It's been a perfectly lovely day. Another sunny day, but without yesterday's humidity, and plus gusting winds to move air about, and the temperature rising to 25C rather than yesterday's 30C. But we decided this morning to head out to the ravine for an early hike through the forest regardless and Jackie and Jillie were in complete agreement.

 

 

For comfort the atmosphere couldn't have been more benignly pleasant. Yesterday there was a sharp fragrance of vegetation in distress; the downed trees sending out their message of misery, enhanced by humid conditions. Today there's a lighter fragrance typical of white blossoms; regardless whether they're flowering apple trees or dogwood, white blossoms always seem to have the same aroma. Not my favourite.

 

 

We saw a dragonfly for the first time this spring, and also a Mourning Cloak. And flying about the banks of the creek were little packs of juvenile robins. This is the time of year they also seem to run about on the forest floor in their comical little runs. It's a delight to see them. They'll disport themselves like this for a few weeks, then they seem to disappear.

 

 

Along with the dogwood understory now reaching full flower, the privet that have made a home for themselves among other trees albeit low-growing and never attaining a great size as an introduced 'pest' species, is also beginning to bloom. They'll produce clusters of black berries which no one is advised to attempt to eat. The forest has more than its share of toxic fruit.

 

 

We peered into the canopy after crossing the second of the four bridges that interconnect the main trail system over the creek and its tributaries to see if we could spot the male owl, and there he was, head kind of tucked in, sleeping...for after all they're nocturnal in nature. He was also on guard duty, close to the tree containing his mate, where she is nesting with their owlets. This time I was able to get a shot of the 'nest', with Mama owl's back in evidence.

 

In the early afternoon we had an appointment for Jackie and Jillie at the groomer's, and delivered them to the warm and loving arms of the young women there. Then we went off on a number of errands, among which was to get a few new batteries for my cameras; one a Nikon, the other a Cannon. Oops, though the electronic-gear shops sell cameras, they don't stock the batteries and we were informed they're no longer even produced. The cameras are only five years old! I'll have to check online.

 

Then the garden and the garden pots needed watering, and I seeded some dianthus, shasta daisies and asters, cleaned out the birdbath in the backyard, and filled it with clean water. Jackie and Jillie were happy to be back home, happy to trot about after us. I mixed up some baking soda with sugar and sprinkled it lightly at the doorway thresholds to the house as an anti-ant measure. The baking soda works well, but with sugar mixed into it ants will be more likely to be interested in it.

We once returned home from a week away and found the house suddenly colonized by ants. We don't relish a repeat. Then attention was turned to packing for our trip. Which will continue big-time-seriously tomorrow.