By the time Jackie and Jillie made a last before-bedtime spurt out to the backyard, the temperature had dropped below -6Clast night, and with the wind it felt pretty cold. They were back in the house in an eyewink and ready to go up to bed, and so were we, and bed felt pretty good under the covers preparing us for a sound sleep.

When we awoke this morning it was still cold, but it had been a clear night and no snow had fallen, the wind had moderated and the sun was out. The temperature was lower than yesterday's but felt more comfortable, thanks to diminished wind action and the warming sun. 

We're debating between us whether to look for new winter jackets for Jackie and Jillie. Jackie's are fine, but Jillie has 'outgrown' hers. Girthwise. She's just on the cusp of being overweight. Jackie's taller, spare size means he can fit into anything, his weight remains constant. Straps no longer want to close around Jillie's form, on the other hand, nor do velcro fastenings. My husband has taken to sewing velcro strips at strategic places on to some of her jackets.

And he did that today, sewing six straps on one of their warmer winter coats to extend the width, in hopes that they'd be a better fit. The result was debatable. So, do  we really want to haul them out to a pet supply shop to look about for suitable new winter coats for them, or should we opt for looking on line, hoping to see some appropriate gear there, and just order it? Doing that would mean we couldn't fit the garment to her specifications right there.

Yet if we went with them to any of a number of pet supply shops we'd be exposing ourselves and them needlessly to the possibility of exposure to COVID infection. Apart from the fact that all such ventures have become awkward enterprises. Adding in the factor that the infection rate in Ottawa is fairly problematical, with cases steadily increasing, according to reports.

I had decided to take a hot soapy pail of water downstairs and scrub the tiled floors in the basement, something I don't often do. And when I finished that, I moved the stove in the kitchen and scrubbed the floor behind the stove. Just one of those days when you nag yourself enough to get around to doing chores you mean to do, but usually just shove out of mind.

The afternoon was getting on by then and Jackie and Jillie were anticipating a hike through the ravine. My husband was busy sketching out a new cartoon that he will eventually develop into a full-size pattern to begin putting together another pair of stained glass windows to fit into the pair of shutters he's just completed, for the second of the upstairs bedrooms.

It was time to go, and off we went, well buttressed against the cold by layers of clothing. Now that the cold weather has arrived we're no longer encountering members of the surrounding community venturing out into the ravine for autumn tramps; they've winnowed themselves out of the forest. leaving the trails to diehard trail hikers. So that people we come across now and again are those we've been long familiar with.

Coincidentally, Jackie and Jillie see other dogs they have familiarity with and whose presence they're comfortable with and it's a lot more relaxing for everyone. The sun was out warming the atmosphere and the wind continued light, but for the most part under the forest canopy we're not exposed to the warmth of  the sun, so that kept us moving along at a good pace to burn more energy in the interests of keeping warm. 

We had gone into the ravine just after three in the afternoon, and by the time we were close to exiting, our circuit completed, twilight had entered and the sun was setting low in the distance, creating a diorama of dark forest silhouettes, the golden orb sparking in fiery splendour.