This photograph shows just how far it is that we have to walk up the street our home is located on, to access one of the many entrances to the Bilberry Creek Ravine forest. A short jaunt past about ten houses on each side of the street and there it is, beside the communal mailbox. Another short pathway into the forest itself and we're confronted with the first long somewhat steep hill descending into the ravined forest.

View from our garage door to the opening to the ravine on the left....

This morning we expected to see the creek running freely. Yesterday, when the temperature rose at its height to minus 4C, there was still ice on the surface of the creek. Today, when we ventured out this morning, the temperature had risen to an unbelievable 4 degrees, under an absolutely clear sky, the sun beaming its warmth down upon us.

Yesterday, the moderate below-freezing temperature seemed mean and icy, driven by a nasty wind. Today, by contrast, the wind is far more robust, shoving the tree canopy back and forth, with a very audible soughing through the trees as the 50-km bursts of wind blast the atmosphere.

And yesterday, despite the cutting wind, snow still remained on the trees, creating that lovely picture-postcard appearance we all so appreciate, while today's wind, augmented by overnight rain had cleansed the tree branches of their snow covering.

Yes, rain. Yesterday afternoon snow fell throughout the remainder of the day, for an accumulation of another ten cm. But as the afternoon progressed into evening, the temperature slowly rose above zero, and the ongoing snow turned to rain. Making the snow, needless to say, soggy and heavy. Even so, in the ravine it hardly seems as though there has been any snow melt.

An perception belied by the swollen, rushing creek, increasingly fuller from the effect of melting snow. Most years we have what we call a January thaw, and this could be the January thaw for 2017, or perhaps just an anomaly of a few days' moderating temperature. But hold on: Environment Canada has informed the listening public that tomorrow's high temperature is set to be 8 degrees.

Now that truly is unusual, and to think that last week the temperature refused to budge above minus-15C just goes to prove that Ottawa weather is truly incomprehensible.