The golden hare WAS found by a couple of chaps who had worked out the clues and dug it up. I don't recall Bamber Gascoigne being involved, though. Must have been worth a lot of money if (1) it is now owned by a (rich?) East Asian collector and (2) it was worth being exhibited for a period in the British Museum.
As ever, Wiki has the answer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masquerade_(book)
including confirmation that Bamber Gascoigne did have a part to play in the story (nice to know that I wan't imagining that!) & the revelation that the discovery of the hare & its subsequent fate were anything but straighforward! It was sold for £31,900 at Sotheby's on behalf of the liquidators of the company which first owned it (Peat Marwick - there's a blast from the past!).
This BBC article from 2019:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-47671776
tells much the same story, but from slightly different perspective, includes photos of the hare & discusses the implicatons of the treasure hunt for Ampthill in Bedfordshire, where it had been buried. It's lovely! Williams apparently made it himself & it was originally valued at only £5,000. Sadly, there are no clues to its present whereabouts.
I watched the first half of England U21’s victory over Serbia last night and for 38 minutes I thought their keeper was going to be MOTM, then he conceded 9 goals 😱. Due to going out to the club for a few John Smiths, I didn’t get to see the second half, though I must admit Hayden Hackney had a tremendous first half and going by reports on the whole game, he continued in that vein for the whole 90 minutes. According to some reports he controlled the midfield and everything England done came through him, if he hasn’t been noticed before he certainly will be on a number of Premiership clubs watch list now. In case people were not aware the match last night was live on YouTube and maybe Monday’s match will be too.
Come on BORO.
@paulinboro I as posted recently, following our upward movement, we are always likely to lose our better players if we do not reach the promised land.
HH given a little luck and performances, should net us possibly 20mil, as a comparison from deleriad with Scott at Bristol. I doubt we will also hold on to McGree and Jones, if the both continue their current form throughout the season.
Still, early days, we can only enjoy the ride not knowing where it will end.
@exmil I didn't see the game Exmil, but what is interesting is that the match report on the official England Football site doesn't mention him at all, apart from listing his name in the lineup!
@powmillnaemore Must be our agent Southgate who has instructed to keep low profile as agreed with Mr. Gibson. We are well prepared for a promotion push. First Mogga gave us four and now Gate keeps them quiet.
We have to keep HH in January. Up the Boro!
A lovely account, Werder. My wife agrees and is pestering me for a couple of weeks away at Pokhara.
I always try to please her so a subscription to National Geographic is in the post.
@werdermouth That is a fabulous photograph Werder. It looks absolutely stunning.
I think late October-November is the best time to go so better start training up and down the stairs two at a time 😏
@powmillnaemore. The report on the BBC sport website and also the Daily Mirror on line both failed to mention HH! 😎
@k-p-in-spain but if you look at the live reporting posts on the BBC site, that mentions him three times. Once that he played a ball through to someone in an offside position and twice that he gave away a foul.
Jarkko is right. Keep him under the radar.
@powmillnaemore. The report on the BBC sport website and also the Daily Mirror on line both failed to mention HH! 😎
I agree that the BBC reporter, Alex Howell, spent an inordinate amount of time drooling over the efforts of Harvey Elliott, Jaden Philogene (there's a name to conjure with!) & Noni Madueke, but in all fairness, in the live text commentary, he (she?) does refer to HH in the 20th minute, when he provided assistance for Madueke in a failed goal attempt, & in the 57th (failed goal attempt by Elliott). There is also a mention of fouls in the 10th & 71st minutes. 😉
Two huge thankyous to you, and as many 👍👍👍as you wish!
Firstly, the new format of the front page of the blog is simply stunning. Having all of our previews, the BBC reports and best of all, the highlights of all our season’s games readily to hand, is absolutely brilliant. What a fantastic resource and what a fabulous achievement! Very well done!
Secondly, your story of your trek brought back some amazing memories for me. About 20 years ago I did a charity trek to stunning Macchu Picchu in Peru. There were some 60 of us on the trek, which made life, mmmm……. interesting, when we all had to share three canvas portaloos over the 4 days! Climbing up through Andes foothills to awesome Dead Woman’s Pass (we didn’t see her!), at 14000 feet, was immensely challenging, with the last 2000 feet absolutely killing, as the thin air makes breathing hard and every step agony. Perhaps it was that that killed Dead Woman? Up 20 yards, stop for breath, up 20 yards, and so on. The feeling at the top was one of immense relief and huge satisfaction at completing the challenge. Several participants burst into tears with the sheer emotion of it.
We trekked 32 miles to reach our goal, camping in various locations. Our final day was a relatively easy walk of about 8 miles through cloud forest, though it did involve one final ascent of Inca steps to reach the magnificent Inca city. The porters, who as Werder says, carried immense loads up and down the mountains, were fantastic; on this last leg one of them carried a sick female trekker all the way, which was staggering. Arriving finally at the Sun Gate overlooking Macchu Picchu, resplendent in our white charity tee-shirts, we met a bunch of American tourists who had come up from Aguas Calientes in the valley by coach. One said to me, ‘Where have you come from today?’ I said, ‘We’re trekking. We’ve walked about 8 miles this morning.’ His jaw dropped almost the 2000 metres to the valley floor, he turned to his wife and said something like, ‘Mabel, these guys have walked 8 miles this morning. Can you believe that?’ Suitably gobsmacked. I’ve long held the belief that most Americans won’t walk anywhere if they can help it, so this moment made me rather chuffed!
