I wish I never saw the sunshine*

Yesterday was getting on for balmy. I wanted to lie in the sun singing songs all day like my life had just begun.

But today... today I fought the hail and the hail won. Who needs microdermabrasion when you have a 20 minute downhill bike ride at the end of the day? If I hadn't been glowing inside with scaffolding tower construction achievements (only mildly offset by the fact that plumbing S and I were the only ones they thought it important to get photographic evidence of) I might have abandoned my bike to Blackbird Leys and called a cab. As it was I fell in the door and shook ice out of my hair straight into my drink.

I have an A4 b&w print out of our photo. Plumbing S, sitting cross-legged atop the tower, looks sultry and like something out of Flashdance. I am swinging off the cross-strut support at ground level looking more like a special needs child in an adventure playground. We are both wearing hard hats which are about four sizes too big -- we pointed out that having a hat falling over your eyes and donking you on the nose probably impedes safety rather than the reverse (and we also pointed out that nobody else had even looked at the hats, never mind worn them) but... as I remember from my limited building site experience, in this world you really do need to choose your battles, and you really do need to make the most of the sunshine that comes your way.

And so, on reflection, I am glad for all the sunshine I have seen, both real and metaphorical.

joella

*on re-reading, I realised this title assumes you know the next line of the (Beth Orton) song, which goes "'cause if I never saw the sunshine, then maybe I wouldn't mind the rain". Which you may not, but if you don't, I recommend it. It's perfect for singing on a wet bicycle.