We have been privileged by nature these past four days to enjoy a spate of warm, sunny weather as far removed from the weather conditions we've been enduring for the past four months as is possible to imagine. It is suddenly not merely warm, but hot out. Where there is shade and a hint of breeze it is merely warm, very warm. Exposed to the sun, you bake.

Some of the vegetation in the ravine, where the sun has clear focus has actually begun to draw back from the force of the heat. It's as though they've suffered a collapse, where in the vigour of strong new growth they've suddenly been faced with a physical blow. Oh, they'll recover and quickly and they just happen to be the noxious type of weeds producing huge, nasty prickles that get caught under our puppies' paws in the fall, so we don't much mind.

The rest of the vegetation is thriving, striving even at this early date to outdo themselves. We had started spring this year in a deficit, everything slow because of the unseasonable, lingering cold and continual rain. In the last several weeks, spring has eased up on her unusual weather manifestations and as the weather grew milder and the sun warmer, great applause went up from the forest floor.

When we were out in the ravine yesterday afternoon with Jackie and Jillie the sun was so strong it created a visual glare. Greens glowed, the foliage on trees almost simmered with its heated  verdant excitation. As we were strolling along one of the forest trails Jackie and Jillie became alert and excited and of course we knew someone was approaching. As it happened, it was the 'white ghost'.

That's Nova, the white German Shepherd, fully grown now into his full, impressive size. But he hasn't lost his puppyhood emotional expressions. As he loped swiftly toward us he expressed his pleasure at seeing us. He's quite the verbalizer, a surprising high-pitched whine of greeting, matched by a swinging back end. He remains companionably with us for a while, then becomes anxious, and poses, head held high in the direction from which he appeared, as though he's listening intently for something, and of course it's his human calling for his return, and off he goes.

All the rain and the warmth of the latter days of this spring has brought forth a familiar little fungal colony growing massively, we suspect, below the forest floor, feeding on the remains of a dead old tree's roots and stump. We see that colony year after year, working diligently on transforming the woody remains of the tree into forest mulch. As long as it takes, that's how long the colony will manifest itself. It appears suddenly one day, grows to maturity the next, and in another day, two at the most, it will collapse and disappear back underground. There will be a number of such sudden appearances throughout the summer.

The high for the day yesterday registered 24C, but seemed much warmer. My husband took the opportunity to finish hauling the summer furniture out of the garden shed and onto the deck. The last to be put in place was the two-seater glider we've had for many years, inviting us to relax in comfort on the deck, one of us on the glider, the other on a loveseat opposite, with Jackie and Jillie leaping back and forth between us, as we read the papers, lazily conversed, and just enjoyed this outdoor life.