Doh! Doughnuts!

Ever been sorry you've signed up for a race?

Well this would be the one! Yep it was the Doughnut Dash at Colchester Castle Park on Sunday 14 September in aid of Kidney Research UK. What does that involve? Well, let me see - you have to eat a full-sized, iced and sometimes filled, or sprinkled or sometimes both, doughnut at each of five stops round the five kilometre course. 

When my race number arrived it came with the advice that if I were to be sick could I please not do so on the race track and that there would be bags provided. Also there would be a St John's Ambulance team available. 

After having run this last year I was fully aware of how much of a challenge it would be. Some people looked shocked when they saw the trays of doughnuts as if they had not given it enough thought. My trouble was that I had given it too much thought and was fully prepared with a bottle of water and a strong constitution.

This year there were two races for younger runners and Becci's daughter Violet was all set with her sparkly shoes to show us how it was done. She ran an amazing race eating her (younger sized) doughnuts and earning a well-deserved medal.

You can see her older, cheeky, brother looking bemused in the background but he would soon be discovering just how much doughnut love a runner can summon up in the next half hour.

Before we got started there was a warm up led by the runner who had found herself with race number 118 and was dressed as the television ad character. She just had to really!

Then we were off and, as last year, the first doughnut doesn't seem too bad but we were soon forcing them down. I was impressed by a Dad running with pushchair and tiny baby although I suspected he might have wanted feed the doughnuts to the little one!

Becci, Callum and I were heartily sick of the doughnuts but we soldiered on and managed to keep running and eating.

They don't look like enthusiastic doughnut dashers!

Thankfully, it was soon over and we got our medals which were ... doughnuts.

Still it was all in a good cause. You can see some video and another race report here on Mudstacle.

Saturday Hashing and a visit to The Chamber of Secrets

The Old Queen's Head, Ford Street, Aldham

Having arrived earlier than expected Becci, Helen and I were keen to take advantage of meeting at a pub. The Landlord was a bit flustered by our asking for a drink at 10.30 in the morning until he realised we meant coffee.

Becci and Helen decided this was a really nice way to start a Saturday morning

There were a good number of us including some who would be walking and it wasn't long before the Hares gave us the call to get started.

The village is very attractive with lots of timbered buildings and a bridge over the river Colne but it is marred by the number of cars passing through Ford Street. We got off the main road by another pretty pub and then found ourselves in some lovely countryside.

No shortage of pubs in this part of the world

Always a comfort to know!

Fordham Hall Estates are part of the Woodland Trust
you can read a little bit about them here

A perfectly placed seat for taking in the beauty of this area

A loving Hash House Harrier Husband (in blue) encourages his
wife to keep running ahead to look for the route (you can just about see her in the distance!)

It seemed every time we stopped more Hashers appeared

There were still some Farmers working on their harvest and at this farm they were busy cleaning lots of tractors.

Safely past the pressure washer

This hash gave us some wonderful views and we found ourselves at All Saints Church, Fordham.

Now why you would need to 'book your space'
for a Psychic Night at The Three Horseshoes
surely they already know you are coming. 

Sweetie break

Some of us used our newly thought about psychic powers to deduce that the trail led straight across the field rather than the edges.

Once we called 'on on' the other runners converged towards
us from both sides 

David encouraged by the other hashers sets off to find the trail

Our lovely younger Hashers looking as
fresh as daisies whilst the rest of us follow them
panting and glowing!!

We weren't the only ones out enjoying the lovely Autumn day

Deep in discussion

And here is someone who looks deep in thought

These are precious days of Autumn - warm and dry and perfect for Hashing.

We look a bright and colourful lot today

Running off into the wild blue yonder but is it the right way?

Just what we Hashers love - a long steep hill at the end of a run!

We were out for about an hour and had run about five miles and were now ready for 'Home' (aka the pub).

David admiring "Goliath's" very cool motor bike
(I'm sorry but there just isn't another nickname so appropriate)

The pub has recently been refurbished and the Publican and his family were very friendly and the sandwiches were delicious and very welcome after our exertions.

Now I know you must all be thinking: but where is our favourite Hasher!

Well he joined us at the Pub after the run for a well-earned pint of beer - yes it was 'Whowears'. He and his friend had been cycling all the way from Mersea visiting Churches raising money for their upkeep (the Churches that is). Then he was setting off again with some of the Hashers for a twenty mile circular ride from the pub before he cycled back to Mersea (taking in more Churches along the way) - what an inspiration for keeping yourself fit!

Mmm...those shorts are a bit long!!

No distances in the usual stats as I didn't set my watch properly but here is part of the route and the weather:

Overheard:

• Keep going - you'll find the sawdust in a moment (heard several times on this hash and the poor so and so disappears into the distance)
• They get a massage in Bond films when they get sweaty (yes, 'James', I'm sure they do;-))
• Hello girls - do you want to sponsor me? (well how could we refuse...)

On On

Edie and I visit The Barrow on Mersea Island

When I got home from the Hash I could not resist getting my own bike out and cycling down to the Barrow, which is a Roman burial mound, on the Island.

Edie and I set off for an adventure

Keith, the very important Romano Britain, greets us
with the Barrow behind him to the right

Not a bad photo for a Romano Britain who has never seen
technology before, thanks Keith (a retired clergyman in real life)

They had made the entrance very festive

The corridor leading to the area where the
burial was found

We were escorted through the corridor

Should have got Keith to take this one
the replica glass jar in which the cremated remains
were buried lit by a candle for today

The Barrow was excavated by a chap called Hazzledean Warren in 1912 and had not previously been tampered with which only leads me to believe that as per usual things were being undertaken in 'Mersea Time'. Nevertheless, it was amazing to think that meant an in-tact burial from AD 100 - 120 was recovered. It consisted a lead box inside which there was a Roman green glass jar in perfect condition. The box was topped with two wooden planks and the whole thing encased in Roman bricks capped with septaria (clay nodules) over which the earth of various sorts including sand had been piled. Some of the soil came from Kent and there was also evidence in several places of fires and food which had been left by the people working on the mound. There were no grave goods or anything indicating who the person was.

The Museum Trust had been able to raise some funds which they used to have the bones analysed by an expert Osteoarchaeologist (ancient bone specialist) Jaqueline McKinley who they had seen on the programme Time Team. She was able to tell them that it seemed to the remains of a man aged between 35 and 45 who had been physically active but had developed a disease of the joints giving him some stiffness and spinal pain but would not have caused his death.

One of the most important discoveries about this particular burial was that there was a sticky black resinous material on the bones which on further analysis turned out to contain frankincense which has never before been found on any British burial of the Roman time. 

I was really glad I had taken the time to visit the Barrow and discover so much about the burial. Best of all is that as there is so little known about the man we can create our own story for him. I think he might have been a 'big shot' in Colchester's Roman Circus and that he brought wealth to the local people here on Mersea at the time and so they gave him a hero's burial - well that's my idea for him anyway!