There are winter days that are just exquisitely beyond beautiful and yesterday was one of them. Not sure that this impressed Jackie and Jillie the least little bit. But it certainly did us. The landscape of a forest steeped deep in snow is brilliantly enhanced when the sun braves its luminous presence through a naked canopy of trees. All the more so when it begins to set and appears shimmering on the horizon, sending probing light fingers of fire through the screen of trees.

As it did yesterday. Added to which was a moderating temperature that rose to -2C. Which would have been absolutely perfect, but for the overbearing presence of a biting wind. To all of this our little dogs are happily oblivious. Their satisfaction lies in the very fact that they're in a natural landscape, even if their freedom to explore that landscape to their hearts' content is now compromised by the presence of prowling threats leaving us little option but to ensure they remain securely leashed.

We decided for a little longer hike through the forest trails than we've been treating ourselves to lately. Mostly because there always seems to be so much that has to be crammed into a day. Who says that retirement from an active work life outside the home is relentlessly boring? Our elder years leave us with the time to select how our days should be enriched, and to neglect those opportunities is to waste life.

Where we used to amble along after Jackie and Jillie, forever spurting ahead of us, we now are hurried along by them still thinking they'll sprint here and there, and just lug us along in their wake. Not sure they see much difference from what we've long been accustomed to, but it seems to us it makes a bigger difference in our estimation to us, than it does to them.

They're no longer free to voice their aggressive denials of the right of other dogs to mosey about on the trails and into the forest interior by physical confrontations. Which, when the dog in question is curious about these ill-behaved little louts will swerve toward them and trot in their direction having the effect of persuading our two little belligerents that it might be wise to vacate the immediate premises, bringing them helter-skelter back to us and the protection of 'big' brother and 'big' sister.

Now, they strain at the leash and bark, warning all other dogs that they're unfamiliar with, that they're treading on private territory; theirs and theirs alone, with the right to vet who goes there. It's a strange turn of nature that very small dogs behave so aggressively toward other dogs, while large dogs for the most part, are docile in comparison and relatively well behaved. And it's not just that they've been trained to do so, it's also a reflection of their breeds' pattern of behaviour.

There are times when we become so irritated by Jackie and Jillie in their toy Poodle propensities to bark and to challenge other dogs, that we jokingly offer a trade, two for one. An offer that usually gets a laugh out of the people who think they're so cute. Sometimes I wonder whether we're really joking. And then I remind myself how much we love the annoying little creatures and all the reasons that we do.