These mornings there is ample frost on the roofs, and it takes some time before the days begin warming to comfort levels. We've been experiencing night rainfalls, and overcast, chilly mornings. The gardens are devoid of form and colour, awaiting winter's blanket of snow. Still, yesterday afternoon, despite the cold, with the sun in full sail in a mostly blue sky that had banished the rainclouds until evening, and I was able to snip the last of the parsley in the garden for our evening chicken soup serving.

And by the time we got out to the ravine the temperature had risen to a nice enough 6 degrees under a light wind and full sun. Comfortable enough to inspire us to go for a longer ramble than usual, over to an opposite side of the ravine, though any low-lying areas were drenched enough to hold deep pools of water.

Most of the foliage of the fall splendour has succumbed and left their high perches. The last several days the wind was incredibly fierce with gusts that, combined with the cold, took our breath away. The rain and the high winds served to convince the still-lovely foliage of bright yellow and red that it really was time to depart, so the trails are now thick with fallen leaves, and Jack and Jill still aren't accustomed to wading through the piles. With their soft fne hair, leaves tend to stick to their legs as they mince along, and they are decidedly uncertain whether they really like the wet, clinging leaves.

Yesterday we came across a tall youngish man whom we see on the rare occasion who suffers from the effects of some kind of catastrophic injury that has left him still erect, but his back oddly concave. He walks his large black fierce-looking part-everything including hound and Doberman Pinscher, with a harness and a grip, while holding his specialized cane in the other hand, to enable him to take control when needed, although the dog does incline to obey his commands.

We have been enjoying apples for almost two months from one particular wild apple tree along our way. It too, like the other deciduous trees in the forested ravine, has been divested of its foliage, the apples left on the tree standing out as plumply red orbs, tantalizing Jack and Jill who love to feast on them, knowing that my husband will extract and offer one piecemeal for them as he's done daily during our rambles for the past several months.

Lately, he's been knocking down two at a time, and we too share one of these sublime fruits between us, after giving our puppies their due. These are the juiciest, sweetest and fresh apples we have ever enjoyed.