First snow

I was surprised when I left the house in the dark this morning to find that it had snowed overnight, and Arnside Knott had a white topping that was missing from the lower ground. It always surprises me what difference a few hundred feet of elevation can make to snow fall and temperature.

It was still dark when we came down off the Knott, so this was the Helm at lunchtime: Gus in the foreground on the snowy grass, the fell ponies in the middle distance and paths and walls converging on the hilltop.

This wasn't Gus's first experience of snow since he arrived two years ago, but I hadn't noticed before how much he loves being out in it. He was happily bouncing about and frequently stopping to take little mouthfuls.

I do hope, though, that wherever Reg is, he is well dug in to the soil, beyond the reach of the frosts.