Although we slept in late this morning, the sun was ablaze lighting up the world when we awoke, after days of successive rain. Sleeping in on dismally dark rainy mornings seems a reasonable thing to do, but not particularly so on full-sun mornings calling us to get out into the sunshine. We did, eventually, enjoying the sunshine-trills of the cardinal expressing his appreciation of the sun's appearance, for all of us.

By the time we had puttered about the house after breakfast finding things we just 'had' to do in leisure mode, the sun as good as informed us that we'd wasted all that bright illumination as the day ushered in a low ceiling of white-grey fluffy cloud formations. So, not sun to accompany us on our afternoon tramp through the ravine, after all.

In fact, it was windy and quite dark once we'd lost the sun, but the temperature managed to budge up to 12C, better than the 6C and rain of previous days. Because it's Saturday and a beautiful one at that, as every spring day is wont to be with rare exceptions, there were quite a few families out on the trails; typically a father, mother and two children. Sometimes with a family dog. So Jackie and Jillie had ample opportunity to run about toing and froing to their little hearts' content.

Once, we came across a little bulldog, hardly larger than Jackie and Jillie, a miniature French bulldog, a friendly little fellow interested in making new acquaintances, and our two little ragmops were happy to oblige. He was only one of many that were out enjoying the day and happy for the opportunity to have a few brief run-abouts with any dogs willing to take up the challenge.

There were little ponds of rainwater here and there, the trails in some areas were thick with mud, and the landscape itself still sere and colourless, but we're on the way. More trilliums have surfaced, though nowhere near flowering yet, as have trout lilies and lilies-of-the-valley. None of the coltsfoot are now fully open again, since the sun was absent.

Still, the fallen red maple bright red florets scattered on the forest floor by wind and rain do punctuate the drab landscape if people give the slightest attention to what lies about and around them in the forest landscape. 

When we returned home I decided to remain outside, and with wheelbarrow and shovel, filled up five barrows-full of compost out of the well-aged backyard compost bins, to spread widely over the garden beds and borders. It's as good a time as any to get that done before the perennials really begin asserting their presence. I was pleased to note that at the top of the rock garden an old saxifrage has already begun to bloom.

 Our tree peonies are showing signs of new life, as are some of the hostas, and the roses are all coming along nicely in preparation for a June bloom. Lilies and irises are doing their best to provide some green shoots decorating the overall dun of the vegetation-sparse garden. It's such a pleasure to see them all returning after a too-long hiatus.