We were at the Information Centre for Hash 1449, the last of 2007. Brain Dead and your scribe were the running Hares, as we headed down into the Upper Wadi, just to the west of the Info Centre, with the walkers hot on our heels. It was a lovely winter's afternoon and we were running into the sun, across the wadi, with the first Czech in a gulley behind the cliffs on the far side. From there, we had a falsie, while Doc Livingston nearly had a close encounter with a piece of unexploded ordinance and Gorillas soon picked up the real trail, taking us up another gulley and ever southwards up a steep hill and along the wonderful ridge on top to the second Czech. Hare Brain had done two great FTs from here and again Gorillas was soon following the genuine scent before indulging in a shortcut to the cars. The trail took us westwards in a curving motion, before we made our way homewards along a ridge, to ridges to the west of the one we'd just run along. At the southern end of the ridge, we stopped for the third.

As with the seconc chekk, the chariots and Info Centre were visible. We tumbled down to the cliffs above the waterfall, catching the walkers as we scrambled wearily up the southern cliffs to the west of the Info Centre. Soon we were back at base; the run and the walk both taking about an hour, although the energetic Brain Dead would have been happy to make the 7km running trail longer.

Uncle Wes launches the Circle, punishing the Hares, while we are reminded that three of this week's trailblazers needs naming - Gordon (originally from New Jersey, he works for AT&T and has lived in Jo'burg, Brussels and Cyprus); Tatiana from the Ukraine, whose elder sister is married; and little Kyrill, aged seven, who, when asked what he does for living says, "I'm a Schoolman." We sing them 'Here's to Them', after which we welcome this week's newcomers and visitors: Doug (an engineering student from Madison); Claire (who supervises students); Meat Locker (who once set a trail at Beaverdam) and her husband Marital Erectum (who works as a medical device researcher); Vincent; Nick; Sherif (a Swiss banker); Tina (employed by the United Nations); Qambeez (an emergency doctor from Iran - Not In The Mood and Kafka used to live in Qambeez Street in Doqqi); and White Cliffs, the daughter of Rudie and Castrati, who recently graduated with the grade of 4.1 and is now in charge of 300 staff running a restaurant that delivers grub to undergraduates in the United States. They are also joined by Abu Stinky (welcome back). We sing them the 'Pyramids' song.

While Watch Me Strut My Furry Thing and White Cliffs do sterling work on the beer-pouring front, Bad Lay (aka Hot Stuff) takes control as our new RA. He firstly punishes Mr and Mrs Dog, as well as those non-signers-inners - Once Is Not Enough (or was that One Is Not Enough?), Putin Out, Easy Rider, Kyrill, Gordon, Meat Locker and Marital Erectum. Useless joins them for actually signing in! We all sing, 'It's a Hash House Sin', before Alpha B and Doggie Style get hauled up again for last week's great Circle, along with that generous dispenser of beer, Easy Rider, and Doc Einstella (welcome back). Once Is Not Enough is asked to indulge in a brewski next, for refusing to divulge how many times is enough; Spreads Easily (for refusing to sit on the RA's lap and wearing a pink Tea shirt today); and the shortcutting Gorillas for shortcutting.

Marital Erectum is invited to partake of more refreshments, while Bad Lay inducts three more worthy Hashers into the Hash Hall of Shame: Gorillas (yet to Hash in Ghana); Bad All The Time (not here); and Useless, who get to drink out of the splendid, waterproof size 12 shoe, sportingly offered to him by The Dude. The assembled Hashers sing us, 'We're up in the Morning'. After that Marital Erectum sings us a Hash song from across the pond, as the RA calls up those Hashers who've Hared on at least 20 per cent of the occasions they've been on the Hash: Cock Tamer (Spreads Easily stands in for her); Gorillas; Suzanne; Rude Yard (Castrati stands in for him); Useless; The Duke; Tit For Tat (Mrs Dog stands in for her); Christian Enge (Haytham fills in for him); Mister Dog; and Mrs Dog (already standing in for Titfer!). Meanwhile, Bad Lay introduces the RA's Ten Commandments, before Tommy drinks from his committee leaving plate and then his leavers' mug. Soccertiti drinks from her leavers' mugs; indeed such mugs are dispensed for all of Tommy's family.

And now it's time for something very important, to whit the choosing of a Handle for Tatiana, who works as a technical support system for 'Raya', which produces pocket calculators. At the suggestion of Hugh J. Nuss, she gets christened Palm Job by the sands of the golden Saqqara by Tommy, Mister Dog and Bad Lay, RAs past and present. They then christen Gordon Soft Wired. He drinks out of his right hand, which means he gets to drink again, while the shy Kyrill gets named Schoolman, with his mama standing in for him. The sauce continues to flow for Herr und Frau Hund as former committee members and then Uncle Wes announces the Hash New Year's Eve camping excursion at the Rehydration Site, after which Tommy rounds off Hash 1449 with a blast of 'Schwing Lowe'. It had got extremely cold as the sun began to go down, so back we headed to Maadi, with many people heading to the Red Onion for the On-On!!

And finally your editorial staff would like to wish all their readers a very Happy New Year.

Older scribes can be found here http://www.cairohash.com/docs/old