Because it's Saturday, one of my 'free' days, I hoped it wouldn't rain. That it would be a sunny day, to help dry off everything in the gardens, sopping from last night's heavy rain and windstorm. Because I wanted to get on with completing the fall clean-up of the garden, to get everything in ship-shape for winter. Visualizing as I always do, the eventual arrival of spring, when everything will have been done months before and I can just relax and take my time watching the garden emerge from winter. Before the planting frenzy takes hold, that is.

Yesterday's weather was fabulous and scarcely believable, as warm and breezy as a perfectly moderate day during the summer months. It felt quite strange walking up the street to the ravine entrance, sun on our backs, neighbours out in their driveways, anxious for a bit of conversation, and then entering the ravine to be embraced by the warmth of the sun able now that the leaf mass of the forest canopy has been so reduced, to shine its bright caress on us even in the forest.

What today has in common with yesterday is sun; sporadic much like yesterday, but ample. Yesterday's wind felt lovely because it was so warm. But that wind-and-rain-storm of last night brought in a new front and it bears little resemblance to yesterday. A high of 6C, and a blustery wind that exacerbated the cold. So of course, back to jackets, headgear and gloves. And woolly sweaters for Jackie and Jillie.

There are areas on the trails, particularly in the descents, where despite the ample leaf cover, all the rain we've been inundated with has left large patches of muck, so a little care is advised where one places one's boots. A roll and a slip means loss of balance and a fall, and that's not too pleasant given the conditions. We could see in various places where people had taken those tumbles, revealed by long, exposed mud tracks left by someone's boots slipping in areas where the unwary fail to suspect what comes next.

 

The sun swept its glorious wide-rayed light and warmth in generous swaths and this was a day that was to be appreciated. Because it felt quite wintry. An encouragement to walk briskly along to remain comfortable. Jackie and Jillie are always prepared to pick up the pace, so no problem there. Going along at a good clip booting it over the ridge is fine, it's when we're ascending and descending that we've got to take additional care in these conditions.

The conditions revealed the presence of fungi erupting out of the sodden soil, which had been warmed in yesterday's sultry ambience. Promoting the presence of mushrooms. So we saw strange little colonies of bright yellow mushrooms which as they grew and matured (as they can do all within the space of a day) became brown, as though mimicking the colourful yellow leaves which themselves are beginning to turn brown and black from their previous golden glory.

  

And there was a fallen birch,that had come down across the trail. Likely during the night or early-morning hours when the wind was raging. Any object of that size and weight whose fall could conceivably 'surprise' a hiker during the day would obviously result in very serious casualties, perhaps even death. High-wind events in a forest equal high-risk, something always to be aware of.

Once we returned home from our forest foray, it was time for me to get back outside and continue my fall garden clean-up. Because we're on tap for a hard frost tonight -- -5C -- that will certainly finish off the still-blooming plants, so

out they came, with profound regret. The only plant I left untrimmed was the carpet rose which looks as fresh and beautiful as it did in June; it's still putting out flower buds and the opened blossoms are exquisite. Tomorrow, perhaps not quite so. The garden trees are almost all now bare of their foliage; the Jade weeping crab's tiny red 'apples' now easily seen in the absence of leaves.