On really hot mornings like today's, when preparing to take ourselves out to the ravine for an early morning walk to escape the afternoon heat, I often wear a light cotton outfit I bought about forty years ago. Over time, the fabric has grown thin, but it was well made, a pair of pants and a hooded jacket with lots of pockets. It's white to deflect the interest of mosquitoes and to stay cool in the sun, and it's quite perfect on these hot days with a light, sleeveless top underneath.

It may be old, but as of today, it reflects the latest in fashion. Among the young, I mean, and I'm anything but young. The pants were transformed to resemble the kind that seems so popular. You know the type, with knees torn and frayed? That's how they now appear. We were descending one very long hill and veered off toward another much shorter one when I suddenly slipped and because we were going downhill, only one of my legs gave way so that I ended up with one leg behind me and the other crooked downward with the knee on the path.

Unfortunately that path, a little steep and the host of tree roots and gravel wasn't a very welcoming and particularly passive host to my knee. The thin cotton of the pants tore and frayed. And my knee, excruciatingly painful at first, soon saw the pain subside and I had no difficulty whatever carrying on. I had sustained a very light scratch, that's all. The kneecap though was another story; a kind of twist and interior bruising. But fine standing or walking, so no big deal.

Jackie and Jillie had a few friendly episodes with some of their friends. And although it was already warm and the direction of the afternoon was clear; heading toward close confinement and stuffy, with rain clearly in the offing we found it beyond pleasant out. While we were out the atmosphere was though overcast, quite comfortable. All the more so with a cooling breeze that favoured us very nicely.

 So we decided we'd take a trail offshoot and return to the glen we had visited yesterday. Was it only yesterday? Wanting to become a little better acquainted with the wildflowers that proliferate there. Strangely the little floral landscapes we came across one after the other seemed somewhat changed from what we'd seen the day before. So we decided to go off trail and bushwhack for a bit, just to poke about and see what else there was we might be missing.

And then our direction turned to home. Today is also cleaning day. Breakfast awaited, and after that hours of house-cleaning. I soon discovered I wouldn't be able to casually place my weight on my knees as usual, washing floors. My husband put a wide, gauzy bandaid on my kneecap and offered me his knee protection pads. He knew to offer washing the floors himself wouldn't make much of an impression on me.  As it is, I dislike that he vacuums the house, leaving the dusting, dry mopping and floor washing to me. I still consider housework my baileywick; he has enough to do around the house.

What I did improvise with was a pair of thick, plush, soft slippers I use in the winter. With the injured knee parked in one of the slippers as I moved around the floors, I was able to wash them as usual. It just took a little longer than usual. There's lots of floors; bathroom, powder room, laundry room, foyer, kitchen and breakfast room. Done!