Power Station Rangers

Honeymonster Dumper Septic Motox Posh Bomber Iceman Lemming Mother Baldrick Hashgate Cloggs Non-stick Dutchcap Slowsucker Florence Tinopener Miranda + dog Emma BGB Cheating Foghorn Chopsticks Trainspotter Anorak Zebedee John Le Voisin White Fang C5 Wally Headboy Squirrel

Didcot

Ringer Plod Pressganger Eric Fuellish Billy Whiz

The Power and the Glory

After much milling around in the car park and the adjacent field the joint run set off right out of the pub on a bright and frosty morning. You could almost believe in England’s green and pleasant land as we passed a beautiful thatched cottage, duck pond and idyllic church unless you glanced at the steaming towers on the skyline. The hash paused to the cry of “Petrol”….Yes it was the ever punctual Zebedee and Florence who clearly didn’t know their west from their elbow! In there haste to catch up Zebedee managed to skid across the field into Motox’s car. Or “ Phil has damaged my car!” as Florence rather tartly put it later. It was difficult to tell whether Motox’s car had been damaged or enhanced!

We hithered and thithered through the village to a long straight track where Lemming who claims “to love the sound of breaking ice in the morning” proceeded to splash anyone within range ..White Fang mainly judging by the state of her clothing later.

Next a cry of “it always goes left” from Motox……. Yes but not the way he went! A short ways straight on and off we went left following a distant and silent (As usual) BGB. After a brief regroup Honeymonster led us out down a long concrete strip between fields until Zeb intent on making up for lost time assumed the lead and of course immediately went wrong. We paused to admire a Shetland pony and Foggy revealed that he too had a winter coat and I thought he had just lost his beard comb.

Anorak and Trainspotter checked left correctly and led us to a bar and then over a fallen tree over a stream to the “miracle of the mud” where the trail crossed back through the small river and nary a footprint in sight….. Amazing! Needless to say there were many a sinner.. Wally to name one !

Next an excellent false across a field caught most of he FRBs desperate to avoid the road and they then chased the pack all the way to the Medium/Long split. At this point Spot and fellow Hares perpetrated an even better ruse sending the entire pack the wrong way down a false… Well except Cheating who presumably hung around Spot until he got the nod.

We now returned to civilization (Though whether it was West or East Hagbourne God only knows!) and with a few detours arrived at the old railway line (Now a cycleway) Bomber and Zebedee continued to check out every long false but Spot was in “kind” mode now and kept us mostly on the straight and narrow until we “on inned” to be greeted with mince pies and a choice of creams from Miss Whiplash, Hitch-hiker and Dutchcap.

Foghorn was insistent that Miss Whiplash “should be put down” Fortunately just in time he explained that he meant on the run sheet and not in he veterinary sense though there is a school of thought that says that this would be a kindness!

An excellent trail on a beautiful but somewhat chilly morning.

DOWN DOWNS

Zebedee Car Abuse

Non-Stick and Cloggs Loves young dream and bogie abuse

Fuellish Didcot’s representative on earth and for dodgy shorts

Hashgate/Miss Whiplash/Anorak/Tinopener There was beer left apparently!

The Hares Spot/Hitchiker/Miss Whiplash Excellent by all

UP AND COMING

Date Run No. Grid Ref. Location Hares

21/12/03 1361 644792 The Sun Whitchurch Hill Foghorn

Chopsticks

28/12/03 1362 455693 The Blackbird Bagnor Max

Angie

Effing