Hares: Bankok and Ferret
Hounds: Phantom, WAM, Tenzing, Brushoff, Justin, Floater and Grasshopper.
Only seven hardy souls braved the delights of Dead Womens Ditch on Boxing Day. Maybe the majority was put off by all the rain that fell during the day but the sky had cleared so that our Hares in Wellies and wet weather gear were able to lay in the trail in the dry.
New to me was the “One and On” which sped up our navigation massively apart from the fact that the hounds kept falling over, more to do with the treacherous conditions underfoot rather than any excess of alcohol consumed over the previous days celebrations. Floater is a bit of a misnomer as he obviously does not float on mud and Brushoff lived up to his name by having to brush off large quantities of mud after doing a “Superman” dive full length into the mud.
Because of their attire, understandably, our Hares were not running but would appear mysteriously out of the gloom at various points of the course, at one point scaring the bejesus out of me when I overshot the regroup. The sky had cleared completely by this time and we ate chocolate orange segments under a bright Moon.
A delay after the regroup as we searched for the correct route until someone noticed the gate, in full view, through the fence that we had missed. Another delay as the hounds lost the scent near the road but casting round in larger circles picked it up gain.
A final dash over the top led us back to the start where 7 very satisfied hounds were glad that they had made the effort to come out.
Only 2 hounds joined the hares for refreshments, good conversations and tasteless jokes in the Rose and Crown in Nether Stowey.
Note to Brushoff: Be sure to check for facial mud stains before entering public houses.
