Hash 394 – White Horse @ Winterbourne Bassett

The markers of our lives are many and sometimes they are big and sometimes they are small.  The important ones such as going to our first school, moving on to big school, university, our first job, falling in love, getting married,  buying the first house, moving away, having children, losing loved ones, having grand-children etc are shared by us all. However, we all have other small more personal markers in this journey of life.  Of late, one of my small markers is the return to previous hash venues.

We last hashed from The White Horse in Winterbourne Bassett in June 2006 when Linda and I laid the trail and thus a mere six and a bit years later we are back again for Mike and Margaret’s hash.  The French phrase “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” is maybe not entirely appropriate but as I drove up  to the pub I was struck by the fact that the pub looked exactly the same as it did six years ago (and why not? – you may well ask). And I was there for the same reason.  The paradox is that six years can melt into a single moment and that six years can also extend to a different life. So here we are again…. I don’t remember the Emus though.

Four days before the hash, the forecast that I looked at was for heavy rain but as we arrived the sun was shining brilliantly. The turnout was good and the emu was easier to photograph than the group. Mike and Margaret gave quite a long pre-hash summary (mostly about cows) and off we set down a delightful little tree-lined lane with the sun streaming through the autumn coloured leaves.  There must have been an early circle as I somehow managed to be ahead for a short while.

I was soon passed by John, the camera shy Dr Viv, Keith and then Colin (who must have gone on a false trail) who had to overtake the walkers Kay, Liz and Val. The lane led into the village past a beautiful church.Having taken three consecutive right turns we came back in sight of the pub and then immediately into open muddy country with view of the downs.

Into another delightful village (Broad Hinton – I think!) looking its best in the sunshine and once again into open country and the aforementioned cows, who turned out to be remarkably camera shy.  Then a muddy water logged track beside a corn field. Dr Viv said “Let me take a photo” ( I duly handed over the camera) “of you running through the water”and without thinking (because if I had thought …. I wouldn’t have done it) Colin and I did just that. Squelching on we came to more cows, this time eager to be photographed. Then a lane where we rejoined the walkers and we were back.

We all sat in the conservatory with the sun shining in.  Everyone agreed it was a wonderful hash and Mike and Margaret were duly thanked by everyone.  Much talk about where and how we should celebrate the 400^th hash coming up in early January.

Watch this space   …………………………………                            Okay stop now. I’m asking Jeremy to reprint Keith Mitchell’s mag of the hash from The White Horse in June 2006 below. Wonderfully funny. Please read it even if you weren’t there.       ON ON

[Jeremy – I can’t display it as such as it’s in the noughties technology, but here is the link to it – Hash 221]