There is no time when the forested ravine fails to welcome our presence. Morose and moody days like yesterday are no exception. True, when entering the forest there is a dense, dark atmosphere more acutely present on heavily overcast days, but the apparent gloom is more than counteracted by the green glow that greets us within.

To us, the woods and the trails winding through them are irresistible. They placate whatever low emotions we may have, as they embrace us with the warmth of nature's generosity, sharing with us the evident values of being close to nature, not the least of which is its calming effect on our spirits that nothing else can quite approximate.

Oddly enough on beautiful sunny, warm days we often come across no one else for the hour or so that we amble along the trails. Now that is definitely peaceful, since with no others present, Jackie and Jillie feel no need to raise an alarm, which they are so irritatingly skilled at doing. They tend to assertiveness as though the environment is their personal possession.

On the other hand, if and when they come across other dogs known or unknown to them previously they become alarmed if any of those others become too pushily assertive. Being exposed to a little of their own uncivil behaviour which they do everything they can to avert close proximity to, however, hasn't taught them any lessons about social civility, sorry to say.

Yesterday, despite it was cool, windy and threatening rain, we happened to come across quite a few of our acquaintance trial walkers. Usually with dogs of their own.  One large terrier mix, Rufus, has a tendency to become too  pushy with Jackie and Jillie, hormonally driven and worrying to them, and they beg for us to pick them up and remove them from Rufus's insistent overtures. Once he's in my arms, Jackie will become chivalrously defensive, snarling and snapping at Rufus who continues his behaviour so alarming to our smaller dogs who don't want to be mounted by a hairy monster, as they must see it.

Their alarm is soon forgotten as we forge on, continuing our woodland ramble, marvelling at our consistent good luck in avoiding downpours. The day before, the skies had opened with a vengeance just as we completed our circuit, and yesterday once again, the rain fell later in the afternoon and on into the wee hours of the night, much to the delight of our garden.