What a difference the sun makes

I've been a bit light on the running front this week, but I've not been idle. The gorgeous sunny weather over the last few days saw Mrs HF and I walking up Castle Crag in Borrowdale. This is a small, prominent crag which Alfred Wainwright, no less, described as 'the loveliest square mile in Lakeland'. For relatively little effort you get magnificent views of the Borrowdale valley. Needless to say, I forgot to take my camera, so you'll have to take my word for it, but it was beautiful!
Earlier in the week I got the opportunity to take my friend Peter's dog for a run up and around Potter Fell. She's called Jess and, like all collies, she goes potty at the thought of playing with any toy...

... and of investigating any body of water....

She's a great dog, even returning to me on command - probably the reduced fat chicken and beef doggie treats in my bum bag had something to do with it! Despite never having taken her before, she learnt that the swishing sound my bum bag made as I brought it to the front to fish things out of it meant treats - either nibbles or the tennis ball. As soon as she heard it she looked back at me expectantly then legged it towards me. We had a great time.
Also on the dog front, I've blogged before about a Search and Rescue collie called Bute that I've helped train (by lying down on the fells and letting her find me, basically). Well, she's passed all 10 of her assessments and is now a fully accredited Lakeland Search and Rescue dog. You can see her on the Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dogs Facebook page. Apart from that, my only other exercise has been to move two tonnes of compost from one compost bin into another at the gardens I volunteer at. So you can imagine that the frosty sunshine outside is rather calling to me now...

Smileyrating for the 'Jess' run: 10/10