Weather news and updates, particularly at this time of year represent a major concern in this region. Just a few days ago, a man driving along an overpass on Highway 416 lost control of his vehicle which plunged, upside down onto the highway below, killing him instantly. Snowbanks are regularly removed from overpasses; evidently this time conditions were not ideal, leading to the tragedy.

There's a new weather advisory for the next few days. We had about an inch of snow fall overnight rather than the freezing rain that had been predicted, and that was fine. Not so fine the rain to follow.

So we thought it best to get out for a ravine hike while we could, which meant showering, giving Jack and Jill their breakfast, and setting off for an early morning ravine walk, planning to have our own breakfast on our return. Which we did, finding that the new snow had nicely plumped up the snowpack covering all the detritus that had fallen from the trees after the last snowfall a few days earlier, driven by a high wind. Which in turn translates to fewer opportunities for Jack and Jill to browse about for bits of plant matter to ingest. Which suits us just fine.

It was mild, better we had worn lighter jackets, but no matter. Difficult to tell where the colour change is from the sky to the ground in these conditions. Each has that luminous white-pewter look, one reflecting the other. Yesterday although it was equally cloudy, the sun kept trying to nudge the clouds apart, and it appeared as a giant, effervescently shimmering globe of surpassing beauty. Nothing could be seen in the densely opaque cloud cover that shielded the sky from view today.

Surprisingly enough we came across a fair number of other people out walking their dogs as well, giving Jackie and Jillie the opportunity to have some playmate-enhanced run-abouts. By the time we were three-quarters of our way through our walk-about we felt the first drops of rain, closing in on nine o'clock. It took no time at all for the rain, which was predicted to begin around noon, to pick up, and by the time we reached home the rain was light, but emphatic.

Tomorrow, however, we've been forewarned, will be a day that likely won't allow a ravine walk, the rain far too heavy to head out and find pleasure in and certain as well to wash away a significant proportion of the snowpack, leading, we've been informed, to flash flooding. And the day after? Why freezing, of course, so we'll have icy pathways and highways to contend with. Hence the concern over weather and conditions it brings to this area.