The first cloudy day in ages and it's really hot and oppressive none the less.

My sister and I went for a bike ride earlier, when it wasn't quite so hot - but the clouds betrayed us and let the sunshine through and we were fried.

We went up a new path and, leaving our bikes, climbed up a hill. There was a crossroads of paths there which we'll have to explore at some point, when it's cooler. Then we went back down and got back on our bikes and cycled through the grass and amongst the rocks and nasty little low-growing spiky things which are just at the right height to scratch your feet on the pedals. Suddenly the plants were green instead of brown; we were near the stream. There was a branch across the path which we had to heave our bikes over, and then a dense jungle of brambles, hawthorn and other plants. We could hardly walk through it, let alone cycle. We got off our bikes and went on a reconaissance, to ascertain whether or not this non-path would lead anywhere before trying to drag our bikes through. It led to the stream, as I expected, and I recognised where we were. My sister couldn't bring her bike through, so I got them both, getting absolutely scratched in the process. 

Mouse is one of the neighbours' cats - a beautiful tricolour. And she has two babies who play around on the track some times and who my sister and I have named The Wittens. Here's a photo of one of them (: