We left before noon for our daily ramble in the woods yesterday, not quite knowing what to expect after a truly violent thunderstorm raged through the area the day before.That there would be detritus on the trails from dead twigs and small branches dislodged from the tree mass above by the powerful windbursts we had no doubt, but we did hold out hope that no trees would have been lost.

We did see evidence on a street below our own of the bellowing force of the wind that had halved a lovely old maple with an impressive girth. The wind just somehow ripped the tree's trunk with its two major masts in half, the lawn around it covered with the leaf mass on the now-defunct, large bough that nature had declared redundant.

We didn't, in fact see anything quite as dramatic once we embarked on our ravine walk yesterday, though we did come across a middling-sized fir that had cracked off about three feet up its trunk and lay now across a minor trail leading off from the main trail. No problem ducking under the fallen tree held in suspension by other intact, much larger trees. If any tree in the forest is liable to give way under the influence of heavy wind gusts, it seems to be fir that is most susceptible.

We were accompanied during our walk by a neighbour who lives at the top of the street, directly adjacent to the entrance to the ravine. Her tiny dog Newton, a Yorkie mix well known to our two, trotted along obligingly with Jackie and Jillie, as immersed in the fascinating scents everywhere as they were. Newton has a laid-back character, not much enamoured of expressing enthusiasm. He is a few years older than Jackie and Jillie, but he was never given to demonstrative excesses of attention and energy.

We finally came across a hazelnut dangling from one of the many shrubs thriving on the borders of the forest. Some years are much better for nut production than others, and this appears to be a summer that hasn't encouraged much nut output. Which we find somewhat puzzling, since just about every other bit of vegetation in the forest has thrived under perfect growing conditions so far this summer.

Yesterday's high temperature was 35C, with a good breeze, so we decided we'd indulge in a long circuit, taking our time in the heat, grateful for the generous shade sheltering us from the glare and heat of the sun.