There were none of the Nantez carrots on the supermarket shelves when we shopped Wednesday morning; those thin, sweet table carrots. Instead I bought a bag of what can only be considered 'horse' carrots; huge, thick carrots. And I made use of them today; one went into the chicken soup I'm cooking, another sliced thinly, into the chicken-mushroom stew we're having over rice, and the largest of them all was shredded for carrot cupcakes. 

In with the carrots went snipped crystalized ginger, pecans and raisins. Cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves gave it that robust fragrance that permeated the house while the cupcakes were baking. Becel margarine, dark brown sugar, two large eggs along with cake and pastry flour, baking powder and a light sprinkling of salt made the batter. I could actually have left the baked version as is, and they'd have been carrot muffins. But I wanted to use up a small tub of cream cheese so I ended up using it for a creamy icing, and hence, cupcakes.

All the while, it was snowing heavily. But the temperature had risen to a moderate -4C, and there was really no wind at all, so we decamped in the early afternoon for our ravine tramp with Jackie and Jillie. The appearance was that of a dark day, given the heavy overcast, aluminum-tinted sky. The brilliance of snow whirling about and falling heavily did nothing to make the day look brighter. It couldn't do that, after all, when it was falling so thickly.

At first we thought we'd have the trails to ourselves today, since there seemed to be no one else about. But once we delved into the ravine, made our way through to the first bridge after which we ascend another rise, we came across several of our long-time hiking buddies with their dogs. A bit of excitement for Jackie and Jillie, and a bit of an opportunity to exchange news for the hikers.

That the atmosphere was pleasant, and the landscape exquisite ensured anyone who would venture out onto the trails today would be amply rewarded. This snowfall hadn't been forecasted; instead what the weather forecast informed us to expect was light flurries through the day. What we get, however, is non-negotiable.

So the trails have become a little more slippery again and ascending and descending the hillsides present a bit of a challenge, but one so familiar to us, we just automatically adjust our stride accordingly and manage quite nicely.