What a difference a day makes! Or in this case 6 days.  Boxing Day – beautiful sunshine. New Year’s Day – grey and drizzly.  “Let’s cancel the run, no-one’s going to come”.  “We can’t, I don’t have a way to contact Sarah and Russ”.  And what a crowd gathered in the lock car park. The hares couldn’t believe it.  It was good to see Ringer again after so long.  A surprise he made it on the right day as he claimed to have given up smoking as his NY resolution but was lighting up before we set off!

The trail went along beside the lock and up to the donkey bridge before heading over to the new hydro-electric plant for a Hash View.  Through the pools and a right turn towards the church, then straight on past the Abbey and down the hidden footpath that looks like you are running through someone’s front garden!  This caught a few people out because both the footpath and the cross along Churchmere Lane were a little tricky to find.  Through the mud and then up to the main road and along to Ginge Brook.  The check at the end of the footpath was invisible from the other side of the road “perfectly laid trail” was the comment from our illustrious GM.  Running across the field we had to explain to a local that the flour was only flour and not a class A drug as his wife thought.  How much would a pile that big be worth?? Lesley met a dog and, turning to throw a stick for it, nearly took Lemony’s head off. 

As the hounds hit the path again Wimpey was walking up from the village (having re-laid part of the trail).  This convinced Sarah, Russ and Lesley to run the other way!  But the trail did go back to the village, across to the footpath and over (or should I say through) a very muddy field.  Twitcher was commenting on his knee but Lesley thought he said he needed a wee.  This led to an interesting conversation as she didn’t realise Twitcher is partially deaf so did not catch what she was saying.  At the far side of the field we staggered through the hedge and turned left. At the end of the Rec we turned left again, past the new cemetery where Russ pointed out the dead end.  A chip off the old block, Stiffy.  A right turn at the end of the trees took us along the footpath to All Saints Lane.  By this time it was pouring with rain so Lemony pointed the hounds straight on, across the road by The Fish, along the river and left over the bridge back to the car park.

Everyone drove back into Sutton Courtenay and filled Lemony and Wimpey’s lounge to drink mulled wine and eat mince pies and Christmas cake.  During the festivities there was a knock on the door and Zorro and Piscine Down stood on the doorstep .  They were on their way home from Luton airport.  That is true dedication to the hash.

Ringer was told that Nicola and Martin had been to a few hashes now and had not been named.  “Sod off!” was Nicola’s reply – and, obviously, her hash name!    Martin became Haven’t A Clue as Ringer didn’t know anything about him.  Maybe not a brilliant name but better than being called late for breakfast.  But I think he may have been named previously.  What do you think Professional Peach?

Everyone was glad they had made the effort to come out on New Year’s Day morning.

On On

Hares: Lemony and Wimpey

Hounds:  Buzz, Twitcher, Professional Peach, Martin, Rubber Sole, Rubber Sole’s Buddy, Northern Soul, Led Zeppelin, Nicola, Ringer, Sarah, Russ, Lesley and Sue and Zorro and Piscine Down

Date: 1 January 2017

Distance: 3.5 miles