Run # 779

Sunday 6th August 2006

The Village Green, Ickwell Green


Hares: Gorjoyce & Bell End

HASHERS: 19  APRES: 11  NEWIES/RETURNEES: 1  MUTTS: 0


BELL END, DESPERATE ..

GORJOYCE, LAYING ..

THREE LEGGED RACE, KEEPS CROWDS ENTHRALLED ..

TIGHT WAD, TON UP ..

AGEING HIPPY, ASLEEP

Gorjoyce had arranged to run a hash, to be followed by a picnic, from Ickwell Green. She had asked Bell End to be co-hare, to which he duly agreed. The day before the hash they turned up to lay the route. Bell End turned up with maps. Gorjoyce turned up with a local man, Derek, who is a member of the North Herts Road Runners. He had agreed to help Gorjoyce with laying.

Derek kept saying he knew a good route, he ran it several times a week in thirty something minutes. It was only about six miles long. Bell End kept saying this was too long and for the hash it should be four / four and a half miles maximum. Derek kept saying OK, then reverting to the distance being six miles! Comments such as 'I usually run this bit at full speed' were a bit worrying when considering the hash! In the end Bell End decided this was between Gorjoyce and Derek, who clearly had been having private meetings, and he would look out for short cuts for the knitting circle et al. even preparing a few spare marked maps for them.

The hash was laid on a hot, sunny Saturday afternoon - though the shade through the Warren was pleasant. Gorjoyce, showing how laid back she is, laid it in flip flops. Derek turned out to be a true gentleman, and hasher at heart, by providing his co hares with a refreshing cold beer at the end.

On the appointed day the hash duly met at Ickwell Green for the first Sunday Run of the year, to be followed by a 'sixties' themed picnic. An hour before the 'off Gorjoyce, the appointed back hare, had told her fellow hares that she was not going to run but would remain at the picnic site to sort things out there. The R.A. had done us proud and the sun was shining gloriously. Captain Fantaastic had got over excited and come in his sixties clothes too soon.

Instructions were given and Bell End held his arms out at 180 degrees, encompassing every road except the one the On Inn was along, and told the hash to check it out. Shagpile promptly shot off down a falsie which did not even have any marks laid on it, and spat out his dummy about it later, while Five Baah quickly found the true trail, commenting as he did so on how clearly it was marked with sawdust.

At this point the scribe (Bell End) was back haring and so did not see much of what was happening up ahead. He did hear a number of harriettes saying it was long and hot. He initially thought they were talking about him again till he heard them say it was dusty as well. (Lack of use?).

The trail took the hash through fields, over streams and past the airfield. About two fifths of the way around, Muddy Waters friend told Bell End she had lost her bright pink mobile phone - or it might be in the car!!! Lady P offered to take over back haring duties and Bell End ran all the way back to the start looking for the phone, while the hash set off through Warden Warren. Back at the start Trudie said she had seen the girls leaping about on grass earlier (well, it was sixties themed!) and promptly found the phone where they had been. Bell End then set off around the route again in a desperate attempt to catch the hash - which he didn't. The result of this, as well as heat exhaustion, was that the scribe saw nothing that happened on the hash after this. Apologies to Muddy Waters for causing her to suffer from the heat on the run, though really that was the R.A., - and it did not stop her tucking into the excellent picnic soon after getting back. Thanks to Lady P for being back hare, and giving everyone in the massive knitting circle sight of the map!

At the green, the hares had arranged for a Maypole to be set up and a cricket match to be played in order to give everyone the true English village experience. To top this off, they had laid on an air display. To this background the picnic was consumed and the circle called. A jolly time was had and lashings of ginger beer, OK - beer, consumed.

The hares were called in. There was a little confusion because Derek had disappeared and Shagpile had not realised Gorjoyce was a hare. The newie (pink phone loser, ringless) was called in and was joined in an act of female solidarity by Muddy Waters.

Things are a bit vague here as the scribe was suffering from an excess of heat and a deficit of oxygen (soon followed by a surfeit of lemonade). There were down downs for the FRBs, including My Little Gelding, Count Road Kill and WWW for failing to call the 'on'. The walking marquee, Lady P was in the circle a lot. Whether this was punishment, in order to take photos or because the wind had caught her and blown her there I am not sure. It was a very attractive marquee though - well done Lady P. Bell End was called in numerous times and forced to drink lots of lukewarm lemonade for bogus offences, such as the R.A. picking the wrong route at the start, or the excessive use of numbered checks [there were three, all at the end of long straights, in order to keep the pack together!]. There was a 100 run award for Tight Wad and a Deca Award for Tarzan - who was very surprised as she was not in the circle and had not run the hash.

It was certain a good time was had by all and there was a hot time at the old hash today.

At this point the post-prandial frivolities, organised by Gorjoyce, began with races of the Egg n Spoon, Three Legged and Sack variety, and a really hippy rounders game with no teams and no competition man. Then the guitars came out - MLG strummed and Overflo played the blues, very well actually - and eventually a few ageing hippies fell asleep.

On On

Bell End