Hard to believe at this juncture well into spring that before March tromped off in a huff over the general disinvitation to remain, we had one day that topped 22C, and were happy to revel in it. Today? Well into April we're freezing. It's downright cold at 5C, all the more so with a rambunctious wind that sweeps through the landscape. Bringing with it ... what else ... more of the same, only colder. We're expecting to go down to freezing tonight.

Oh, but tomorrow despite that we're told the temperature will soar to 4C, before it does, 10 cm of snow will have fallen. We've put away our winter shovels, washed our winter jackets, stuck our winter boots back in the basement. But that's the thing about living in Ottawa; you get so easily fooled. One of the weathercasters a week ago mentioned she had foolishly taken her tomato plants that she had nourished from seed in the house and planted them outdoors in a burst of enthusiasm when the temperature reached 15C on three consecutive sunny days.

This kind of weather mandated a return to cold-weather fare, and last night we needed it; no sun to blast its illuminated warmth through our windows and the house felt rather cool. We needed the fireplace to blaze away yesterday evening, So we had beef meatloaf, stuffed tomatoes and green beans for dinner, with a heaping bowl each of fresh, tartly-sweet clementines to wash it down. 

Our magnolia trees are bursting with buds waiting to open into large blowsy blooms. Won't they be surprised? Well, they bear those buds all winter long and nothing untoward happens with them, they're tough now and are accustomed to these seasonal swings. It's just we who are not.

Heavily overcast today, with dark, scudding clouds and the wind, the wind...! Windbursts up to 50 kmh. Even so, leaves are budding out everywhere, determined no longer to remain in abeyance, and we're beginning to take on a green aspect that is incredibly pleasing.

We'd done our grocery shopping early this morning, and on our way back waved to one of our neighbours who had gone out for an early morning walk, looking like Raold Amundsen setting out for a hike in Antarctica. By the time we set out ourselves to plunge into the ravine this afternoon the temperature had nudged all the way up to 5C ... but the wind, the wind!

It had rained again overnight and the trails were thick and slick with mud. We had put little jersies on Jackie and Jillie and tucked their rainjackets into the pockets of ours. I wore a warm turtleneck sweater and over it a lined rainjacket, with the hood up and mittens on my freezing hands. Despite which the wind whipped right through my jacket tickling my ribs with icy fingers.

In really clement weather we tend to take our time, dawdling about. Today we really picked up the pace, and zipped through the trails in what must have been record time. Glad to be back home again. Irving is doing the tax returns. Earlier in the day I went back to cleaning out kitchen cupboards, this time the spice cupboard, consolidating things, discarding others, taking inventory, tidying up. And did the same upstairs in the vanity of our bathroom with its drawers and cupboards.

Almost done! Not much left to be reamed out. I'm dreaming of planting in the gardens. A few trilliums have begun blooming in the garden, while we're still awaiting the bloom of the trilliums erupting out of the soil in the forest.