Run 884 - East Hendred
Run: 884
Date: Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Venue: The Plough, East Hendred
Hare(s): S/Shoveller & Penelope Pitstop
Hounds: Twitcher, Gnome Alone, Rear Admiral, Eric , Pressganger, J-Wax, Baldrick, Florence, Bootsy, Lonely, CS Gas, CS Gas Visitor, Hutch, Rubber Sole, B-Cider, Country Bumpkin, Buzz or is it Hash Hoody?, Lemony Snickett, Ringer and 3 little Ringers, K9-Hattie, K9-Meg. Later: Golden Shower, Wimpy
Scribe: Twitcher
Mid afternoon and I receive a frantic phone call from the Hare: “Who is Mr Dixon?” Now one of the drawbacks of having Hash Handles is that not many people know hashers real names. On asking Shoveller why he needed to know he replied that he had called the pub to see if it was okay to meet there and was told by the landlord that he was already expecting us and Mr Dixon had booked a buffet for about 30 runners. So apparently Mr Dixon was either a DH3’er and was going to surprise us with a treat to outdo one of Two Tins Tart’s confectionary delights or another group of runners were going to be running from the same venue that night.
Come 7 o’clock and it was very obvious that the latter was the case. The car park was chocker and many unfamiliar faces were milling about. It seems Mr Dixon was running (I hate that word) with the Abingdon Amblers and they would be eating the buffet not us. So as the whippers in from both sides tried to sort out who belonged to whom and Shoveller and Penny gave their warnings for the trail, a gradual shift was made towards the pub exit and the On was almost on.
As usual, CS Gas turned up just late enough to have to sprint to get to the first check before the walkers.
Due to the onset of Oldtimer’s Disease, I cannot remember each twist and turn of the trail but suffice to say that it was a pleasant meandering route through, into and out of both the Hendreds with mixed footpaths, woods, fields and a small amount of the black stuff. One part I do remember was when we reached the village church after turning off the main street. With the now familiar cry of “It always goes this way!” Lonely, Gnome Alone and Stiffy disappeared through the churchyard and into the woods beyond. Shoveller allowed them to get some distance along the false trail and it was not until the Walkie-Talkies arrived at the check that the On was called and the main pack crossed the adjacent field in the opposite direction to the Church.
During the proceedings we came across the AAs several times as they ran (that verb again!!) in some sort of pursuit of each other which followed a route which occasionally crossed ours.
Eventually the trail led us back to the pub and being a pleasant enough evening we all sat in the garden. Rather fortunate really because you wouldn’t have got all members of DH3 and AA into the pub. There was a slight air of us and them as the AAs took up position alongside the pub with their buffet and DH3 sat on the benches on the other side of the garden and eat our chips. But full marks to the pub, they were good frits and plenty of them.
Noises were made about having a joint run with the AAs sometime, but running (Aggghhh!) and the black stuff feature a bit too much in what they do for my liking. But who knows, maybe they should join us and find out where they are going wrong. I mean, why organise a run from a pub if the beer is not the real reason for being there?
The GM, who had been working late, finally graced us with his presence just as the Harsh Words were ending but was not made welcome because he had failed to bring the now customary offering of cake. It’s nice to know who your real friends are!
Twitcher