Quite apart from the usual pleasure of strolling through the ravine on a lovely spring day, we were gifted with two additional episodes that rendered especial enjoyment during our walk.  We always look out for Stumpy, the little tailless squirrel we've been happily acquainted with for years.  His audacious and sweet personality makes him our favourite among the squirrel population.

We never know where he'll pop up, to run up to us from sometimes surprising distances at an amazing clip of speed to ask for his daily treat.  We consider it a daily treat, certain that there are many instances where we may have already passed by an area, where he discovers peanuts already sitting there, awaiting his pleasure.  When there are yet none, he invariably tracks our progress and turns to us directly to amend the oversight.  Occasionally, he would do this repeatedly, throughout the length of our hour's ramble.

We save the largest peanuts for him.

And yesterday, there he was, surprising us with his sudden pop-up, along a part of the trail that we associate with large beeches, yew growing on the hillsides and Jack-in-the-Pulpits in their brief season.

A half-hour later a tiny bundle of energetic fur buzzed up a hill and espying us, ripped over directly toward us.  Yorkshire terriers are very small creatures to begin with, and this one was only twelve weeks old, curious about everything surrounding it in this strange and exciting world she was so recently introduced into.  She was a perpetual motion machine, a whirlwind of energy, an amazing presence, and an absolute delight to watch.