What perfect planning by the hares, although we could see the rain we managed to stay ahead of it all the way round the trail, getting back to the pub to find our cars rather wet!

A really good crowd, increased by some impressive visitors this week.  Saru is from Kuala Lumpur and Hugh flew in from Hong Kong only this afternoon!

We left the pub and ran back towards the road, under the railway and on through a large field.  Skidmark checked the wrong way and ignored all the call backs, cutting the corner!!  We ran out as far as Barracks Farm before turning back towards the river, running round a very lovely house.  Gatecrasher spied through the window of a cottage in the grounds and the estate dog spied on Gatecrasher.

We came to the river and watched Zorro and Uranus have a tussle on the dock side.  Once they had finished others went for a look at the view up and down the river.  It was a re-group and Zorro was rather warm so he decided to go in for a swim.  But he couldn’t see any flour that way nor could be fetch a stick and bring it back as Whisper did.  No-one could quite describe the vision that was Zorro coming out of the water in nothing but the Down Down vest, shorts, socks and shoes.  Was it Mr Darcy’s granddad or Daniel Craig after a very heavy night?

From here we ran along the river until we reached the railway bridge.  Another re-group gave time for everyone to admire the brickwork and discuss the electrification of the line.

After the railway bridge Wimpey needed a personal rest stop.  He then continued on the path, though very overgrown, to check it out.  No-one was keen to follow him or look for yellow flour so a much larger group headed along the riverbank.  But Wimpey was correct so we all had to plough on (why didn’t Hotlips let Scrubber bring the secateurs I hear you ask – because Hotlips thought we’d enjoy pushing through nettles that were taller than the majority of the hashers!).

We ended up running back through the first long field and back into the village.  Here we could smell the beer but Hotlips ushered us through the churchyard only to turn back down the lane to the main road and …. Straight to the pub!

The first and rather wet yellow shirt went to Bat Girl for admitting that she was “too tired to run”.  The second went to Big Stiffy for not training his wife to plough straight through water.  This was from Epic’s video from some weeks ago but Ringer has been missing for a while so we had to let him off.

The paddle was given to Pyro for stretching on a hash – and being photographed doing it

The Supergirl pants – how many song titles can one group come up with that include the word Thong? – went to Hell Boy for showing off to get to the front of the hash and jumping in the river with his socks on.

Then came the namings.  Saru had owned up to hashing for 20 years but not having a name!  As she is visiting from Kuala Lumpur (the Mother Hash) she is now Mother Hen.

Charlie is a Weapons Engineer who has just got married so is now Hand Job!  Who says Didcot names are always clean?  I think his mother laughed the longest and loudest.

On On 

Hares:  Scrubber and Hotlips

Hounds:  Big Stiffy, Hotlips, Rubber Sole’s Buddy, Lemony Snickett, Wimpey, Northern Sole, Hutch, Skidmark, B’Cider, Professional Peach, Call Girl, Bat Girl, Hell Boy, Tiger Feet, Pink Panther, Cato, Comet, Gnome Alone, Uranus, Zorro, Epic Fail, Ringer, Dingaling, Saltana, Gatecrasher, Chicken Head, Pyro and Whisper, a Cruel Joke, Henry V, Charlie, Rachel, Martin, Saru and Hugh

Date:  26 July 2016

Distance: 4.9 Miles