At this magical time of year, it's enjoyable doing a quick inventory whenever I'm out in the backyard with Jackie and Jillie, to see what's been erupting while my notice has been elsewhere. And elsewhere it most often is, since there always seems to be so much housework to be done, cooking and baking, part of maintaining a household in the manner to which we've become accustomed.

So those brief perusals give me the opportunity to see what needs to be done. From tying up tendrils of fast-growing clematis vines, to pulling out weeds, to making note of the rose canes that will have to be trimmed. We have a purple smoke tree that always has die-back in the spring and that too will have to be looked after.

It's a daily routine, to have a look about and take stock and remind oneself of what a well-cared-for garden needs in maintenance. It isn't all that much work once the annuals have been planted, because the perennials look after themselves pretty much. The irises and lilies are coming up nicely and so are the mountain bluet, the Ladies Mantle, bleeding hearts, the bellflowers, the geraniums, the peonies, the Japanese anemones, Columbine and Lilies-of-the-Valley. Tulips are exhausted, though the grape hyacinths are holding their own, and they've been joined by tiny blue forget-me-nots.

In the rock garden the bergenia are in bloom and so is the snake-head fritalleria, and the hens'n chicks are coming along nicely. So are the sweet woodruff and creeping phlox and strawberries. Violets are everywhere, both in the garden and trespassing onto the turf.

Yesterday was the loveliest, warmest day we've yet enjoyed this spring. And when we went off for our afternoon ramble through the forest trails there was no need to think about anything but the pleasure to be had in rambling about, taking note of what has been transpiring on the forest floor and expressing disbelief at the complete leaf-out of the deciduous trees - the forest in all its glorious green.

And then it didn't take too long before we realized we were being inundated by swarms of mosquitoes. Not surprising, given the look of the forest floor, more like a swamp than a forest, with standing water from the copious rain events we've had. Our bare necks, arms and shoulders soon felt fairly uncomfortable. Our arms were swerving about like blades of a windmill in self defence.

The 23-C temperature, the air saturated with moisture and the absence of wind all conspired with the drenched forest floor to hatch those mosquito larvae we knew were there, into ferocious, biting pests. Jackie and Jillie too were being pursued by those merciless bloodsuckers. Our enjoyment somewhat dampened we thought a shorter circuit would do us nicely, yesterday.

And today? Cooler, drier, bright sun hanging in the sky. Mosquitoes? Nope!