The last day of September 2020 was going out in style. Everything was on offer. Rain, sunshine, wind, cool temperatures, and a glorious landscape. By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, rain that had begun in the wee hours of the night had petered out. But just to make sure ... we put on our rain gear for ourselves and for Jackie and Jillie. And then, when we exited the house wondered why we bothered.

Gone, the streaked dark grey sky, and hello! wide blue spaces. The sun was blinding, and I'd forgotten to wear sunglasses. It was in a word, lovely. So that little ear-whispering second-thought prattled on about how senseless it was to proceed, wearing rain jackets. But we were comfortable enough against the cold, and so were Jackie and Jillie.

The forest wept as it prepared to welcome October. The colours even more intense because all its vegetation was utterly sodden. And the wind! Howling through the trees, bringing down even more leaves, though they have a long way to go yet. The wind burst through the forest canopy in fits; we would hear its build-up and at the crescendo, falling leaves swept the landscape.

Those that had come down the night before in the driving rain were splotched like confetti on the forest floor. The creek was so swollen with rainwater, it churned and bubbled along, taking with it the leafy detritus that had fallen into it from leaves drifting in spirals weighted down with a slick of rain to begin drifting along with the downstream.

Fragrances and aromas seemed to beckon Jackie's and Jillie's attention  unendngly as we traversed one trail, looped over one bridge after another. Jillie still manages to walk in a straight line as she casually sniffs one area after another. Her brother seems electrified with the excitement of his olfactory senses on overload, lurching in fits and starts right, then left, then right again, continuing his crosswork of trail snooping as though reading the latest edition of the neighbourhood canine news.

Soon we became aware of dwindling light as daylight dusk arrived and the sun and clear skies hurriedly departed under the connivance of wind and cloud. This last day of September was simply wedded to rain and to rain it would remain faithful. The further we progressed from a stage halfway through our regular circuit, the darker it became.

And then the inevitable; a few drops of rain led to a rain squall. In its favour, the lacquering of the landscape to intense colours. And the still robust coverage of the forest canopy. But the rain was full and it was steady and before long everything was rain-varnished anew. Jackie and Jillie picked up their pace and we did our best to accommodate them. Still, we were dressed for rain and there was no need to hurry along.

We heard the deep baying of a large dog nearby, and soon ran into an old acquaintance walking his own part-Bernese mountain dog, and a neighbour's, both females and both predominantly black, good-natured and female. They certainly didn't mind the rain. They were already well drenched. For these dogs a ramble through the woods isn't complete unless and until they've had a thorough soaking in the creek. Dishevelled, sopping and in total bliss.