All day yesterday the sky was burdened with steel-grey clouds, the burden heavy enough to collapse the sky into endless rain, yet again. At this point, the soil in our gardens appears to be content with accepting the rain and absorbing it nicely. It was a busy day for us, in any event, and we didn't think we would miss our usual ravine walk.

But by dinner time there were rain lapses and at one juncture the sun actually defied the clouds enough to shove them aside for one brief glimpse of what was going on down on Earth.We decided to give Jackie and Jillie their dinner, and put our own on hold, which wasn't difficult since I had prepared a potato salad for dinner.

Wild Ginger

Then we set off for the ravine, even as the clouds began to alternate between grey and charcoal grey, auguring the certainty that more rain would follow. By now the foliage in the ravine has assumed fairly mature size, making for a canopy above which acts as a fairly good shield for us down below, from the rain. On the other hand, since it had rained all day everything, including the canopy, was well saturated and itself dripping.

Foamflower

We had geared ourselves for rain, however, and off we went. Since it was only six in the early evening it was too soon for dusk to set in, but there was a dusky atmosphere anyway, from the mist rising in the ravine because the temperature had also risen slightly from its all-day 13C-degree sticking point to gain another several degrees of warmth.

Sprays of cherries budding

As is usual during or after a rain, colour is intensified, and so it was with the tender new green everywhere one looks; it fairly vibrates with colour-intensity.

Apple tree blossoming

The rain has given all growing things a boost, since we've also had fine periods of sun. The ginger patches in the ravine have become robust, the wild cherry trees are beginning to bloom alongside the apple trees and the tiny strawberry plants are also in bloom, as, finally, are the Lilies-of-the-Valley.

Lilies-of-the-Valley