You live in Vancouver as long as I have, you get to know two things:

1. Rain happens. Get over it.

2. Don’t buy cheap umbrellas.

When I blogged a while back about how to face rain like a local, I mentioned my affection for my Cheeky Umbrella–a strong-but-pretty parasol designed by local girl Jen Zurowski who’d had enough of brollies that blew up at the first breath of wind.

(Disclosure: my own red Cheeky was a “review copy” but since I started using it more than a year ago, I’ve bought several more for gifts. Let’s just say they have been enthusiastically received.)

This is the best umbrella on the market in my opinion. You can buy them from stores across Canada, but until November 30, 2009 you can order online and use the discount code THESEBOOTSSPLASH to receive a 10% discount.

These babies retail for $44 CDN, but do the math on how many cheapos you’ve blown through in the past year.

I really love these sensible umbrellas–and my husband does too. He’s waiting impatiently for a guy’s version…