There are times you crave something different for a dinner meal.  Your mind flicks through the long-stored files of various meal preparations and eventually something gets dredged up. If not a recipe, then an idea for a combination of ingredients that you feel will work well together. So yesterday we had a savoury pie for dinner on a cool, overcast late summer evening. We'd done the food shopping and all the ingredients required were available. About an hour before dinner the ritual of preparation began.

First off the pie shell, a simple pastry dough that consists of just a few ingredients; flour, salt, vegetable shortening, lemon juice and ice water. I baked the shell just briefly before filling it. The filling was made of equal parts ricotta cheese and finely grated Parmesan. A sprinkling of salt, fresh-ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, two large eggs beaten well together. And about a quarter-cup of fresh, finely chopped sweet basil. That was poured into the waiting shell and over that I sprinkled a chopped half bell pepper, then arranged sliced ripe tomatoes which I'd briefly blotted on absorbent paper.

That went into a small counter-top toaster oven for 40 minutes. I withdrew it briefly to sprinkle more Parmesan over top, then returned it to the oven until the  filling was firm and beginning to brown slightly. Together with yellow beans and fresh strawberries for dessert, it made a perfect meal.

Today turned out  an even more beautiful day than yesterday. A bit milder, more sun to warm the atmosphere, no prospect of rain, and a hushed breeze. The garden looks happy today. Although some perennials have died back, and some of the annuals have also retreated, for the most part it still looks colourfully presentable, a gift to the eye.

We took ourselves and Jackie and Jillie out for an afternoon ramble through the forest a bit earlier today. Despite that I'd spent some time moving summer clothing to make way for cooler-weather clothing. And at the same time deciding to cull some garments for a trip to the Salvation Army thrift shop for resale. In the process making some room in crowded cupboards.

In the forest bees and other pollen-loving insects were busy, brought out by the sun and perhaps an inbred sense of urgency at the changes taking place in shorter daylight hours and cooler evenings. Last night the temperature dipped to 5C. The sun sent long fingers of brightness shafting through the forest canopy to illuminate areas of the forest still bearing wildflowers. The creek is still fuller than it has been the previous week, thanks to the two recent days of rain.

So far, this season, we've been enjoying a spate of  really lovely days and we hope they'll continue. And then there's the prospect that next month which brings us closer to winter, a brief interlude of warm weather will intercede with fall to give us a few days or even a week of Indian Summer.