On the exterior of the forest up the street we live on, there's a broad swath of grass just adjacent the ravine entrance where the super mailbox is located to service the street, and beside the mailbox sumacs have begun growing along with poplars, as the forest reclaims more of its traditional land for itself. Just on the verge, there is some fairly luxuriant vegetation growing; daisies, birdsfoot trefoil, henbane, even cowslips which we haven't seen in ages. Contractors used to come along in the summer and cut the grass there, mowing down all the wildflowers. They don't any longer, so wildflowers have a chance to grow and to bloom. It's nice to see them.

While buttercups, daisies and fleabane do grow alongside the forest trails, they do so in lesser numbers, dependent on glimpses of sun filtering down through the forest canopy onto the forest floor. On the verges they can luxuriate in full sun. Alongside the creek at the bottom of the ravine there is more sun exposure, and that's primarily where elderberry trees have now begun to colonize themselves comfortably.

When we woke this morning it felt hot and humid. And the weather forecast confirmed that it would be even hotter, in the 30Cs, and just to jolt us a bit more into action, warning of afternoon thunderstorms. So of course we chose the option of getting out for a hike through the trails in the forest early this morning, and so we did just that, Jackie and Jillie only too happy to oblige, helping us thoughtfully by lining up to get their halters and collars installed.

No surprise, really to discover that the conditions that brought us out early for a hike through the trails convinced others to do the same. Besides which, today is a holiday. Canada Day no less. The 153rd year since Confederation. A few of our neighbours had put up flags. We never have been the flag-waving type. Canada is our home and native land, and that is that. Pride in that fact is manifest but not extravagantly visual.

No one greeted anyone else that they passed on the trails with a cheery "Happy Canada Day!" Canadians in general just aren't given to that kind of emotionally ostentatious patriotism. No one seems to think they need prove their love of the country and the nation through effusive flag-waving. One new neghbour had a large flag waving in the wind, and a string of little flags flying across his double garage exterior. To each their own.

The forest floor was damp from all the rain we've been treated to in the past several weeks. The heat of the day was far from settling in at that hour, and there was a breezy element to the atmosphere. And there was also a treat awaiting our entry into the ravine first off as we rounded the initial trail to descend the first long hill to the ravine bottom. An immature little rabbit sat there, regarding us. Jackie and Jillie either failed to notice or didn't mind its presence, for they were still and well-behaved; in itself a rarity.

The tiny creature just sat there in the middle of the trail, allowing us to feast our eyes. It's been years since we last saw rabbits where once we would regularly see them. Just as at one time we frequently saw foxes and raccoons and partridges. Now they're rarely seen. When anyone comes across an owl it's a moment of great excitement. It's likely the growing presence of coyotes the past several decades has had an impact on their presence; that they're there, but infinitely more cautious; that their numbers have decreased as a result of predation.

It was the most pleasant of pleasant rambles through the ravine trails. As we approached the last of the bridges we would cross preparatory to ascending the last of the hills we would climb to reach street level, we met up with  an old neighbour of long acquaintance, doing her Tai Chi exercises. She always stops at that particular spot for that purpose, after a long turn in the ravine. And while we were stopped, talking with her, another elderly friend came by with her little dog and we were a quartet of white/and/grey heads bobbing in a social-distanced dance of verbal communication.