Serious work is ongoing now beyond the foot of our street, where it meets a major thoroughfare, beyond which the Bilberry Creek Ravine forest commences. There the street itself has been fenced off, not the roadway but the sidewalk, and people have to cross the road to continue on their way.

There is a considerable assembly of huge construction equipment roaring away into the atmosphere busy with the work ahead of somehow constructing some kind of road alongside a huge culvert to act as an improved storm sewage system to take the water off safely. How it is intended to impact on the hillside above is perhaps known to the engineers who have blueprinted the process, but it's beyond us.

Still, as long as heavy rains don't continue -- although the weather forecast has warned that the current dry, warmer and sunny atmosphere will come to an end on Saturday and Sunday when showers are expected -- showers in their place will hardly constitute a threat unless it is that the already-saturated ground will react even to ongoing showers. In which case some of the houses adjacent those that have been vacated will also be impacted.

For us fortunate ones living across the street, life goes on as normal. And, as we normally do, we hied ourselves up to the entrance of the ravine, saw that no more work was being done in its near vicinity for the time being, and made our way past the gates installed there with the intention of keeping us out.

It's a sobering sight to see the great, gaping slumps, some of them so close to the trail itself. But once we descend the major trail into the ravine, all is normal. And we continued with our usual daily circuit under a heavy cloud cover, a slight wind and cooler temperature.

For the greater part of our walk in the woods we had it all to ourselves. We did eventually come across a few acquaintances, also out to take advantage of the opportunity to greet nature, in however a cantankerous mood she has been in of late.

We came across the first of the semi-larger mauve-purple woodland violets finally in bloom. As well as the more numerous, but still shy trout lilies. And the nicely productive thimbleberry bushes have also made their presence, the foliage bright green, not yet prepared to set out their pretty pink blossoms that will morph into tasty berries.

As for the ground underfoot, it remains deep in muck in many places. But there are signs that it is beginning to dry up, where the muddy clay has become more firm and we're less susceptible to sliding in it. So, overall, things are looking up.