Not too sure whether Grumble had had a word with the RA or even whether it worked. Suffice it to say that the weather was atrocious all morning but managed to clear up for the essential 2 hours between 1600 and 1800 before starting to tip it down again. Anyway, the RA didn't turn up along with a number of other notables, significantly last week’s newcomers and Hashit holders Turd Herder and Bog Trotter.
By 1600 there were still only around 15 hashers brave enough to have turned up so another 10 minutes was given for 69, Sideways and a couple of others to arrive. Seven checks were announced with four and five holding; possibly some false trails but no river crossings and lots of potential for crashing. The runners headed out led by Ms Mutt as usual who was clearly going too fast for Towed as he let her off the lead after around 500m or so. Short-cutters had been held back by Grumble, never to be seen again by the pack apart from a brief sighting from holding Check Five, or was it Four? More of that later. Down into the valley and up the other side, over some crops and along a shady path to a very obvious Back Check. The pack had split by this point with a leading group of Hurry, Rotter, Keeled, Towed and Newcomer (and serious runner so what’s he doing on the Hash) Martin. Check 2 managed to pull the runners back together, more or less and on to Check 3 which was, surprisingly, a holding check. Maybe, just maybe, we had missed Check 1 when Hurry led everyone across a corn field which had a serious lack of paper through it.

Anyway, the pack foregathered at Holding Check 3, admiring the view, waiting for the Short-cutters and contemplating what devious plans Grumble had in store for us. “It don’t go that way” announced Keeled pointing down into the valley ahead. “Why not?” responded an innocent Rotter (innocent because he had believed a local worthy who had told him it did). “Because that white mark on the corner down there is the cross at the end of the false trail!” says Keeled. And oh, it was so. Grumble had managed to lay a false trail in full sight of the holding check! Off down through the valley and the brick works, led by Towed and the Mutt, and the pack came swiftly to Holding Check 4. The site for this check was a tiny patch in the corner of a corn field, so small that the circles were only about 20cm in diameter. From here we managed to see the short-cutters briefly circling round and then disappearing in what appeared to be the wrong direction. Grumble had given instructions that they were to wait at Holding Check 5 (4) and he would show them the way home, so the pack set off without waiting and quickly found paper and a pleasant run up through a village, over a pine forested hill and home, where the short-cutters were finally caught up with.

Full marks to Grumble for getting everyone home together.

At which point, it started to rain again. Fortunately there was a small concrete edifice nearby that offered shelter for the assembled company to hold the post-run festivities.

A surprising score of 9.9 was awarded by the muddied and bloodied pack. Virgins Martin, (who was reluctant to take a beer until told how much The Fox put away) Jalak, Patricia and Olivia were followed by belated newcomer Bendy Toes who had rushed off before the circle formed last week. No welcome backs, so on to hash crashes. Martin was called in, having needed major surgery to repair thorn damage to the palm of his hand, but the GM was suddenly overtaken by surprise that 69 HAD NOT CRASHED so Martin was forgotten whilst 69 got his reward. Then the horrors were called in, mostly for sliding around on their bums as opposed to genuine crashing, whilst Martin waited patiently, clutching his mug. The GM was about to award another down-down to Bengt for a double hash crash when it was pointed out that he had forgotten Martin. Senility seems to be setting in quite quickly now. Keeled tried to call Rani into the circle for some sin but was called in himself for attempted wife abuse. Grumble at last managed to reveal the contents of the pink box that he had been clutching for the duration of the circle. A pristine, black, engraved(?) loo seat as a new Hashit award. It was promptly awarded to the GM who gratefully accepted. It remains to be seen whether it will ever re-emerge from Rotter’s Roost as it looked a considerable improvement on the ones in place. Thereafter the circle degenerated into the usual shambles until the GM gave up and called for social drinking.

OnOn

Towed