I loved trekking. A few years ago, I trekked 4 days in Morocco to the summit of Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak at just under 14000 feet. It’s in the area of the Atlas Mountains where the recent earthquake took place. This was very different to Peru - we were a small group with two local Berber guides, carried all our own gear - just rucksacks, really, as we overnighted in homestays, some of which were of a very basic standard. Luxury it ain’t, but that’s one of the beauties of this kind of experience - you get to see how other people live and support the local economy while taking yourself out of your comfort zone.
Since then, my wife and I did 6 day-hikes on the Great Wall, mostly on very remote and often dilapidated sections. That was a superb week. Again, the homestays had …… er, a certain charm, perhaps 0.5 star at best. The best was where the owner gave us cucumber and boiled rice for breakfast. Yum, so nourishing! I raided my secret supply of Mars bars that day.
I like to think my trekking days aren’t over yet, but I’m 70 and every bit of me is creaking. Pre-Covid, I planned to do the Annapurna basecamp trek Werder did, but I developed a bit of vertigo and regular headaches: perhaps wisely, I decided these might not be much fun at 16000 feet, so reluctantly, I cancelled. Patagonia looked a trifle easier, so, recovered, I planned to go there. Unluckily, I did my ankle in on a hike in the N Pennines, and couldn’t walk seriously for 4 months, so another trek went by the board. I’ve got itchy feet again now, but I’ll have to find something much more within my reduced capabilities if I’m to do it again.
FD, Werder and Clive. I take my hat off to each of you for your adventurous spirits and the expeditions you have had. Fabulous to read about your experiences. What memories you are blessed with. Thanks for sharing.
What an inspiration your starter had been FD !
P.S. I did a sponsored Lyke Wake Walk when I was about 16 ...🙂
And well done to you! 42 miles in 24 hours - now that’s something I’ve never done and could never have done!
I'm in awe of Werder's and Clive's exploits. I didn't think I'd be able to join in this conversation, but since I did one and a half Lyke Wake Walks, also when I was around 16, I'll pitch in with that.
Maybe it was around the same era as Powmill-naemore's. Certainly it was a time when early warning stations had balls - Fylingdales that is.
Just a very big thank you Werder for the new front page format.
Exceptional, well thought out. It is so profesional looking it could be straight from a high end publication.
We are so lucky to have, what must be one of the best blogs on football.
And coupled with that, posters of such a high calibre. At times I am in awe of the high standards that are produced on what is an amateur platform, but in reality is so profesional.
The other pleasing aspect, is, as Peter said, the recent opening up of peoples past lives and achievements. It is all just wonderful to read.
Bravo Peter. You out did me, though we did, of course, have several long walks in the months leading up to the big one, which was a whole bunch of us from school, fundraising for the school ( the College ) to get a minibus.
It was ovenight Friday 15th into Saturday16th April 1975 when we did it, so actually I was not quite 16. How am I so sure of the date? Well, we started the walk around 10 pm on the Friday. I remember a few things along the way, but especially the elation of finishing the challenge in early Saturday afternoon. We were ferried home in batches as we completed the walk and I was dropped at the front door on Clairville Road. I walked in and the familly was huddled around the TV watching Malcolm Macdonald beat Cyprus 5-0 at Wembley.
Thanks Clive and your trip to Macchu Picchu sounded amazing as well as the Atlas mountains and China - yes these are lifetime experiences never forgotten - I did want to visit Peru too but I think at the time I was in my period of wandering off the beaten track there were some political problems with the Shining Path in Peru and travel was at increased risk.
Still, in those days before internet and mobile phones you literally just booked a flight and put on your backpack and bought a copy of Rough Guide to wherever you were off. Once a year I used to take most of my annual leave in one chunk and spend around 4 weeks on an adventure somewhere - yes there was mostly no luxury involved but you got to talk to the locals and get a much better idea of the country you were visiting and your money went into the local economy rather than resorts owned by big businesses.
I had some amazing trips back then from Nepal, East Africa and Morocco to Mexico and Central America - obviously it was much easier when you were younger without responsibilities and perhaps also the adventurous indestructible spirit of youth with thankfully a body to match your ambition. Still you're never too old as I recall on my Himalaya trip seeing a Japanese man in his eighties also doing the trek - OK he was a little slower and had a couple of sticks but nevertheless determined to enjoy the experience.
Many thanks Pedro and I used to earn a living as a graphic designer in London back in the day when I was trekking in the Himalayas - though I always like to think of Diasboro as a high-end publication 😉
I wouldn't say I out did you. If anything I'd say the half Lyke Wake Walk would go in the debit column rather than stand as a credit. Basically we mutinied after 30 miles and went home. We were in the venture scouts and the scoutmaster was supposed to be teaching us about obedience and loyalty to God and the Queen, but what we were actually learning was that when you get past a certain age, height and weight, you don't necessarily have to do what the grown-ups tell you. Independence didn't stretch to actually getting ourselves home. We needed the scoutmaster for that. A similar mutiny in Wales meant I've never got to the top of Snowdon. But we did get home. Thanks Fred.
