After a heat wave like no other, the two harriettes, Underlay and Lady P, set out to lay the trail on Sunday in "fresh" mizzly air with a likelihood of rain set at over 50%. However, they must have earned some meteorological brownie points somewhere and the rain held off long enough to lay a fairly original route taking in the lovely Great Ouse for a significant part.

7.30 on Monday night proved even better with sunshine and a mild breeze to kiss the knees of the intrepid shorts wearers. A turnout to be proud of with returnees Cardiac, the long missed Shaggy, Birdwoman and Atomic (welcome back - great to see you) added to the throng together with newbees Fiona and Suzanne, guests of Lady P. With a clutch of birthdays acknowledged (HBD to Catchit, Pongo and Gorjoyce) we set off from the Royal Oak at a smart pace. A hare loves it when all the effort that goes into those falsies pays off and the hariettes weren't disappointed. What the FRBs didn't realise is that, once we were out of the village via School Lane and down to the A1, there weren't too many options for falsies and number checks came into their own with the same brave hounds: Depth Charge, Rapid, Captain F, Pythagorarse and even occasionally Edwina coming in for a lot of back tracking as the pack got more spread out. Well done Rapid for doing extra return trips when completely uncalled for! Way above the call of duty. Once the trail was found round a very unlikely field, it wasn't long before we encountered the river which made it fairly obvious where we were heading. So, stingers apart ("I'd forgotten the joys of a trail laid in stingers" Shaggy could be heard to say) the merry band strode on to the held check past Roxton Lock (what happened to our held check at the lock?) and beyond the fishing lake. A welcome sit-down for Double, Edwina and Cyclo while the knitting circle caught up. So, off they set again assuming "No right of Way" meant exactly that, but no that's exactly where the trail went on the home stretch back to Roxton. A welcome On Inn was plain to see on the way back into the village, clocking in the first to arrive back at the pub at about 8.35.

A quick change, liquid refreshment bought and it was "Get stuck into Catchit's fancies" c/o Mum of Catchit's culinary repertoire. And very nice they were too! As the gloaming descended, we circled up to sing maniacally to Chas and Dave's "Come round 'ere" song with more words than there was music for. here was other activity besides down downs, none of which the assembled company could hear/see/understand/remember, at least not all at the same time, but we all had a jolly time until it was so dark that we couldn't see each other and it was time to go home! One lasting image we shall all anticipate with baited breath until next week will be to see Pythagorarse sporting his mini thong award and we'll all be wondering how all that Antipodean tackle will be secreted away behind so little material?

On On Underlay and Lady P

Next week Claptrap and Gorjoyce will lead us astray at the Plough in Langford