THE NEEDLES -
14th OCTOBER 2005
Planning an orienteering
event close to home is very convenient. So we broke with our usual tradition
and put out a few control markers, some signs and the string for the String
Course on the Saturday afternoon. Halfway round, unwinding the string, we met
Terry Morgan (a relative of the farmer ran his sheep on the Downs.
He enquired as to what we were doing. We explained that we
were putting out a length of string for children to follow on Sunday morning,
as a start to basic orienteering.
He warned us that the string might not be there in the morning. He had
previously organised a motorcycle event in the next field and the sheep had
nibbled and eaten some of his tapes and markers. "Too late" we
thought, as it would be too much to do on Sunday. We hoped the sheep would stay
in the lower field where they were at the time.
We said our "Goodbyes" and carried on with the
daylight starting to fade, but being replaced with a lovely, almost full, moon.
By now it was time for dinner, as we also had to get the rest of the equipment
ready for Sunday.
The sunrise on Sunday morning, out on the Downs was
magnificent. Well worth the early rise, and we were pleased to see that the
string was still in place. 10 o'clock came and we had some early, eager
participants, many new to us, whom we hope enjoyed their courses.
We would like to thank our helpers and those who also
offered assistance.
See you all soon,
Sue and Glyn Williams.