Rainy Saturday the 28th June

 The day had started reasonably enough, with a heavy shower followed by hot sunshine, and although the forecast was for more showers, after recent warm dry days it looked as though a good afternoon's riding lay ahead.
  Turnout was a bit reduced at Nonsuch due to many being away in Dieppe, but several newcomers were there including some smaller children.  With a leader shortage, one ride was to go to East Molesey, and the other stay more local around Ewell, though dark clouds loomed over the horizon to the West.
  The ten on the longer ride got no further than a couple of large trees in the park before heavy rain began to fall, but decided to see out the shower before resuming the ride. There were even the usual comments about it being good for gardens. The short sharp shower proved to be too optimistic a description and after 20 minutes a decision was made to abandon the ride and return to the cafe to wait for the rain to pass. Some had not even brought waterproofs and elected to abandon altogether as by now the air temperature had also fallen several degrees.
   The short ride had not even started and some stragglers also went into the cafe, where hot drinks and cakes improved morale to the extent that it looked as though some sort of ride could be possible after all later on.  In due course the rain did ease off and the sky become lighter so I led a half dozen intrepid souls on a shorter ride to Horton Park.
  When we got to the Hogsmill valley path near Hook the sky began to darken again and spots of rain become heavier and more persistent, so this ride hastily turned back by the Golf Centre. By now, such waterproofs as some people had, including mine, were proving inadequate, and in these conditions the only consolations were no wind to speak of and the end of the ride in sight. Still, we all finished and can say it was a learning experience about proper clothing and weather forecasting.  Tennis at Wimbledon was rained off until the evening, and true to form, as I reached my front door the rain stopped for the day and the sun came out.
  There is always next weekend, which surely must produce better weather, for the start of the Tour de France.