Run 709 - P2L & Why Bother

Hounds:  Liz, Handsom, Phantom, Chunky, Big Bird, Paul C, Brush off,Grasshopper, Tenzing, Gavin, Justin, JB, Wam, David, Gym Slip. 

On down: The Martlett, Langford Budville

Well it was a dark, windy and wet night.   The hares had managed to get back to the start in time to tell the hounds that it was going to be muddy and “ha ha” to those in shorts as there were lots of stingers!

Wam was hopeful for something exciting to happen during the run as she was writing the words ... but alas nobody fell in a puddle or got lost, or lost a shoe ....... !

It was however, an interesting run, starting with climbing over a dumped three piece suite and 42” wide screen TV dumped in a layby, then on on up a muddy track, where the Hares disappeared and the hounds took some time to find the right route which turned out to be the way Gym Slip had checked and couldn’t find the flour.   Through the stingers which even got the covered legs and back across the road, through muddy fields and cow poo lanes to the regroup by the railway line.   The first to arrive at the regroup had a half hearted look for the sweeties and P2L and Why bother have forgotten the sweets on one or two occasions but this time they came up trumps with a vast variety of sweeties to suit all tastes.   We even had a train go by ........ very exciting.

On we went, through more mud and wet fields, under a bridge (the childish amongst us enjoying the echos), past the playground and onto the road.   Again the front runners couldn’t find the way which turned out to be the way Gymslip had checked and missed the flour again!!! .... they must do it differently in Devon!

Back to the start and then on down to the Martlett.  Unfortunately Gymslip didn’t make it to the pub, we can only assume he got lost on the way, or maybe he fancied an early night!

Great run, in spite of the rain and mud.

Next week Run 711: Dormouse & Stephan, Lydeard st Lawrence

Run 708 - Pitminster Just Bull (and Wam)

Hairs:- Justbull and Whataboutme.

Howns:- Werefabulous.

Trail:- Challenging

On Down:- Convivial.

……..oh and two other things before you go, there is a humongous bull, and a teeny weeny hill. This coming from JB who should have been christened “full of bull” ……and oh! Sorry.

  ….. off we went into the fading light, soon to be enveloped by the dark and the dark of  the trees on the edge of some monstrous outcrop of hills. So this was the teeny weeny hill, good, now we can look forward to the humongous bull. I didn’t bother with checking, being afeared of what may be lurking around the next corner, waiting to pulverise me into the mud.

  The hill was steep, the advantage of steep hills is that they bring you to the summit faster than long meandering hills, though long meandering hills don’t have the habit of spitting you off and making you start again. Once at  the top we were blessed with a regroup and a view over Blagdon village and beyond, I had a good look to see if I could see a bull out there in the dark, with its red eyes glowing like some devil monster. From the regroup the trail led along the top of the escarpment, still looking for bulls, then a long long long down, all through trees and dense cover which could have harboured all manner of dangerous creatures.

  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not scared of the dark, well not much really, though it is better to be running with other people and I don’t like it if they get out of sight or a can’t hear the sound of other hashers calling on, and you are left all on your own with night noises, you know those noises you hear at night and you don’t know what they are, and they get closer and closer……….brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr 

 Glad to be back at the pub, and there is DITW and Bill and I can stop hyperventilating now wer’e among friends, breathing fast because of the fast running, nothing else, really. 

So where was the bull?

Run 707 Phantom .... Urban run Taunton

Just two witches swoop  in…maybe a little late…. but we don’t like to disappoint!  Unfortunately the third is still suffering from an ankle injury, but hopes to be back to fitness soon, obviously not go the potion right yet, but it’s difficult laying your hands on ‘eye of newt’, these days.  

 We are told to get a move on and stop faffing about – as if we would, so just manage to join the group as on on is called.  No hare with us, she must be either heating up the chilli or being a very brave live hare…  I wouldn’t risk it with Ferret in the pack!  

We head up towards Greenway Road and on on called down a little footpath to the left, taking us around the back of Taunton School.   On-on called again and again as we wend our way towards the railway bridge and up and over into Chip Lane.  I check left, obviously its right..  Over Staplegrove Road and then a left turn along the back of St James Cemetery (being a witch I have to point out the important landmarks!)  A few more twists and turns and we are running around French Weir Park, a fantastically well laid trail leads us all around the park, through the Willow Cathedral  and then around the back of SCAT and on to Silk Mills Road.  

We cross over by Tytherleigh House and more footpaths lead us around another park area (not sure what it’s called).  At this point talk turns to midnight streaking … We’ll obviously not be seeing the two new hashers again - I would imagine they must be running for the hills as we speak!  

