomorrow. I was just in the supermarket and overheard the man at the fish counter telling a customer that tomorrow was going to be a día de tormenta (either a stormy day or day of torment 😉 ).
And he went on to say it’s going to be the perfect day for staying at home in pj’s, watching dvd’s, making popcorn . . . and I wondered for a moment if he’d been reading my blog. 🙂
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It´s snowing…
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Well of course it’s snowing – you live in Sweden! 😛
Actually, we do really need this rain, so I shouldn’t really complain. Except that complaining is my hobby (have even been considering going professional 😉 ).
When I first moved to Sevilla it was during a very long drought and not only were there water restrictions, but our tap water was being taken from the river (ick). It was treated, of course, but there were so many chemicals in it that it tasted horrible and also smelled quite vile, so even taking a shower in it was unpleasant. And so I ended up buying bottled water for cooking as well as drinking. Wouldn’t like to have that happen again.
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Well, we never did get our día de tormenta and so I reckon the fish guy shouldn’t quit his day job to become a weather forecaster. 😉
We’ve actually been able to get a bit of laundry done and dried up on the roof. Always a problem when it doesn’t stop raining for ages. But for a few hours yesterday afternoon it wasn’t raining and there was a good breeze happening.
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I’m glad the rain held off long enough for you to get the laundry dried. It’s quite annoying having your clothes come off the line wetter than they were when you hung them up.
We’re hoping the weather holds up decently until the new furnace arrives on or around November 10th. That’s almost two weeks away, and the forecast for the next week promises lows around zero degrees Celcius for several of those nights. We have the little electric heater- and the landlord lent us a second one- which will keep us and Herman warm, but I am worried about my poor house plants.
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“Meanwhile, we’re praying for rain. Any amount will do.”
Didn’t know whether to post this here or in what’s new? . . . a water-saving suggestion from Energy Australia.
Save Water – Sing Short Songs
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Eeep! It’s not only raining cats & dogs out there right now but also thundering & lightninging like crazy. And I’m supposed to go out for a class in half an hour …
I also just had a shower, which reminded me of something my mother used to say. That it was dangerous to shower or take a bath during a lightning storm – is this true?
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I think it’s only dangerous if you live in a stand-alone house, maybe out in the prairie, away from an adequate lightning rod…
Honestly, I don’t know, but since you live in a building with a number of units, I’d tend to think not.
When you mentioned size EEE feet, is that the same as that width in American sizes? I’ll see if I can find the boots… 🙂
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I’m not sure how the sizes compare (I was thinking about EEE in Canadian shoe sizes). I actually found a really cute pair of rainboots yesterday – unfortunately made for 7 years olds.
Meanwhile, it’s stopped raining for the time being and is supposed to be going up to 29º today – very odd for October 28th.
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Admittedly this isn’t a scientific opinion, but has the weather been anything *but* odd for the last couple of years?
I’ve got some global warming denier friends who keep saying, “Look at all this early season snow, all this unusual rain, etc.”. I keep telling them to look at all the melting ice caps and glaciers. I’ll believe Global Warming isn’t happening when ice caps and glaciers start getting bigger again…
Sorry, end of rant, promise… 🙂
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Was walking home with Nog this morning after picking up our winter coats from the drycleaners (it was 29º!) and I saw a woman next to a newsstand wearing adorable lime green rainboots with psychedelic flowers all over them. So of course I accosted her and asked where she had bought her boots.
Madrid.
😕
Dang!
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Then I guess you’d better plan on hunting up rainboots when you’re next in Madrid, my girl…
😉
I want a pair, too! I used to love my old rubberized bright yellow rainjacket. Perfect!
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Well, she said she had bought them at the Rastro
… so I might check out the Sunday market here to see if they have something similar.
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Rainboot update! I think I may have found them! Some bright red rainboots with a ‘shiny plastic-looking waterproof’ base and with some weird stretchy material from the ankle up. Which can be turned down to make them short boots (with a velcro fastening holding the folded over bit down) or else you can pull them up to your knees. I was told they are not rubber, they are leather boots that have been covered with a water-proof coating (looks kind of like patent leather to me). Anyhow, very cute.
Didn’t try them on today because, being a Saturday morning, the shop was choc-a-bloc with customers. I’ll go back sometime during the week and bring a pair of socks so I can try them on properly.
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That’s so cool! My toes are wriggling in memory of a pair something like that, and how warm and dry my feet were in the rain, wearing them. 🙂
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