This morning, a cardinal's springtime trill urged us to greet another day with the optimism that we're accustomed to. Later, a pair of robins busied themselves in the rock garden, looking for worms and insects, neither of which are in great supply as yet. The areas that had so recently shed themselves of the winter's layered snowpack with the introduction of spring, have reverted to a wintry landscape.

Flocks of redpolls once again roosted in the magnolia branches awaiting their turn at the feeding station below.  The lawns that had been entirely free of snow are once again white and puffy as though a giant hand had sprinkled marshmallow all over the landscape.

On Wednesday, a snowstorm blew into Ottawa and it was fairly ferocious with white-outs and emphatic white gales of wind. It began in the early afternoon and continued on into the night-time hours leaving behind in excess of 20 cm of new snow. The following day there was rain instead, as the temperature moderated. So rain fell on the snow, quite heavy at times, sufficiently so that it made no sense to attempt to get out into it for a pleasant walk.

Today it's overcast again, and cold enough given that last night's temperature dipped to minus-ten-degrees, with considerable wind. And then came the snow again. When the snow had slightly abated we set out with our two puppies Jack and Jill for a ravine walk. They were delighted. Snow had returned to the landscape with a vengeance. Not that the ravined forest had surrendered all the snow packed over the length of the winter months on the forest floor by any means. But there were large emerging patches of brown and green, shed of snow.

Thursday's rain didn't manage to expunge all the snow that fell the day before. And we walked in a bit of a snow squall, the snow steady but at times turning lighter. The sun even made a tentative entrance a few times before once again being snuffed out by the clouds intent on dropping more snow. Progress underfoot was a bit awkward in places where others hadn't trodden down the snow, now quite wet. A rudimentary trail had been blazed on the pathways but it was an awkward and narrow one, with deeply uneven indentations.

Which didn't slow down Jack and Jill one bit. They were both feeling ferociously frolicsome, and aside from speeding along the paths in tandem, its unevenness no impediment to their tiny paws and long legs, they chased one another relentlessly in spirited spurts of challenging play.