Even for the Ottawa Valley's notoriously quirky weather presentations this is highly unusual. Perhaps it's nature's way of mourning along with us, our loss exactly two years ago, of our cherished little miniature poodle, Button.

This day began brightly enough, with relatively mild temperature and clear skies, the sun shining brightly down on the now-scant snow and ice left on front lawns, despite last night's booming series of thunderstorms, and heavy rain. The sun remained bright in the sky for the duration of the morning, as the temperature slowly rose, and the winds rose with them. Wind, ferocious enough to bring trees to their knees, and mimic a locomotive.

And warmth one normally associates with summer, a benevolent warmth that appeared quite at odds with the weather warning for tomorrow. After I had finished cleaning the house, we set out on our ravine walk. By then the sun had long gone, the sky had acquired a dense layer of white and grey clouds; a complete cover, the sun unable to even wink at us. But it was incredibly balmy, at 25 degrees centigrade. We did have the cautionary sense to take along rain jackets for all three of us, little Riley's tucked into a pocket.

The warm atmosphere, the intense rain events of last night and the wind has helped melt some of the snow in the ravine, but nowhere near the bulk of it. Some portions of trails have become bare of snow and ice and are grittily muddy. Most of the long slopes are more icy than ever, and without our cleats we'd never have been able to climb them.

We stopped to chat on a few occasions with people we know as ravine acquaintances walking their dogs, just as delighted as we were to be out and about. There were a few sprinkles, and one light rain that lasted a very short time. An hour and a half later we exited, well exercised.

And not ten minutes after we arrived home the heavens opened up to a lavishly heavy downpour. I watched as a little red squirrel took shelter under the porch roof and handy to the seed-and-peanut tray, and a cardinal kept fluffing his wings, seated within one of the ornamental miniature crab trees beside the porch.

Oh, it was quite the amazing weather day, up to an unimaginable 25 degrees with wind, sun and rain all thrown in for good measure. And oh yes, we're cautioned by Environment Canada not to become too accustomed to this warmth; tomorrow's daytime temperature will descend once again to minus-2-degrees, and there will be snow, sleet and freezing rain.