Run	Date	Hare(s)	Description	MapRef	1:50000	1:25000	1:10000	Aerial
718	2011-08-14	Dr Blood & Pink Flamingo	Graffham Recreation Ground	SU931176

If you can picture the sky that is shown at the start of The Simpsons cartoon then you have an idea of what a lovely summer's morning presented itself to us.
There was quite a bustle of activity with most arriving in the last ten minutes before the off.
There were a couple of extreme welcome backs for Stewart (Pru's brother) and Mike who last hashed with us twenty five years ago, and he had brought his offsprogs Katie and Rosie.

The JMs had little to say and the Hares tried to sell the usual warnings of water, hills and hard going, Oh! we should have for once heeded these tidings. So we sallied forth in an easterly direction like lambs to the slaughter. Mussolini only managed a few furlongs before he succumbed to foot rot just as Olive Oyl and Tom arrived better late than. Caroline was an early FRB but was soon reigned in by a long falsie east from a check at Upper Norwood farm, with the pack heading north over the fields with Bika and Hash Angel pausing a while to say hello to the exotic pigs in their pen. Now with Pancsi leading the way we headed west almost to within sight of the chariots and then north, skirting Popple Hill into Middleheath Copse.

Here we soon came upon a stream and the bridge was off limits with no option but to get our paws wet. Spiderwoman managed to keep hers dry by mounting Spiderman for the crossing, the smile on her face seemed to indicate that she had enjoyed the experience. Also I spotted Old Faithful and Olive Oyl lurking on a falsie hoping to lure innocent hashers into a second stream crossing, they said "I'we got our feet wet again and we would like others to share the experience", the only person they lured was yours truly. Meanwhile Canman and Pancsi had followed a false trail to the top of a steep, high muddy incline and were having trouble returning to the flood plain.

After this bit of fun the trail headed out through the rhododendrons, across the road and into Homeball Wood, then south all the way back through the fields to the White Horse pub, stopping briefly en-route to carry out a forensic analysis of an animal skull that Caroline had unearthed.

Now the hares revealed their bombshell news that we were really really really only at the half way point, at which a bunch headed for the chariots and the rest girded up their loins for more. I think it was OF that found the trail south beside the pub and then east into Graffham village and then Bika that spotted the start of a long long long slog west to the cross paths half way to Hayland Farm with the edge of the downs looming above us. Yes, you guessed it, that's where the trail headed. A rapidly tiring pack managed to make it about half way up towards the SDW and then there was a unanimous vote in favour of shortcutting through Limekiln Bottom to miss out on the rest of the trail that Pink Flamingo had so lovingly prepared.

Rejoining the trail near the church the rest of the route through Calloways came as a down hill relief, reaching the On-In after an exhausting one hour and fifty minutes.

At the circle there was thanks to hares for the most challenging hash this year, mention of Max for leaving teeth marks on Treefellers chariot, and Spiderman for letting Spiderwoman mount him. The Hash-It was awarded to Kermit for falling in the stream while doing his swinging Tarzan impression.

We then returned to the White Horse, this time to enjoy the liquids in the beer garden.

Bambi.