I decided to make something light for dinner yesterday evening. 'Light' doesn't necessarily translate as no-fuss preparation, but I thought it was time we had another cheese souffle; they really are light  and we both enjoy them. Asparagus spears accompanied them, though neither of us thought much of the asparagus, it wasn't actually all that good, though often it is. We had blueberries for dessert, so that all packs a nutritious punch. This time I used Gran Pandano along with the old Cheddar, and a few drops of Tobasco, even though I had sprinkled pepper into the choux.

 

 

Today turned out to be a no-sun day, cool and breezy. It was 13C when we came down for breakfast and windy. By afternoon it was evident there would be no sun, although given the dark streaked clouds crowding the sky it wouldn't have been surprising to get some rain. After breakfast after cleaning up the kitchen Jackie and Jillie went out to the backyard with me to help water the planters, empty the birdbath and refill it, and poke about a bit to see what was going on.

 

We decided we'd head off for an early afternoon stroll through the trails, though, because there were some errands we had to take care of. Irving is fresh out of peanuts again. It seems as though he just brought home a 50-lb bag and already it's gone. We'd have to do the food shopping as well, and drop by the pharmacy to pick up medication renewals. Makes for a busy afternoon.

 

 

We noticed, walking up to the ravine that some lawns have been marked with flags for gas and water and electricity as alerts for digging. It's been about a month since they began digging on a street not far from our own. Bell Canada contractors digging up lawns and driveways, part of the work involved in upgrading our communication networks. We had a notice in our mailbox a few weeks back alerting us that they'd be coming through. Soon the street will be full of heavy equipment and workmen laying upgraded fibre-optic cable.

 

 

Into the ravine we went, glad we'd shrugged on light jackets. Each day now we see new evidence that the forest will, before we know it, become a blaze of fall colours. Mostly it's the sumacs that are starting to flame out their long fronds, and the occasional small branch on a maple tree, aside from the steadily falling random poplar leaves, flaunting arresting colour combinations of pink, yellow and red.

 

Irving realized when we left the house and were halfway up the street that he had forgotten his pack with the doggie treats, and I convinced him our puppies could go one walk without treats. Usually they're after him continually for those treats to be doled out. Today, there was an initial spur to jog his memory, then they seemed to realize he wasn't carrying any cookies, there was no telltale aroma wafting from him, so they settled down to the tragic reality that there would be no cookies doled out today.

One of the few people we saw out on the trails today, a young woman walking her big bruiser of a bull mastiff who obviously remembered Irving as the cookie-giver, and planted himself beside him, patiently waiting notice. As though one could overlook the presence of this huge, muscular but gentle breed. When nothing was forthcoming, he sighed, shifted to his feet and executing a dignified exit, padded after his human.

 

Apples are steadily plopping to the forest floor, released by the wild apple trees, whether because they're beyond ripe or because squirrels play games with them. A close inspection of these apples reveals that each one has served at some time as a taste-testing game subject. They're bright and colourful, most of them a dark red and tempting, albeit modest in size. There are some, on the other hand, that are large and  transparent green, and unlike the red ones we've become familiar with, tend to be dry and sour.

 

Jackie and Jillie will try anything, though. Even the tiny crabapples that are now falling from our crabapple trees in the garden. We just have to watch to ensure they don't nibble at any with mold on them since we know from experience how such mouldy apples rapidly affects their nervous system. Years ago we had to rush Jackie to emergency to have his stomach pumped, then left him overnight for medical observation.

 

We haven't seen any of the goldfish swimming in the creek for the last few days. And we speculate whether the sighting of the returned Great Blue Heron has anything to do with their absence, or the zealous efforts of the two young boys we saw a week or so ago, trying to trap the fish for their aquariums. If there are any still in the creek they're likely the black ones, harder to detect than their orange-gold cousins and more likely to be caught by both heron and boys.