That East Wind - there's nothing between here and the Urals . . .

A wonderful Meet - many thanks to "J" and "H" - which had some reluctant to leave shelter where delicious sausage rolls and many other goodies (your correspondent does have a weakness for sausage rolls though) could be washed down with fine mulled wine or a touch of something a little stronger.

The trail laying country for the day was stretched over a considerable distance and left many of the wheeled-field working to find the action almost as hard as hounds worked to find the trails. It is amazing how you can lose so many horses, riders and hounds in such a road-dissected country! Even as your correspondent headed for home and a very different sort of pack* various followers were met heading in pretty much every direction.

* Dogs - hunting folk speak only of hounds, cur-dogs (and maybe terriers). The author would like to extend the differentiation between hounds plus terriers and cur-dogs such that "proper working dogs" are excluded from cur-dogs. This is an assertion that is known to have little favour. Those who know the author will also know that he holds some breeds in such low esteem that when asked to walk such a Canid he drove miles to ensure that said "dog" was walked in an area where the walker would not be recognised! Come on! The thing nearly jumped into his arms when it saw a rat and the word Terrier is in the name of the breed!

On a serious note

Many will already known that Margaret Older died last week inner 100th year. The funeral is private but lease contact the webmaster if you would like details of the memorial service.

The Stern

• Please be pleased that (reference Wednesday) they found a room!
• Who was lucky not to have been spotted hacking to the meet?
• Who was AWOL and therefore ensured that this section is a little short of quotes?

Photographs

These and many more will be found at The Gather's web-site - click HERE.

Support our supporters

A terrific meet - thank you:
- Our hosts
- Masters for opening the country
- Landowners and farmers
- Gamekeepers
thank you.

Hounds are beginning to own a line when they find a trail - so thank you to "S", "S", "O" and "M".

Please support our hosts.

The Stern

• Who was advised to "get room"?
• Whose nan would not take a day off work?

Photographs
These and many other may be found at The Gather's website: HERE

A Family Affair

Just two days after the eleventh anniversary of the application of a law that was only enacted in this country to hurt a group of people  - toffs and landowners - and a big crowd was welcomed by a smashing family to carry on the post-ban version of a traditional activity that has more fibre than All Bran, more guts than a ruminant and more sprit than the Laphroaig distillery!

What a great meet, what smashing landowners, keepers (we have not thanked them enough in these reports) and farmers!

A family affair? Indeed. To see Mum ride out with her two youngsters under the caring gaze of Dad meant much to many of those present - just "B dash" brilliant !

Hounds struggled to find the early lines but as the wind rose and the temperature dropped they went as a pack and challenged the followers to a 4 o'clock run.

Back at the meet "Dad" had been barbecuing sausages for an early finish and manfully managed this most welcome répast to welcome the string home.

Also of note were the youngsters who "rode up front" and did a fine job assisting the whippers-in.

The Stern

• Who, based on observations from afar might wish to visit this link? Click HERE
• Similarly  who might have been said to have had a "bad hare day"?
• Who confessed that their short term memory is so bad that they will, one day, "be discovered in a bathroom full of suds having showered and wondered 'Was that the first shampoo or second - oh well here we go again . . . "?
• Who are the Provisional EKHwWS and is it now an arms race? 

Photographs

As ever these and many more may be viewed at The Gather's website - click HERE

An Away-Day

On the anniversary of the enforcement of the iniquitous Hunting Act 2014 The East Kent Hunt with West Street hounds enjoyed an away-day to the OSB&WK country where a remarkably generous meet fed and watered a large mounted field and many supporters and foot-followers.

Scent was catchy so while hounds spoke to some of the trails, during the time that your correspondent was present they struggled to own the line for any length of time.

It is always difficult following in a new country for the first time but the OSB&WK folk could not have been more helpful - thank you - and so it was possible to snatch a picture or two of the tourists having ago at one or two of the obstacles that the day's country provided.

A big "thank you" to our hosts for the meet, the land-owners for allowing a large mounted field across their rather damp country and to the Masters and Staff of the OSB&WK for a super day.

Our enemies thought that they would destroy us, they thought that their spite and misplaced envy would harm the elite and, frankly, they did not care one iota for foxes or anything other than a crass view of class war. We are still here, we are strong and hunting trails and, after the repeal foxes, we will be here long after their Godless beings have descended into that special hell which is reserved for those who wasted their lives on hatred, prejudice and envy. Envy of mis-perceived wealth. Our wealth is an understanding of the real nature of life and life of nature.

The Stern

Well it would be rude to say anything when we are in someone else's country so a picture will have to do.

Photographs

As ever, these and many more may be found at The Gather's Website - click HERE

Please also check out Ginni Beard's amazing pictures at: www.ginnibeard.com

Wow!

A really cracking Meet - many, many thanks to our hosts for their generosity. A large mounted field joined many on foot to enjoy this kindness.

Well fortified with a "two-course" meet - sausages and the like followed by delicious cake - more than 30 mounted set off to watch hounds try to find the first trail. Your correspondent was just settling down for a snooze by an oft jumped log when he was advised "They've long since gone over."

Catching up with the throng and getting ahead there were bursts of wonderful music from hounds but they struggled to own the trail.

Most cleared the hunt jump (restored by the Herculean efforts of footies who dragged a fallen tree from the approach and were ably assisted by a local "keeper-in-waiting" who happened to have a small saw in his car) back into "C" but five or six from last converted it into a step-over. Remedial work was carried out but the trail took hounds, Huntsman and field away so the efforts did not produce the hoped-for pictures.

The last trail led, most considerately, back to where the mounted folks' boxes waited as did a super hunt tea - gosh those crumpets took one back to the days of "lashings of butter".

A great day - thank you our hosts, landowners and Masters who provided such a lavish repast at the end of the day.

The Stern 

Who struggles to remember anything - even things that happened 100 years ago?

Heard on the hunting field

"Have you been here all the time?"
"Well since I got her."

Reminds one of the aphorism:
"Have you lived here all your life?"
"Not yet!"

Photographs

These and many more may be found (eventually - the upload is taking some time) at The Gather's site:
www.thegatherphotography.zenfolio.com