We were hoping for a little rain yesterday and though the forecast sounded hopeful, rain didn't, after all, materialize. Which meant that we would have to look around the garden on our return from our afternoon ravine walk, to see what looked parched among the garden pots and what could wait another day. In the ravine it's a different story. All the rain that fell in the past several days, at times descending with immense force in steady downpours after the usual thunder activity, has been absorbed.

Yet in many areas of the forest floor and the trails there is a residual dampness becoming in fact quite muddy in the lower-lying areas, particularly around the tributaries of the creek. Descending some of those hills can be pretty tricky; we've slipped and slid into falls on more than one occasion. Not too pleasant, particularly when you come away from the experience slathered in muck. Due care is called for. Or a trail diversion; at a critical juncture, anticipating muddy trails ahead, selecting an alternative branch of the trail system.

Jackie and Jillie know all the trails and their diversions. They're aware that from the heights looking down there is an advantage; they can see whether anyone is coming along that they might want to rush toward in greeting, or, on occasion harass. They stop at those promontories particularly if there is a bridge somewhere in sight when the screen of trees can be slightly interrupted for better sightlines.

But we're not seeing any other people much less their dogs out these latter days. The more moderate temperatures that were prevailing for the past week have passed their due date and we're now back into the 30C temperatures, with high humidity. We get so much sun, though, it's surprising that the wild apple trees are bearing very little fruit this summer. Some of the apples  that do present, though small, are already beginning to take on colour, though ripening is a long way off yet.

And there's plenty of colour in the ravine, lots of bright yellows in the sunflowers and the compass plants, a flowering wildflower I was previously unfamiliar with, a member of the aster family sometimes called pilot weed. And for daily interest there's nothing quite like the thistles in flower. They're so large and colourful, powerfully attractive to bees and Japanese beetles; each time we linger to see what's happening with them, a little drama ensues.

When we returned home yesterday Jackie and Jillie as usual, feeling energized, immediately began  leaping at one another, boxing, wrestling, racing all over the house, upstairs and down. They indulge in this horseplay, Jackie emoting continually, Jillie taunting her brother to greater extremes as the more acrobatic one of the duo, until they tire. And then they ask for a treat. We've developed the habit of doling out lettuce leaves and they love nibbling on them. They're veggie-addicted dogs.