🎉Birthday Portrait🎉 Bobby is 14 years old. To celebrate her birthday we took her back to Northumberland for one of her former fav walks - from Alwinton, up Clennell Street (old drovers road) & back down the Alwin Valley #happypup 1️⃣4️⃣

The weekend so far … mist in the Cheviots, sunshine in the Borders. Pity there’s rain in the forecast tomorrow but hey not a bad start! #ScottishBorders #Northumberland #catsanddogs

The woods are full of wild garlic at the moment - Bobby is 14 next week but was running along the paths like a puppy. A bit cool & misty for my early morning bike ride (sun came out later 🙄) but it was nice to bump into the dogs on our local lane

And just like that, Summer arrived ☀️The dogs sought walks with cooling water & full summer cycling kit made its first appearance #longmayitlast #ScottishBorders #RiverTeviot

We haven’t seen any sun this Bank Holiday weekend but at least the beech trees are putting out their leaves, the hawthorns are flowering & it didn’t rain on my bike ride 👍We also met a lovely Dutch lady who was bike-packing from Newcastle to Orkney!

Good weekend despite cool weather:
2 x Dogwalks ✅
2x Bikerides ✅
The dogs enjoyed a gorse-flanked section of the Southern Upland Way. On walk 2 they spotted a hare at the field top but knew from experience it’s a pointless chase. Good cycling too as dry(ish) both days🚴‍♀️😃

From Hethpool along the College Valley, with mighty Cheviot in the distance, then across to Trowhupburn Farm. Lots of new lambs on the Elsdonburn valley so dogs strictly on leads all the way back. Gorse in full flower. Heard a curlew👍 #Northumberland

Huge thank you to CYCLING_SHEFFIELD for a great day with them at East Cleveland Classic race, a bonus of buying a Supporters Package👍 It was awesome to see their race preparations then follow the race inside team car - a very special day👌

After torrential rain all day y’day we thought it best to stick to tarmac today & walked from Hownam to a remote farm called The Yett - bit of drizzle, a few patches of blue sky but chilly at 5 degrees! Spring is still noticeably absent #ScottishBorders

Wait! What sorcery is this … blue sky, fluffy white clouds, sunshine 👀😯Been a while! #Spring #ScottishBorders

After a dreary wet morning there was a brief spell of sunshine before heavy clouds rolled back in - came across a bank of white violets on the edge of a small beech copse. Lots of gorse in flower in the hedgerows #ScottishBorders

A bit of a trudge up to the grouse moors around Humbleton Hill (Wooler) then around the west side of the hill before dropping back down a lovely grassy track - lots of skylarks & one curlew - felt like spring🤞

Bad timing for our walk today - the mist shrouding the hilltops around Old Yeavouring soon turned to drizzle then full on rain 💦😳It’s always nice to be among the Cheviot hills whatever the weather but we were all glad to get back to the car 😬☔️

Jack Hartley winner🏆

Not much room on the sofa for me tonight …

A walk up the College Valley towards the foreboding Cheviot then looping around to a very remote farm, Trowupburn before heading back to Hethpool. Take a moment to marvel at the drystone wall (pic 4) clinging all the way up Newton Tors! #Northumberland

From todays walk in the hills above Hownam & from yesterdays bike ride on local lanes. Both days dry, a bit of sun but a chilly north-easterly airstream. #ScottishBorders

Last weekend Bobby was in hospital on a drip fighting haemorrhagic gastroenteritis, this weekend, fully recovered thanks to excellent veterinary care, she’s back to normal enjoying her walks & posing (albeit reluctantly) with snowdrops.

Yesterday a breezy bike ride, today a windy walk with relatives to the Cheviot Memorial commemorating the airmen who lost their lives on the Cheviot hills in WW2. The Roll of Honour includes airmen from 5 nations, all serving with RAF & personnel from 2 German planes. Poignant.

Too windy to cycle today (😢) but amazing sun & cloud this afternoon lighting up the dogwood #Kelso #cornus #wintersun