Run	Date	Hare(s)	Description	MapRef	1:50000	1:25000	1:10000	More
864	2017-02-26 11:00	Spiders and Dag	Slindon Dukes Road	SU951073

Again, nose dribble weather, eleven degrees and not quite raining on a stiff breeze. No one wanted to halt their chariot in the centre of a car park that looks like a flooded lunar surface.

As we approached the appointed hour there was no sign of any JMs until Snake Charmer's Mini arrived and disgorged five people and a dog (on their way to mow a meadow?) which included Hairbrush all a fluster at being so late.

A lack of any Ferrets meant that Hairbrush had to do it all by himself, so after some of the usual histrionics, and there being no newbies, he forgot to introduce the Hares. Which annoyed Spiderman because he was itching to show everyone that the Google satellite image from above the car park has captured a four engined jet plane.

Warning us to look out for the plane, and also of brambles he then forbade us to use the northerly gate to exit the car park, what a give a way for the On-In, or was it?.

Consequently we all exited via the west gate and fanned out in the trees, and found a few trails, all false, then heard Old Faithful calling us west on Duke's Road to a check at the cross roads, followed by a bit of tarmac slogging north up Slindon Bottom Road.

The fence on the east side of this road has a few entrance points into the woods, where the hares had laid an annoying false trail that ran up one side of the fence with the true trail still on the road. The temptation to short cut from the end of this falsie proved too much for the usual suspects.

Eventually of course we did head east into the woods and made our way to the tiny pond near Keeper's Cottage, which was given a wide berth by a very nervous Splasher.

Next it was south, with the open area of Slindon Park on our left, to run right through a busy group of volunteers who were clearing undergrowth and filling the air with quite a pleasant smoky aroma.

We kept going south, and going, and going, until what a surprise?, a fish hook, who would have guessed?. Well, it caught Pink Flamingo, Pancsi, Snake Charmer, Bambi, and Flash.

By now we were out of the trees alongside the medieval Park Dale and with a suspicion of sunshine some were shedding outerwear.

Now we could hear the thrum of traffic on the main road, but we were heading east, away from the chariots, and a whole hour had passed by the time we reached the Park Lane car park, and got our bearings. Nothing could now tempt us further east on to Slindon Common even though we found the true trail across Park Lane heading in that direction.

Soon we found flour through the promised brambles west back over Park Lane and along to the On-In after one hour and twelve minutes of rather uneventful and somewhat subdued hashing.

And Lo!, there in the car park was Tigger, she has a large Mercedes, the Mercedes has a large boot, the boot lid was open, the boot was full of nice things to eat and drink, Tigger was shouting "Help Yourselves", so we did.

It was a pleasant unexpected celebration of Tigger's recent birthday, with us getting the surprise, not her. The number that you are wondering about is eighty.

Then, amid hashers making frequent sorties to the boot and the odd interruption of a burp or two, we almost broke into a chorus of "Hashy Birthday" before Hairbrush tried to find fault with a really well behaved pack.

Kinky was cautioned about being in head to foot red and Pru censured for a back to front jumper.

These minor matters pale into insignificance when compared to Splasher, who presented himself in boxers when Snake Charmer called to pick him up that morning.

On-On! Bambi.

P.S. Hairbrush is still looking for the owner of a pair of trainers that were left at his house after The Hangover Hash, are they yours?

Bambi.

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