I hadn't realised that setting a run meant that you then had to do the write up the following week until Sarah told me after my run. So here goes my first write up.
As we gathered in the car park of The Walnut Tree on quite a warm evening in May, I noticed there were hundreds of May flies fluttering above the cars. They all seemed to choose the roof of Andy's car as a place to fall and die, so his car was looking like a May fly cemetery.
The longs and shorts went in different directions from the start. I went short so can only talk about what happened on the short route. We set off at a brisk walk left along station road and went past the walkers who made comments about shouldn't we be running?! We took no notice and carried on with our brisk walk and went round the corner onto Hedsor Road, past Mick's house.
We crossed a field and came out on Hedsor Hill and quite soon afterwards turned right into the tiny Rowlands Estate. Mick was telling us all about how the programme The Last Kingdom was set in there as it's near Sashes Island, which was around in the Saxon times. Almost as soon as we entered the estate Barney looked at the map and said we needed to go up the huge flight of stairs which caused a few murmurs of complaint. But looking at the map again he realised we didn't need to after all much to everyone's relief.
Through some more fields then out onto Ferry Lane where we saw the walkers again on the bridge. We stopped and had a chat with them and they again made comments about how we still weren't running! Dave was trying to convince me we had to jump into the water as there was an arrow pointing at the water. I told him I would go after him, but he then stepped back revealing another arrow he had been standing on pointing along the pavement.
We left the walkers still standing on the bridge and dropped down onto the river bank and waved back up at them. We went past lots of fancy boats which according to Mick are called Floating Gin Palaces. Then we came across a load of young Bullocks leaping about in a field next to the river.
Judy and I marched on ahead as the others had slowed to a gentle saunter. We followed the river almost to The Bounty then crossed over the bridge. There was no flour at this point, which we had been told in advance there wouldn't be. So after a brief pause we decided it must be right as that's the way we've always gone before. So we turned right and then went left up the steps and along the path to Bourne End station car park, then right onto Station Road and On Inn to the pub.
When the other shorts arrived back to the pub, Judy and I were told that we had taken a short cut as we were supposed to have turned left after crossing the bridge by The Bounty. Oh well, never mind. Later on each table was given a small helping of big chunky chips which were so good! Luckily lots of the people around my table didn't really want many of the chips, so there was all the more for me!
Joke:
In a Catholic school cafeteria, a nun places a note in front of a pile of apples, "Only take one. God is watching." Further down the line is a pile of cookies. A little boy makes his own note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."