I'm happy you're here to tell the story Suzie. You're a tough cookie (with a good helmet).

Do you have RoadID (http://www.roadid.com/)? I strongly recommend you get something like that if you're riding on your own a lot.

The learning curve to the road bike can be steep, and riding in the rain (especially in an urban setting with tracks, cars, curbs, etc.) is another challenge. Hang in there! But don't hurt yourself.

I strongly recommend unclipping both feet. After two years clipless, I still do that a lot of the time, especially if riding busy city streets. Then I position my feet to make sure I won't clip back in, and I'm pretty good at clipping back in or even at pedalling, if necessary, without being clipped in. What wears the cleats out is not clipping in and out but walking in them, so don't worry about that. It just makes it safer.

Big hug, take care