University of Exeter - Easter Sunday 20th April 2014 - Stix and Speedy

Speedy and I had a lovely day (Saturday) to lay the trail. The sun shone all the way round, and we sat on a bench at the top of the valley to eat our lunch. Rocky and Bollards were supposed to help too, but Rocky was poorly with a high temperature. But come Sunday morning, the weather started to take a turn for the worse.  We headed up to the University campus early to hide the eggs for the Easter Egg hunt as the rain started to come in.  But after laying arrows on the road to get everyone to park outside the Hatherly Labs (rather than pay £1 for parking), it dried up.  Woodpecker's family were welcomed, and also Sloppy Seconds from Herts H3(who has promised to come again (!) when he next spending a weekend in Devon).  Sore Point and Bollards found a spot behind a hedge to go for a wee (not together... one stood on lookout, while the other crouched, and then they swapped over...)  We headed up through campus towards the first long-short, and then Tampa and Coffin arrived.  I cut them short, while the "athletes" took the long split.  We continued along past the Lafrowda ponds up along Pennsylvania Road, then back onto campus again by the Community Garden at the top of the Duryard Valley.  The longs took a loop down into the valley, and back up the steep slope again, before catching up with the shorts on Argyll Road for the Sweetie Stop.  On On we continued, catching the FRBs with a Fish-hook, towards Duryard Halls.  Then we were hit by a mother-of-a-storm, with hail!  So I rushed the longs towards the Easter Egg hunt, which I knew was under the cover of trees.  I didn't realise that my cohare (Speedy) had taken the shorts the wrong way... towards Birks Hall (and then up "Cardiac" Hill).  So the longs got to search for the Easter Eggs around the fountains first, but failed to find anything.  The children (and Coffin) found them first. We enjoyed these 5 minutes later at the Circle, huddled under the cover of the steps (see below) , together with crisps, nuts and beers! Fines went to me (for nerd naming... sorry I've forgotten to pay for the second week in a row) and Coffina dn Tampa for being late. I got a delightful recitation of Happy Birthday too! On On, Stix.

Its all academic... on the steps of one of the University Labs

Sweetie Stop

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Four Firs, Woodbury Common - 13th April 2014 - EJ

A glorious sunny morning, but was it warm enough for t-shirts, and still chilly enough to run with coats? That was the topic of conversation at our end of the car park before the hash started.  The trail crossed the road and heading parallel to the road before performing a number of switch backs.  All was well until the long-short-walk split, but then the hash began to fragment.  The leading group of longs managed to follow the trail incorrectly, with the real athletes left to do a long-long of loops and mazes around the forest.  Lots of marks, buts lots of twists and turns, meant that the "real" longs arrived at the sweetie stop about 20 mins after the short-cutting longs and the rest of the pack.  But we had the hare with us, and the sweets!  By now it was an hour into the trail, so only 5 did the next long, but we were all back in the car back for 12.30 after about a 4.5 mile trail.  Lots of fines were dished out Twin Peaks and Speedy, and Lurch and Mad Max had down Downs for wearing new trainers (see below).

Hash Circle

Down Downs for new shoes!

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Ashclyst Forrest - 6th April 2014 - A la Ronde and Irresistible

A lovely muddy trail for the intrepid hashers who ventured out into Ashclyst Forest on what was forecast to be a rainy morning. But the heavy showers stayed away, and the worst we suffered was a bit of drizzle. We were a little late starting due to the absence of much of the mismanagement, no Bitz's and no Groucho. But Blobby eventually set us on our way at around 11.15. 3 long shorts were promised, and a sweetie stop. The children all seemed to have extra energy - all doing the longs, on what turned out to be a 5.2 mile trail. The mud really was the 'best' this year, with Runner Bean and Rocky pretending it was liquid chocolate. Total Eclipse what caught "lying down on the hash" - apparently she had two falls, and had a muddy hand print on her rear. She claimed it was her own!  The Ha Ha's caused much confusion, with Paperwork seeming to get the most confused...

Speedy deputised in Twin Peaks' absence for the circle and we 'welcomed' our virgins: all of them being associated with Total Eclipse and the hares from the Met Office.

On On to Four Firs next week!

Regroup