Summer, Foals and Flowers in July

On Tuesday, we had Summer - really hot and humid; too hot to sit outside for long so Zac and I alternated between a patch of shade in the garden and the cool of home, with windows and doors open to create cooling breezes. 

On Wednesday, I had an appointment with an optician in a town a few miles away, so with blue, blue skies foretelling of another hot day, I set off in my car.

Well, I never found out what caused it, but before long, I caught up to the tail end of a long, long traffic hold-up and several miles were spent in second gear, alternating with being completely stationary. I began to panic slightly that I would be late for my appointment even though I had allowed plenty of time to locate the place.  I was also relieved that I had left Zac at home, as things were getting quite warm (an understatement!) in the car. So pleased I was dressed in light clothing . . . . 

But eventually, I made it with a few minutes to spare - phew!!

I guess I was in there for about 80 minutes and just before I was

ready to leave, there was an almighty thunderclap and the lights 

went out for a few seconds.  Then there was a heavy downpour 

of rain which lasted for about 10 minutes - and that was that!

So I stepped out and headed for the car park . . . and before I had gone 100 yards, got completely drenched, soaked to the skin, literally.  Did you know that cotton T-shirts go transparent when wet?  Not a good look in the middle of a busy town centre, but luckily, everyone else had their heads down as they dashed for shelter.

After collapsing wetly into my car, I used a dog towel (clean, luckily!) to dry my hair and drape across my shoulders, then started on the journey home.

This was the view through the windscreen.

Later, after a hot shower and change of clothing, Zac and I went for a walk.  It was once again very warm and humid and this little band of ponies on the Moor were dozing in the heat.

But look closer -

Do you see the foals?

This one is probably only a day or two old -

but he knows what to do when he's hungry or thirsty, bless'im.

An older foal with a star on his forehead. He's the one shown lying under his mother in the third photo.

So after a circular walk around this particular patch of the Moor, Zac and I returned home, where I took these photos in the late evening.