The successful walk was with a group of school friends, who Clive knows well. Clive wasn't actually there. He was probably involved in his latest assault on K2 or the Matterhorn or something. We did it the "wrong" way uphill from Ravenscar to Osmotherly. It was a steaming hot day and it taught me a salutary lesson about the benefits of talcum powder and baby lotion in unexpected places.
Paddy McNair picked up a yellow card in the 4th minute of extra time for Northern Ireland and will now miss Tuesday match against Slovenia, so no injury before coming back.
Come on BORO.
I’ve loved reading tales of everyone’s adventures and it’s safe to say I’m very jealous. I’ve done the C2C cycle route twice (10 years apart - the second was much tougher than the first) and I’ve walked Wainwright’s Coast to Coast with my two girls, plus the West Highland Way with one of them, but nothing as adventurous as others have achieved.
I don’t have too may regrets at the age of 68, but not seeing more of the world is definitely one of them. My plans for us to retire to France were scuppered by the B-thing so I’ve missed out on that, but our move to Sherburn has definitely given us lots more places to explore.
@werdermouth Now I understand a little more, from where your expertise came from.
Like Martin, I am also a little jealous of some of the “vacations” enjoyed?? by some of our posters.
However life throws up different opportunities, and I must say, our early retirement and move to Spain enabled that for us.
Spain is a very large and diverse country with seventeen autonomous regions and languages if the locals are being difficult. 😎
However we have visited cities and regions all around Spain. Enjoyed them all, enjoyed the food, enjoyed the local wine (sometimes cider which I normally do not drink) and enjoyed the friendliness of the people.
And the bonus of learning a new language in my later life.
Myself and family lived in Puerto De Santa Maria for two years whilst I worked in Cadiz for two years for Marathon Oil as a contracts advisor.
The local language was of course Spanish with hardly any English being spoken at all.
We returned years later to find that nearly everyone spoke English (the Power of American tv programming on local sets and the development of the internet.
One Xmas in the late 90s my wife received a phone call from an agent. “Your husband speaks Spanish doesn’t he!” Was the question.
So after having being ripped off by partners in a business who had sold our company for self gain which put our house at risk, we needed money.
The consequence of this phone conversation was that I found myself flying up to Aberdeen for a job interview.
After arriving home from the return flight she asked me “ did you get the job!”
I poured myself a gin and tonic before replying. “ Yes I said it’s good news and bad news. “ So what’s the news?” She asked. I said “Ive got the job and start in two weeks time.” “Where in Spain is the job” She further asked. “Ah, that’s the bad news it’s not in Spain it’s in Argentina!”
So began a journey and life in Argentina where we used to holiday all over South America and walked the petrified forest steps in Patagonia.
So I haven’t clmbed a physical mountain, but had to climb a mental mountain to pay off debts become even stronger and rise above previous achievements to succeed.
Sometimes the mountain of life is like that and I would add that I’m very happy to be in this company, this body of people with whom experiences can be shared.
OFB
@original-fat-bob And fortunately with a happy ending for you and family.
We absolutely love Cadiz, one of our favourite cities. Although small (well the old town:) we always find somewhere new we missed previously.
All that Atlantic coast is lovely, from Tarifa in the south past Huelva to the Portuguese border.
We used to get the ferry on a Saturday morning from Puerto to Cadiz across the bay of Cadiz. The historic bad man for the local kids was “El Draco” aka Sir Francis Drake who singed the king of Spain’s beard by sending fire ships into the bay and destroying the king of Spain’s fleet. We never mentioned this of course but we knew who “El Draco” was.
Another highlight was when a British warship docked in Cadiz. HMS INTREPID a helicopter and assault landing craft ship. We spoke to the Officer of the Watch at the gangway and finding that we were British we had a conducted tour of the ship. We Followed her career with interest and some few weeks later she served in the Falklands Campaign with distinction.
Its things like this that make the memories of life so precious.
I can thoroughly recommend the seafood and shellfish “mariscos” bars and restaurants of Puerto de Santa Maria.
Also the “Feria” of Jerez where copious amounts of sherry or differing strengths colour and viscosity are quaffed during the celebrations of bringing the harvest in.
Spain as you say is a wonderful country and the people are so friendly hopefully we will find a way for all Europeans to work and live together in harmony once more.
OFB
I'm greatly enjoying this thread.
So is my wife.
She now wants me to book a holiday in Cadiz and Jerez
It's cost me a bottle of sherry.
Just hoping no one has yomped through the Cayman Islands recently.
We lived in the Cayman Islands for two years in the early nineties. Not much yomping to be done only 22 miles long and 8 miles wide. Although it does sit above the Cayman trench which is 25000 feet deep if underwater activity is of your choosing. Bill Gates also lived in the Cayman Islands, not that one, the one born in Ferryhill and played centre half for the Boro. He sadly is suffering now from dementia.