We're curious to see what will become of all of my husband's hard work in once again laying topsoil over our existing grass to try to coax the grass seed that he newly laid over it to result in a reasonably good lawn. He worked for hours last Friday and Saturday to get the job done, and ours isn't a very large plot at all. For someone his age it represents a considerable amount of physical labour.

He had 22 bags of 28 litres apiece of enriched garden soil to empty into wheelbarrows-full to be sprinkled over our pathetic plot of grass. Since then he's been watering it all in every two days and it will be interesting to view in a week or so whether all that work will have been worthwhile. Truth to tell, at this time of year in late summer most lawns look pretty played out.

Bare batches appear, and the grass looks pathetically dry, even though this hasn't been a particularly dry summer. We do have ample rain events on a regular basis. There was a time when people would regularly water their lawns through the summer months. With greater awareness of the need to conserve resources, water included, that habit has grown out of favour, deservedly.

The theory being that grass will survive being dry. It may look awfully parched, becoming yellow and desiccated in appearance but is capable of recuperating once it is adequately irrigated. And the rainfall we receive is more than ample to do that. The theory also is that grass becomes too highly dependent on regular applications of water, and when people stop watering lawns the shock results in an unhappy lawn, visually unappealing. As though the condition of our lawns is the most important thing a householder can think about.

Still, the municipality doesn't appreciate it when homeowners allow their lawns to become weedy, or they fail to mow their lawns frequently enough. A notice will be received in the mail that the town has taken note of the situation and the owner of the property can either amend the situation on their own or the town will do so and charge them accordingly.

At least the gardens look fairly good. Tending them seems to be less physically onerous than what the grass demands, truth to tell. And the value of the benefits in viewer-satisfaction tends to be much greater, at the same time. The garden pots we have installed all over appeal to our love of colour and form, even when the resident plants have outrun their season's 'best before' dates. The garden beds and borders represent a pleasant oasis for us, even a secret garden up close to the house where they cannot be seen from the road.

And it's where Jackie and Jillie end up at the close of our daily outdoor adventures in the ravine traipsing through the forest trails. They mosey along the pathways, check to see if anything unusual is present, and just seem to relax in a manner somewhat similar to our reaction strolling about taking note of this and that.

On our ravine hike yesterday morning Jackie and Jillie were introduced to a tiny, six-month-old Chihuahua who walked to perfection on leash. This adorable little dog was curious about them and eager to make their acquaintance. It is learning to appreciate the adventures awaiting it in the great wide world it so lately entered. Jackie and Jillie are small dogs but they literally towered over this little fellow.

And then, not long afterward, we came across another fairly new acquaintance they've seen on a few previous occasions, a full-size Standard poodle, black just like them, perfectly groomed, energetic and playful, happy to romp about with his own distant relatives who tend to be yappy, while the large dog holds his counsel wisely.