News out of Montreal informs us that the heat wave that is scorching Ottawa is ensconced there as well and the results are alarming, with eleven deaths due to heat exhaustion attributed to the torrid air squatting over us, to date. We're informed there should finally be some relief tomorrow with a high of around 29C, far more tolerable than the mid-30s, with high humidity levels, which is what we've been experiencing for the last week.

We've decided to forego our afternoon walks on our nearby woodland trails until the weather moderates. Instead, to Jackie and Jillie's early-morning excitement, (they're remarkably attuned to any activity out of the ordinary, raising their expectations that something 'exciting' is about to happen) we take them off for morning rambles in the woods, before they or we have breakfast. On our return it's shower time. And then we attend to breakfast, among other things.

It is quite simply too searingly blazing out to surrender ourselves to the pitiless glare of the sun in such conditions. Even trotting through the forest trails with their abundant shade canopy, the heat stifles and suffocates. Fortunately, most of these days have had accompanying winds of varying degrees of emphasis. Yesterday morning not quite as emphatic as on previous days, but every bit of breeze, however innocuous it may seem, moves air about.

And since the forested ravine is an up-and-down affair, in some low-lying areas the air shifted about by the wind is cooler than it is above; logical since cool air descends and warm air ascends. The heat has even affected the vegetation, it too is slumped with exhaustion. But we did yesterday see the first of the yarrow springflowers in session.

This year of springflower excess and early blooming, we can see that goldenrod and asters, Queen Anne's lace and other late-bloomers will be showing off their flowering presence early this summer. Certainly red baneberry has been earlier in turning its berries to that flaming red than normally.

In any event, we come out of our ravine rambles feeling challenged by the heat, exercised by the effort, and dripping with perspiration by the time we've completed our usual lengthy circuit. It is interesting to view the landscape from the perspective of the sun's position in early morning rather than mid-afternoon. Landscape elements appear somewhat different, an intriguing visual change.