It was definitely a whole lot cooler and windier than we had anticipated when we started out on our mid-afternoon ravine ramble yesterday. Just walking up the street to the ravine entrance gave us a taste of what the weather held in store for the day.

Once we had descended into the ravine, where on the forest trails the force of the wind is modified given the shield of the densely-packed trees, that element leading to the feeling of cold was reduced, but the cool atmosphere prevailed throughout our hour-and-a-half amble along the trails. The occasional glimpse of the sun over the forest canopy when it briefly emerged and sent swift, dazzling shafts of sunlight onto the foliage, lingering even for a second on our heads, made an enormous difference.

But it was a tease. Intermittent little bursts of sun glaring briefly through a stubborn litter of clouds was the most of the sun we'd see yesterday. We may complain about the wind, but at this time of year it's the wind that we can thank for keeping mosquitoes and other flying pests at bay.

The forest floor continues to be steeped in puddles of unabsorbed rainwater, so although a good heavy rain has the potential to wash mosquito larvae out of ponds, it also presents as a reliable breeding ground for as long as the ponds remain above the soil, so saturated it can no longer function as a sink.

But it is that very presence of copious amounts of moisture that accelerates the growth of vegetation in the forest, and we felt rather surprised that dogwood had already set their floral panicles. Not yet open, still in their 'bud' stage, but by the time a few more days have elapsed they'll be in full flower.

And not only was the dogwood beginning to bloom, but we also came across the first of the wild honeysuckle shrubs to set out its distinctive flowers. In the ravine's understory both pink and white honeysuckle shrubs make up part of the blooming vegetation.

We had noted almost a week ago that the wild apple trees were in bloom. But yesterday was the first time that we realized that the hawthorns too had begun to bloom. They're among the first of the deciduous trees to lose their foliage in autumn, and the last to gain their new leaves in the spring. But when it comes to blossom time they're right up there with the bet of them.

Halfway through our trek we came across Max, the excitable, energetic and amusing miniature poodle that used to bowl Jackie and Jillie over in his enthusiasm for muscular play. As small as he is, he's about one-and-a-half times larger than our two, and pretty muscular. He's since assumed a bit of a quieter demeanor, but his original boisterousness is not far from the surface.

It meant that all of us enjoyed the kind of features that help make our daily walks so close to nature's playground the pleasure they turn out to be. For us, coming across the expected unexpected in forest revelations, and for our two little sibling dogs, the opportunity to come across some of their friends for brief run-abouts in the forest.