Lunchtime special

 As yours truly has had a truly shocking week outdoor fitness wise due primarily to work, the demands of small humans and then falling victim to the lergy after playing Florence Nightingale to a houseful of sufferers over the weekend today was a day to put right some of the calorific damage inflicted by couch potatoing.

 The real alternative to work (meetings) provided the ideal window of opportunity, an early meeting over bacon sarnies then a four and a half hour break with a late afternoon meeting and an early evening one. Link that to location, take out travel time and that found me at 11am setting off up the biggest mountain in south Wales from the difficult end with a trusty Bernese Mountain Dog, Reuben, to keep me company. The micro lunchtime adventure made all the more possible by a weather window meant this was going to be a good few hours.

 Reuben, like is his owner, not a fit as he should be, but just before we hit the clouds at 850 metres he looked in fine fettle.

 Pause for obligatory photo on summit with obligatory summit clag spoiling views.

 Naturally once we descended the clouds departed to goad us, the far peak is Pen y Fan and the closer one is Corn Du, we are descending to the memorial at this point.

 Reuben had other ideas and decided to swink, its a kind of drink swim combination, see the dog blog for more pics of this mucky Berner in action.

 We paused to pay our respects to little Tommy Jones and then made hast to get back in to Gerry at the car park in time for the day to continue. Not long after this point Reuben who had been suffering from the most horrific gas let go and puked yesterdays dinner and this mornings breakfast all over the trail. One chap who I had been walking alongside for a bit of hill walkers banter almost passed out and seemed unduly keen to keep walking when Boo Boo (Reuben) let go at the other end. The devastating effect this had on olfactory systems is almost indescribable but lets just say it stung. Reuben pressed on while I made a vain attempt to bury his debris, thankfully he chose to drop this away from the trail and amongst some dead bracken. Once my eyes stop streaming and I could see again we left the mountain trail and headed along a lane headed in the vague direction of the car.

 Boo Boo by now had had enough and wanted me to fetch the Gerry.

 500 yards to go he decided to sleep but was coaxed back to life with the promise of a dog biscuit.

 But once we got to the car he did a complete Bernerflop and even the restorative powers of a Bonio failed to illicit a response. Our arrival at the car park coincided with the rain, which is now torrential and set to last for a few days. So the doofus had to be lifted into the Land Rover (55kgs of K9, not funny, thankfully only one stile the whole 7 miles) where he slept (and farted) for the next 6 hours.

Back at the ranch late pm saw him back to his normal self, if perhaps a bit less bouncy. Here he is playing trains. And farting. Still.