Hash 1263

We met in the car park at the Red Lion at the usual time, to be told that the long run was 6 miles, muddy, and because the run was set on Sunday, there was probably no flour left.  Marvellous...  This information goes some way to explaining the somewhat lackadaisical response to the cry of "check it out".  Actually, come to think of it, the lack of enthusiasm was pretty normal.  Probably just the result of the hash's collective tendency to pause every Tuesday evening at 7:45, and question why on earth we do this to ourselves...

Anyway, somehow we ascertained that the trail led us over the road, so off we went.  Some keen beans got as far as the Queen's Head, before they heard themselves being called back up towards West Wood, and the Long/Short split.  Both hares went with the short runners, but they left Roger with a map.  What could possibly go wrong...?

For the first couple of checks those runners with brighter torches managed to find some flour, but when we crossed Whielden Lane our luck ran out.  Roger directed us up an implausible looking path to the sound of much grumbling, but we eventually arrived at a very faint check.  We then zig-zagged around on the outskirts of Winchmore Hill, before heading off to Penn Street.  Roger was still confidently pointing us down various paths in the absence of flour, but rumour had it that the paper he was poring over was just the previous week's trash, and that he was making it up as he went along.

As we headed past Penn House, so desperate was Ken to experience some flour first-hand that he decided to taste a white substance on a signpost – turns out it wasn't flour though.  I've heard that Naomi was somehow responsible for persuading Ken to do this – perhaps this was her way of getting him back for abandoning her in the woods the other week...?

Anyway, after skirting around Winchmore Hill again, we re-joined the short trail.  We could tell this because there was actual flour on the ground (not sure Ken tasted it this time though).  Unfortunately, a large proportion of the flour was in the shape of numbers, which by this point in the evening weren't very well received by everyone.  However, another loop through some fields finally led us back to the road, and the ON INN.

Fortunately the shorts hadn't managed to eat all the chips, despite us not getting back to the pub until about 9:40, so we soon cheered up.  Thanks to Mike and Judy for all their hard work, and for the chips.  I'm sure all that flour looked lovely before the rain started!