It's always a dilemma. Of course you want to hang on to the garden as long as you possibly can. But there comes that inevitable time when the gardener has to accede to the weather. And the weather these past weeks has been loud and clear in the sense that prevailing cold, wind and incessant rains have turned the corner well into fall. The nights are cold, we've already had a touch of frost, and daylight hours are slipping away into early dusk.

So I have made a start. In the backyard gardens, I've partially cut back what's left of the perennials. Tidying things up. It's hard work, but it's necessary work. And truth to tell, it has its attractions, since it's outdoors work, and occasionally there's the sound of geese migrating; that old pull of nostalgia. It isn't happy work, but it's the routine demands of maintaining a garden. Some people leave this kind of clean-up until the spring, and then go at it, when everything is dried, easier to deal with, takes up less room.

I prefer leisure in the spring. There's enough that has to be tended to in the spring; final clean-up, and planting, for example. I know that naturalists suggest that if perennial vegetation is left to dry over-winter they give the opportunity for some insects and bugs to find winter haven, and also food. But there's the things that are left undisturbed, like eunonymus, and we've plenty of the shrubs, and the tiny crabapples left on the trees that birds occasionally feed on.

Even in the backyard, I've still plenty to do, composting the annuals, saving some bulbs to overwinter, emptying the garden pots. I thought I'd finish the backyard gardens and make a stab at the rockgarden and shade garden at either side of the house, and then eventually move on to the gardens at the front of the house. See what I mean? Lots to do.

But then, everything -- almost everything -- looks fine in the gardens and garden pots at the front of the house, with some exceptions. And look here, the weather has turned. It's suddenly become milder, sunnier, fewer strong gusting winds. So I haven't the heart to begin emptying the garden beds, borders and  pots of their form and colour.

On the other hand, I know it would be better if all that work were to be done before it gets too cold and nasty to work outdoors. So, it's a tough choice; wait awhile yet and give the flowers and plants the opportunity to continue enjoying life in the garden, or begin seriously clearing everything away with all that this entails and while the weather is still decent, or face the gardener's gloom of looking out at deconstructed gardens for too long before the snow begins to fly....

So, while considering the action to be taken, and taking full advantage of glorious early fall weather we take ourselves off to the ravine to enjoy the daily changes in there, where the forest trees are accelerating their seasonal costume-changes, and there are more trees blushing with the pleasure of dressing up. If we're not in the ravine by mid-afternoon Jackie and Jillie will think something's gone awry.

When in fact, all's well with the fortunate world we live in, and they're assured their daily romp-about through the trails, into the forest interior for brief, excited forays to try to talk civil sense into the squirrels that keep intriguing them, but continue to elude them.