Heavily overcast and windy, at least there was the saving grace of milder temperatures topping at 2C. Which meant in turn that the forest trails of yesterday that were icy strips of challenge to one's balance ascending and descending hills no longer pertained. I could stride along with comfort and security not only on flat areas of the forest, but the hillsides as well.

As assiduously as Jackie and Jillie looked for the presence of some of their acquaintances, none appeared at all. They have a tendency, when we stand on higher ground to look keenly in the direction of the trails leading upward where they often see other dogs mounting the hills, but to no avail yesterday. It seemed we had the ravine to ourselves.

Not that others hadn't been out, for there was ample evidence that other ravine trekkers had forged their way through the trails before us. The imprints of their boots on the newfallen snow delivers its message. We were a bit later than usual yesterday afternoon because I had quite a bit to do around the house and took my time doing it.

For the third morning straight, light snow had fallen overnight and there was a slight layer remaining over the melting snowpack. Whose melt had been suspended, of course, while cooler temperatures below freezing returned, as they tend to do overnight. To the delight of maple syrup entrepreneurs.

This may be spring we've finally embarked upon, and it truly does look like spring in other areas of our geography but not here in the Ottawa Valley. Actually, it is a little unusual for this time of year to continue experiencing this kind of cold and accompanying snow, but not completely. Weather patterns have changed, but aside from that even under 'normal' conditions we're accustomed to erratic and swiftly-changeable systems barrelling into our area. Just more of the same.

We three have been going out on our own, since my husband is still in the recovery stages of his bout with a nasty virus which at first we thought was a chest cold, a type of cold he rarely comes down with. On second thought, assessing the features of his symptoms we feel now that he had caught the flu. We'd taken flu shots late last year against the winter arrival of flu, but this year's strain has been unusual and caught the makers of the vaccine off guard, the result being a mere 10% efficacy. Still, the shot is credited widely with making those symptoms associated with the strain less severe.

It was only when we exited the ravine from our afternoon circuit, and were ambling down the street toward our house that we came across an acquaintance dog. This was Newton, a tiny Yorkie mix who was out with his human, both of whom just happen to live directly beside the ravine entrance, but rarely venture into its confines.