The RA's Cock was eager
Newie: PP & Happy Snaps offspring Imogen
Strolling in the woods
A Tarzan and Captain stop for schnapps, sherry and port
Drift? of snowdrops in the woods
Some of the carvings are really very lifelike...
...while some are just wooden
Secret RA's verdict: GUILTY
...some enjoyed the guilt
Hashits awarded
The Beast from the East Run
Chill, Cool, Crisp, Raw, Arctic, Icy, Frigid, Sharp, Numbing, Biting, Nippalacious, Polar, Shivery – all these words give me the goose bumps as did setting off to lay the trail at 8:00am on Sunday morning.
I didn't see a soul for at least 45 minutes, because everyone else was far too sensible to step outdoors. One good thing was that the cold snap had turned the soggy mud of previous weeks into rock hard tundra instead.
The trail was pretty much a circular trail, with plenty of checks of various flavours designed to keep the pack together.
It was fantaaastic to welcome the return of PP & Happy Snaps and even lovelier to welcome Imogen, our youngest potential new recruit.
Nik-Nak calls the circle, but there are no birthdays or anniversaries. Rapid's pecker was particularly eager to get at it, as is evident from the photo montage of the run, so the on is called.
After a false start, the correct trail is found past Campton Mill and across the fields towards Woodhall Farm. The trail passed through Campton Plantation where the cunning "infinity shuttle check" is used as a means to arrest the progress of the FRBs. The group wend their way towards Shefford via the A507 underpass and Robert Bloomfied school. A short respite has been arranged chez Tarzan and Capt F. A choice of elixirs was offered including port, sherry or etter schnapps (rocket fuel). It certainly had the desired effect of warming ones cockles, on a bitterly cold day.
After the brief interlude, the hash resumes. The last leg is via Chicksands Woods, which looked particularly lovely as the ground was carpeted with snowdrops. [Does anyone have any idea what the collective noun for snowdrops is? I am hoping it's something like a blizzard or a drift as that would be perfect]1.
Some artistic soul had gone to the trouble of painting posies of common wild flowers on stones which were scattered around the forest. A bit of a folly, but a nice touch nonetheless.
A longish run in through the village and we all arrive back at the White Hart. The pub has an impressive array of gins and rums for the adventurous and the beer is pretty good too. The secret RA (aka Hot-Shot) managed to dispense plenty of down-down beers, starting with himself. Other down-downs were bestowed upon Frau, Shuffle, Splashy, Leroy, Blow-felt, Knobber etc etc.
el Capitain
On-on to The Clay Pipe, Leighton Buzzard
1Don't know if there is a definitive word but a "drift" has certainly been suggested: Dep Ed