Nothing so much as a mere wisp of a cloud appeared in yesterday's wide, blue sky. The sun monopolized the sky completely, there were no competitors for space in the heavens, no clouds to nudge the sky off  kilter as it rode its chariot with perfect aplomb across the bowl of the spring sky. And since the temperature was 28C, this was a hot day.

The heat, however, dispelled as we entered the ravine in the early afternoon. The sun's rays were not deterred from filtering through the canopy of the forest here and there, but in contrast to the street level above the ravine, the forest was cool and green and comfortable. That there was a pleasing breeze was all to the good.

But it seems as long as we're now into heated days -- although we'll still have plenty of cooler, wet days interspersed with the hot ones -- we've been mandated by doggy-necessity to carry a bottle of water with us. Not for us, of course, but for our little charges, Jackie and Jillie. They do appreciate an offer of refreshing cool, clear water once we've been halfway through our regular circuit through the forest trails.

Because it was a Sunday there were others out and about, some familiar faces, some definitely not. We came across one young woman in shorts walking two large dogs. The dogs no doubt took the opportunity to make the most of their jaunt through the forest. The young woman with them was busy with her cellphone. We passed them twice, about three-quarters of an hour apart striding in the direction opposite to ours, and on both occasions her head was glued to the cellphone, carrying on a conversation.

She wasn't entirely oblivious to her surroundings; because one of the dogs was a pitbull type, and each time we met, she grasped its collar and held it close to her legs as they passed. That was the only acknowledgement she would allow that others were present. No smile, no gesture of greeting; entirely absorbed by the cellphone; she might have been anywhere, certainly not in the midst of a forest setting where there is much to see and take note of.

There was also a young couple I would judge to be in their early- to mid-20s who passed us. It is normal courtesy to acknowledge the presence of others, and we always do so with a breezy 'Hi!', but there was no indication that these two heard or cared; no nod, no smile, no word. Leaving one with the indelible impression that courtesy-wise, counter to what we consider the social contract, some people prefer immunity from civil courtesies. It's not just the 'younger generation'; we have, on occasion, experienced the same indifferent snubs from older people as well.

But they certainly don't reflect or represent the majority of people who mostly have a tendency to notice the presence of others and give notice that they do. On the other hand, Jackie and Jillie sensibly take no mind of such things; they tend to respond to people and to dogs who they can sense and determine have an interest in them.

As for our own passing irritation over peoples' rude behaviour, there is much in compensation when throughout our strolls through the forest trails, our attention is drawn continually to the notice of our natural surroundings. Suddenly, there are bees here and there, and the occasional butterfly. We haven't seen any water striders yet in the creek, nor Damselflies around the water, much less dragonflies. For the past several days a Pileated woodpecker has been busy in one particular area of the forest where we can see the bare crowns and trunks of Ash trees. And the lilting song of the cardinal pleases us no end.

We also happened to come across that same little colony of fungi we'd seen the past few days, and what a difference a day makes in this particular type of mushroom. The day before, they were fresh and plump, and yesterday they had expanded and were looking pretty peaked, well on their way out. Not a particularly pretty sight, but an interesting one.

What fell into the decidedly pretty category was the surprise recognition of several patches of spring-blooming wild phlox. They're not in evidence right through the edge of the forest, but in one very particular spot where the beauty of the bright little pink floral display atop their tall stalks qualifies for star quality.