We had a taste yesterday of what the next four months have in store for us. Because of the snow that fell three days ago, the trails in the ravine were compromised in the sense that ascents and descents -- of which there are plenty it's a ravine, after all -- were fairly slippery and since we saw no reason yet to haul out our winter boots, we were wearing hiking boots and found it dicey getting around. Which led us the following day to strap our trusty old cleats on over the hiking boots. It makes them somewhat cumbersome, weightier, so that you know you're wearing them. Which is fine for the assurance they give that there'll be no more slipping or sliding -- or what's worse falling -- downhill but at the same time the freedom of movement is also in a sense compromised. We'll get used to it.

Today there'll be no need for them, the atmosphere is now much milder under a heavily clouded sky and the snow will have melted by the time we get out there for our walk. Yesterday, however, there was ample snow down and the going was tricky.

We were pleasantly surprised to come across old friends we haven't seen in years. They represent part of the old crowd we'd gotten to know decades ago, walking their own dogs, until one by one the dogs departed this life and some of their human companions either gave up on having other dogs, or did adopt others, but changed their routine, so we'd rarely see them. It must be at least eight years since we've seen Melissa and Harry. Their beagle Jack was beloved of our little Riley, who whenever he saw him, would rush over and turn cartwheels of delight. Riley would acrobatically leap over and around Jack, who grudgingly tolerated our little guy's antics.

Harry and Melissa look different, but they're essentially the same. Age has crept up on them both. And perhaps they were thinking the very same thing about us. Harry has gained an enormous amount of weight; he is a former police officer and had looked after his physical well-being in his earlier incarnation. Melissa worked for an NGO that did charitable work overseas, and she was often in travelling mode, but she has since slowed down. Her face was surprisingly lined and creased with age, though she remains trim.

Their dog Jack could do no wrong; he was so well loved -- other than occasionally slipping out of his collar and dashing off into the woods. Sometimes, after looking fruitlessly for him, Harry and Melissa would just return home, and await Jack's voluntary return. Sometimes it would be hours, and on occasion a full day before he would languidly make his way back home. Sometimes a neighbour returned him. Which explains why Harry would never leave him off the leash trusting he'd remain close by on the trail, and indeed he used to prepare for their mini-conflict by winding part of the leash around a hefty piece of wood to give him the strength to counteract Jack's pull.

A year and a half after losing Jack, they succumbed and brought another beagle into their home. A smaller beagle with a far different temperament, although they still for the most part keep him on the leash. He tends not to wander, though. He's eight years old now, and a year ago he was diagnosed with diabetes. So Harry and Melissa have to inject long-acting insulin twice daily and occasionally take blood-sugar readings to affirm control.  It's tougher for them now to get someone to look after the little fellow if they want to go off somewhere on a winter trip for a week or two.

But they're committed to his well-being and cheerfully take on the tribulations that come with trying to balance the needs of a small animal overtaken by a disease that makes life difficult for everyone concerned, determined to give him a fighting chance at survival for as long as possible. Oddly enough our two little rascals took immediately to this newly-introduced member of their own species, where they're far more likely to initially be wary-to-hostile when first coming into proximity of dogs they don't know.

Must be something about poodles and beagles; a friendship pact we humans know nothing about, perhaps?