Chuck Florence Zebedee SilverFox AquaFloosy FlyingDoctor StraddleVarious Wally Redcock LadyShave Ms. Whiplash Eth Salome David Motox Greenfly Lonely and Beaver the dog Dwight Tweenie Pete Danish Tom Natasha Hamlet EasyRider Insider Jane Maneater Gutbucket Dumper Septic Potty Nutcracker Cloggs OldFart Itsyor Baldrick Cap’n haystax 2Bob Mr Blobby Mrs Blobby Utopia Lynda Foghorn Uptake Iceman Cap’n Y-Fronts and Tigger Centaur Cerberus

While you lot were enjoying yourselves, running about round Basingstoke I was attending a dry-as-dust Parish Council meeting while sitting next to a lady(?) member of Her Majesty’s Press who had her shoes off and was wearing a black eye-patch à la Gabrielle, although she was rather more dessicated. Amazingly, the old crone extracted my phone number just as I was about to nod off through sheer ennui. Luckily, my colleague and I extracted ourselves at 9 o’clock. I learned the rest of them droned on until 11:45! So we have the verbally brisk Zebedee and Florence to thank for taking the old dictaphone round for this one. "Just note a few points of interest," I instructed, "and leave the rest to me." Crikey! They not only filled a whole side of tape but gave me written notes as well! This calls for a bit of editorial slash and burn so I hope they’ll forgive me for not including all their report.

The Hash starts on time in a damp, cool atmosphere and wends it’s way in a loop round the various business edifices in the area including the AA building. Motox joins a little later, having parked in the wrong car park (‘It always parks this way…’). Just to confuse the Hash the checks are marked as three blobs and On and this seems to do the trick since a fine check off-road pulls the pack back together followed by a loop that returns everyone to the same place they left fifteen minutes ago. Zebedee kindly lets me hear Lonely panting heavily at this point (although there is a curious canine quality to the sound. Comes from living cheek by jowl with Beaver for so long, I suppose).

The trail swings through the rather more delightful Old Basing, with thatched cottages aplenty followed by a lovely old church. Zeb comments that he didn’t know this area of Basingstoke existed. It’s certainly not one I know about – it’s usually a few swerves round the roundabouts and on to the motorway. After a bit more of this delightful area a regroup appears and Zeb takes the opportunity to do a little roving reporting, extracting from Hamlet the information that this is the third trail Chuck has set from The Castle in five weeks.

They set off again and the tape mumbles something about impressive grass amphitheatres before dashing off into concrete canyons once again, followed by a nice, clean stream. Apparently, some of the more wimpish Hashers preferred not to get their little tootsies wet and completely bottled out of a wade. Shame on you! It was one of the few chances in the past few weeks to get into some dampness.

And then it finished! Blimey – short and sharp. So what’s on the rest of the tape? Let’s find out…

Ah! Not very much apart from the Down Downs. Far from being a marathon this commentary turned out to be a jog round the park. Suits me. It's been a very busy week.

RA C5 presented the following :-

11/07/01 - Hamlet and Fukawe’s Hash. Dress code is ‘Wear Your Old School Thai’. On2 The Hideout Tie Restaurant, Easthampstead Park, Bracknell. Grid: 843663. Small charge for the buffet. Should be joint with Guildford. More details (including the Hash venue) as I get ‘em.

20/06/01 – Turner’s Arms, Mortimer. 19:30. Curry Run. 7 pounds per head. See Motox.

29/07/01 – Summer Tough Guy. Anyone wants to join the BH³ team or just find out what it’s all about, see me, Hashgate.