We then finally come out onto Netherclay Road.  An impromptu is called as the group had become rather strung out and two hashers were reported missing… Big Bird and Withy…last seen in tall grass…. where can they be?  We wait….. finally they arrive, wondering what all the fuss is about and denying all knowledge of any untoward behaviour…   I believe somebody mentioned something about a bird nesting in the withy hedge, but I had nothing to do with such banter….

We all cross Silk Mills Road, some lanes and paths take us to the Park and Ride, we streak across the car park (it must be nearly midnight!) and now seem to be retracing our steps, the hare had obviously been cleverly resetting the trail.  A small group of us eventually end up in Chip Lane again, but found we had lost the main pack, we assumed they had been sneaky and taken a short cut, but they eventually  appeared, something about wrong turn, etc. etc…  We cut back across a little park,  Grasshopper could obviously smell the chilli at this point as he high kneed off into the distance.  The locals tried to scare us with their howling and cat calls, but hashers are built of sturdy stuff and undeterred we romped home to a fantastic spread laid on by Phantom.   

Thank you hare a great run and lovely food.

Run 706 - Grasshopper Kingston st Mary

Run 705 - Tenzing The Rising Sun Knapp

  

Hounds:- Bangkok, M`Bongo, DITW, Gymslip, WAM, WhyBother, Pink2Lips, Floater, Paul, Chunky, Martini, JustBull, BigBird, Phantom, Ferret, Liz, Withy and GrassHopper..

Tenzings hash from the Rising Sun at Knapp commenced with a game of `Car Park Tetris`, this involves trying to tessellate (my word of the week) different sized vehicles into a rectangular car park of limited volume.  This was heading for a high scoring round until WAM screeched in with seconds to go and `abandoned` her car at a 45 degree angle completely destroying any symmetry that had been lovingly  organised.  This invoked a comment from Tenzing that was very brave seeing as there was a fair amount of female hashers present.

Off out of the car park and immediately we have a sit down protest at the first muddy stile by Pink2Lips, this holds up the hashers behind but then we are off in earnest, across the fields watched by a small  herd of cows and then into the Maize fields, faster runners using the rows like lanes of a motorway.

An impromptu stop halfway across the maize while the back markers catch up, Withy silhouetting himself into Martini’s photo of the setting sun.  More fields and cows and then back onto the road towards our start point, slight pause while we find the right path and then we are off again across more fields, no cows this time but an aerial display of low flying helicopters and a discussion on whether it was cool or not to wave at them.

Regroup in the corner of a field and its make the most of what little light there is to scoff the sweets.  A few sour faces (sweets that is) and we are off again, an aerodynamically restyled Ferret leading the way, torches start to make an appearance and there is some confusion in one of the fields on whether the new looking galvanised gate is the private entrance to someone’s garden or the proper path.  The leading hashers opt for discretion and carry on across the field to the old field gate, while the hare points the majority in the right direction.

ON INN appears on the road and its back to the pub, the extremely local cider is sampled by a fair few of the hashers.  Chunky obviously found this hash incredibly easy as she hadn’t even raised a `glow` (ladies glow, men perspire, horses sweat and certain male hashers leak like a sieve) as she opted not to change out of her running kit, or maybe she just forgot her change of clothes.

Another fine hash through the villages of Somerset.

Run 704 - Brush Off Dunster

Words to follow ...........

Run703 Paul and Jackie Lethbridge Arms

Run :- 703. Lethbridge, Bishops Lydeard 

Hares :- Paul & Jackie

Hounds:- JB, WAM, Bangkok, Ferret, Phantom, Brush Off, Grasshopper, Pink2Lips, Why Bother, Withy, Gymslip, Martini, Floater, Tenzing, Dormouse, Liz, Mark, Keith, Sharron, 

Pub Get a Life.

I will apologise before I start that this will only be short as I have forgotten much of what happened last week.  Not to say this wasn't a very good hash laid by Paul & Jackie, just that with age the memory isn't what it used to be.

We all met at the Leftbridge in Bishops Lydeard and once we had managed to squeeze all the cars into the car park we were off.  Under the main road to the railway station then on on called down a footpath by the railway line.  over several fields until we got to a sneaky little detour around a field, thought up by Paul, no doubt, as he was the one sniggering when we got back out on the road 2 feet from where we left it.

Oops I forgot to mention the fish hook, was that Paul or Jackies idea?  Three of us had to pay their dues and go to the back.

Now for the best bit, and I am sure this wasn't down to Paul, the homemade cake at the re group.  Yummeeeee.  Three different type of cakes which all had to be tried and even some ice cold juice to wash it down with.  Don't expect this on my hash.  It was very pleasant the adults talking while the children played on a tyre hanging from the tree.  As usually happens the children got out of hand with Why Bother using Ferret to batter the tree trunk.  After suitable chastisement on on was called to the pub were copious amounts of beer were drunk.

Many thanks to Paul and Jackie for an excellent hash