This household's tried-and-true formula for winter meals is back in session by popular demand. So this morning breakfast consisted of melons and bananas, French toast and sausages, tea, coffee. After their own morning meal, Jackie and Jillie graciously volunteered themselves to aid and assist in making short work of our breakfast. And a good time was had by all.

 

 

Our evening meal last night was of less interest to them, though they deigned to help out where they could. We had bowls of vegetable soup, thick with garden vegetables and corn kernels, savoury, with a bit of a bite thanks to seasonings and herbs. I always try to remember to discard bay leaves from soups in fear that someone might not notice their presence and end up swallowing a piece.

 

 

And with the soup came freshly baked and fragrant cheese-sesame-seed croissants to augment and complement the savoury soup. They're natural companions. Nutritious and satisfyingly filling. I halved my croissant, actually and smoothed a ripe avocado over it, and Irving chose to slather his with liver pate. Fresh pears from, of all places, Portugal, completed the meal. Almost forgot, Irving had bought a container of Brazil nuts and we enjoyed some of those, as well.

 

 

Today, another cool, heavily overcast, slightly windy day. The thermometer registered a comfy 3C when we departed the house for the ravine with Jackie and Jillie in the afternoon. Once again, the ritual of pulling on cleats seemed to  us a sensible precaution, though we had no real way of knowing until we entered the forest if they would be needed.

 

As it happened, they were required. Even with them, we made our way gingerly down the first hill into the forest. And we could see approaching us from an angle on another hill, two figures cautiously negotiating their descent, grasping at tree trunks for stability. So for the foreseeable future, it will be sensible to continue wearing our cleats to avoid any uncomfortable and certainly inconvenient falls.

 

We came across one of our neighbours who lives down the street from us, with her new little rescue, a rambunctious year-and-a-half little terrier mix. They had to say a surprise farewell to their former little pup, a long-haired miniature dachshund who seemed in good health, but suddenly expired. A shock that only another little fellow could soften. This little fellow ran rings around Jackie and Jillie, just having a wonderful time of being out in the forest, a new adventure for him.

 

While most of the forest floor remains free of snow, the trails were tamped down well by passing hikers at a time of newfallen snow, and the season of freezing nights and cold days have ensured the hard-packed snow and ice on the trails remain fairly stable. Anywhere it has managed to melt, on the other hand, the result is muck from the thaw.