Spurred by different occasions and met by vastly different weather patterns, we decided yesterday and today to venture out for our daily walks in the Bilberry Creek Ravine forest, in early morning instead of the afternoon, which is our usual practise.

I had a four-hour appointment at a regional hospital that had been scheduled months before, which meant most of our day would be spoken for. It just so happened that yesterday turned out a moody, sullen weather day, heavily overcast, albeit mild. And fog hung thickly on the street level but surprisingly, not in the ravine, despite a dusk-like ambiance.

Jackie and Jillie didn't seem to mind. To them, a stroll in the woods is an exercise in having fun and engaging themselves in play. They don't notice, as we do, that the creek we cross over with the aid of a number of bridges scattered throughout the ravine, is in full flood thanks to the spate of warmer-than-usual weather we've been treated to the last few days.

Today, oddly enough, Friday thirteenth has dawned much colder, but brilliantly-bright, a treat to the eyes. And so, because we knew the temperature would continue to drop throughout the day until it reached a point where our two little pups would need to wear boots in the ravine, we once again went out for our walk early in the day to avoid the agony of suiting them up with the boots they detest.

It's a visual treat, in fact, to view the various landscapes within the ravine at different times of day throughout varying weather conditions, and we make the most of those occasions. And despite that this morning we went out before breakfast, we did come across some others on the trails who had decided for reasons of their own that the morning hours suited them best for their daily commune with nature.