After the immoderate heat of the last half-week we've turned to relief-mode, with more moderate temperatures and no sign of rain on the near horizon in our already-drenched landscape. The garden is thriving, it cannot possibly ask for anything more than the copious amounts of rainfall, the beaming sun and the warmth. All the plants are jostling with one another for space and some of them are downright rude about it, encroaching on each other's allotted share of the garden. 

We decided despite that it's house-cleaning day and the front lawn needs to be mowed, we'd slip out of the house before breakfast again for a hike through the forest. Jackie and Jillie, sensing our intent went a little berserk, racing at quite the excited clip after one another, slipping and sliding with the scatter rugs, stopping briefly to wrestle, then at it again.

On our way to the ravine entrance, there was Imeran out bright and early preparing to cut his family lawn. We've known him since he was two years old, and that's 30 years ago. He still lives at home, a tight little family unit, loving and co-dependent. He's the most pleasantly engaging, sweet young man imaginable. If he gets any demerits from me, it's his penchant for brands. Which led him to sign a three-year contract for a MercedesBenz. 

He's had it for ten months and obviously hadn't bothered checking with Consumer Reports on the wisdom of driving that particular brand. One of the computer chips in the over-reliant-on-electronics vehicle went a few months back and it took three months for a replacement to arrive. Now the battery is dead. And with that car the wheels won't move. The company he leased the car from sent along three different tow trucks to get the car out of the garage. Only the last one was able to; it had a lift. The dealership wanted him to sign a contract that he would be responsible for damages if anything went wrong with its extraction.

It's really a seller's market now. He hasn't been offered a courtesy car and there's been no word on what's gone wrong with this top-of-the-line brand yet. Evidently the battery comes in at $4000. When Irving takes his vehicles in to a garage to have it oiled against salt-induced rust for winter driving, he's always given a courtesy car, but these car dealers know how much in demand their luxury vehicles are, despite their abysmal performance.

On we went finally, to the forest. At 22C and a brisk wind it was beyond pleasant. The trails are still mired in muck, but the vegetation is thriving. We're already seeing the presence of tiny apples on the wild apple trees. We came across another baneberry shrub in full brilliant red colour. Blackberries are already forming their berries, and the thimbleberries are blooming to rival the gardens at home. 

Ah, the gardens at home, after an hour of hiking the trails and seeing old hiking friends, exchanging news and moving on, we tarried awhile in the garden, assessing the flowering there. Some of the roses are exhausting themselves, they've bloomed prodigiously this year. Nothing yet needs watering, so we decided to leave things for another day. With the exception of mowing the lawn. We have so many mature trees, the spruces keep dropping cones, the hawthorns needles,and the weeping pea, powdery-mildewed foliage. It all accumulates.

Jackie and Jillie wandered about the garden as well. Keen to avoid the presence of anything black in flight. They hate flies, likely had some encounters that displeased them mightily. If, on occasion a fly gets into the house they're instantly alarmed and do their best to capture it, though rarely can.