With the damp not lifting by 11.00, the planned morning ride was abandoned in favour of two courts at Ashmoor Leisure Centre; 75 minutes of energetic badminton turned a washed-out start into a lively session.

With thunder brewing we kept it short at Hembury Woods: a detour back to Grange Road for a lost helmet peak, then a cautious climb of the lower track and a return over Hembury Hill, getting home just as the first drops fell.

Showers were forecast and Dillan hesitated, but by Rattery Hill we were moving well, skimming over the new Dry Bridge and past a fly-plagued Moors Head. The rain never came; instead Michael’s freewheel seized, forcing him to pedal downhill and spend the afternoon on repairs.

George chose every turn, leading us up to Cross Furzes and along the Abbot’s Way, where the ride briefly became a peaceful Frisbee session on a quiet, grassy hillside in warm, still air, before we reluctantly headed back the way we came.

Rain cancelled the ride, so we switched to badminton at Ashmoor, where Ewan’s skills came on notably from a low base and everyone enjoyed some energetic games. The social afternoon continued with a round of Lord of the Rings and a spot of PC repairs.

Choosing a short, leisurely ride, we headed to South Brent to buy food and lingered over lunch on South Brent Island in warm sunshine, its butterflies and dragonflies stealing the show; a few photos on the bridge rounded off a gentle, satisfying outing.

An evening spin towards Landscove turned into a playful detour when George found a miniature tennis ball, prompting impromptu ball and Frisbee games on the school field. As darkness fell we dropped plans for a longer loop and headed straight back.

A relentless push to Goodrington Sands made this the most adventurous ride since Easter and showed the youngsters are ready for longer Sundays. Paignton was heaving — every sea-wall space filled with VW camper vans — and lunch was a £2.75 barely adequate burger.

Only two turned out, so it was a quiet, flowing spin through Hembury Woods, with the slalom track the clear highlight.

A sunny ride to Ashprington became a small mission of kindness when we found a purse full of cards and cash and returned it to the owner’s daughter, to great relief. Between Totnes food market snacks and a quiet lunch by the Dart, Google’s ‘easy’ route briefly put us on the A38 - a lesson to stick to the lanes.

Cinema Nights took us to Vue Plymouth for Fantastic Four, a brisk superhero reboot about four young scientists whose teleportation experiment goes wrong. Opinions were mixed but it made for an easy midweek watch. The evening ended with relief as two forgotten phones were safely reclaimed.