It’s just taken me nearly an hour to drive from Headington into town.

I’m guessing that the traffic is probably due to all the rain.

As I turn my windscreen wipers up a notch and gaze at all the people dashing between shelter or hiding under umbrellas, it’s clear it’s going to be a miserable day.

People often ask me as I’m leaving a building: “Where is your umbrella?”

The problem is I use both hands to push my wheelchair and there is no scope to hold anything.

I do own a decent waterproof jacket but that doesn’t protect my legs.

The next question is: ‘Well why don’t you wear a poncho?’ Ponchos are designed for cyclists with moving legs, not for wheelchair users with moving arms.

It would be a mess, probably no room to push and certainly lots of fabric-in-wheel moments. It’s a definite no.

I can wear waterproof trousers, but one of the irritants of being a wheelchair user is just putting normal trousers on.

Being seated permanently means lots of leaning over and pulling at waistbands to get them on.

I’m happy to do that once a day but not twice every time I venture out in the rain. Also the shiny material makes me slide down my chair.

Speaking of slippery, this is the worst part of endless rain. Grip. I use my hands to grip my wheel rims to steer and brake. As soon as my hands get wet it all goes awry.

I simply can’t control my chair as well, especially when going downhill.

So what are my options? After six years in the chair it seems to be forward planning and acceptance.

Basically I will get wet legs and they will get cold. I need a hot shower at some point to get warm again.

If that’s not during the day then I certainly need a towel and a change of bottom half.

A good waterproof jacket is essential, as is a hat, as my pushing motion seems to include head rocking and hoods simply obscure the vision.

You’d think that my feet might be spared the puddle dilemmas. They do stay a bit drier but spare shoes are not a bad idea either.

Also forget white carpets, or in fact any carpets, staying clean. I have to spin around in circles somewhere dry and moppable until I’m no longer leaving a trail.

Puddles do pose a dilemma, too. They obscure hidden lumps and bumps, especially getting to drop kerbs. Many a time I have had to have a leap of faith.

To be honest, that means using the car, watching for the least heavy rain or staying put. The change of seasons and using a wheelchair turns you into a keen amateur meteorologist, that’s for sure. Time to head out and get soggy!