Well after a quiet non eventful No 14 and No. 73 bus ride (the notes never allude to buses in the East) I arrived about an hour early at the VJC for the third time in 2years for a FFFM run and found the hare just finishing a wine with a fellow paddler. She then proceeded to enlighten the other person about the fact I was a Kiwi and we got into a discussion about NZ paddling boats that had just been bought with excess money and the boats were 50% heavier than originally noted to them. It turns out that the hare was more than happy that there had been no rain as she set the trail in the morning and gone paddling in the afternoon. Was that a touch irresponsible I thought as there was lots of rain in East of the Island, if not at VJC, so where exactly did this run go that avoided the rain??

Then she dived into the notes she was making so as to not remember, oops not forget all the markings she had to put below. As she has just told me it was an A to B, which I had not picked up on in the Hash Forecast, I thought the notes might of been multiple writings of "B", which I wanted being back from the land of Glory to resurrect my position as the prime wimp, we'll, not that I would take over any non runner's wimp position or those with double names ending in M.

The hare watched as 7pm came and went. Parky had just saundered in with a couple visitors who when introduced, caused Park n Shop to start in with that old familiar tune Daisy Daisy, and Parky piped up to his visitors that they would probably have to explain where such names came from in the circle later. No Hopeless, away Ruggero states as we all trundle downstairs to the hare who was now formally ready for her briefing. The trail is an A to B and if anybody wants to know where B is they can talk to me later..... groan I said.... no shrivelled sweaty bit of paper that I can give to some Chinese guy on route and ask what does that say, left me glasses behind, and no money for a taxi anyway. So just started to hope the marking would be all ok then it happened,......... cannot write in shiggy with chalk, (spouted the hare)..... so on concrete trail a Tee CB is as normal but in shiggy a Tee CB is a Tee and two spots of flour. Looked more like Indy's backside that she displayed to all and got photographed on the bus one time after a great run in Tai Tam having put a couple of holes into that part of her anantomy to look like this new CB. Moving swiftly on...... the pack, which had now swelled to near on 20, called for making chalk............... er........ er......... forgot, squeaked the hare, anybody got some?? Deathly silence.

The run was said to be laid on 2 "big" bags of flour and 4 pieces of big chalk.... maybe ok was murmured. The last big white stick was erected and severed into two, one to HMontana and another FRB, who were "commanded" by the hare to make the checks and trails for others. Then the hare was seen whispering to a few worried hashers and out the main road with bags for the hare taxi and to Check Number 1. A no brainer, all the pack crossed the road and headed up the trail by the golf course on the way to the hills. Trail was picked up and the team started to lope upwards.

Having let Priscilla go past, that was the last I saw of the pack except for Lost in Space whom I stuck closely to, to enhance a better future reputation for him. Surprisingly he seems to know where we were most times. Parky was taking it easy though the bush climb and Sticky S Toy and Catch of the Day who seem to run forward, miss arrows and then return to tell us no trail. 1st time they were almost standing on an arrow, 2nd time on the upper catchment drain, the Toy came bolting back to say Tee! Tee or CB, no just Tee. So the four of us headed back to find Parky who said must be forward from this on on. On we go to the tee to find the hare had done the decent and tee'd off all the planks across the drain and even the path it's self when she veered left on a trail with an arrow 3 feet from the tee. S..t, SSToy. Command was now in the hands of Parky who wanted to show that he could stride a good pace, 'till he almost slipped, slowed and we all hit the road together and up up up. Last I saw of Parky. Much later I surmised. was the taxi money that Parky retrieved from his bag really to help out his visitors or for himself.

Up the road we went and crossed above the Cricket club petrol station and on to a sit out where many a run has started, up to the reservoir to about the 5th check, all marked off presumably by HMontana and then right around the reservoir to the catchment hill trail for the hare's pre-announced 2.5km, GPS'ed straight run. I guess it was to save marking, because little was to be seen, another arrow would of been lonely. Up to this point Catch and Toy had kept coming back to see how Lost was getting on, I guess his no attention to them and their realising the hare had said "go for the 2.5k", they bolted along the catchment, while Lost was anything but lost and led nurse to the run conclusion at Starbucks Coffee Sitout in Repulse Bay. And there was Parky large as life having either passed us when Lost said we must follow trail and go down the shiggy stream even thought the good path goes to the same point, or he got a taxi, never will we know. But joy upon joy lit up on Lost's face, Indy never managed to catch us, coming in with Butt Fann having given everybody else a 15min lead time.

So into the softee's it was, for the pub had no beer --- The Hare and Ruggero were off buying some more from the 7/11 next door.

The Down Down listing from the hare. Given, not given, whose to know but for sure there are a lot of people who cannot be recognised by their real names.......... on on.

Hash 1171

Kin - $20 noodles rather than $50 now

Greg - returnee

Mr Parky - racing with Sarah on in

Sarah - thinking she's an angel

Virgins - Tappa and daisy

Cotton tip - Racing with Hajima

Lost in space - took cold shower

Nick - started smoking again now that he's a Lawyer

Nick - running to HV because Priscilla told him that's where B was

Dothan - finally had enough food.

Chatroom - came in first - clearly knows the route too well as it's King of the Hills

Hajima - running to work, running to the hash, running an extra kilometer on the hash, getting complaints from his boss that he smells

Alec and Sarah leaving their kids at home

Dothan - ordering food with me so she could get her veggie intake

Dothan - ordered extra pizza so that dog gets the crust

Indy - late again even though she's a teacher and finishes work earlier that most people

Ruggero - marking a check with flowers instead of flour

The following up down downs, so sorry if not all were recorded by Moi,

Parky:

On in FFFM and Indy and ..... we'll no look-a-like but Hopeless in name only. Parky expounded on a great Santa Hash, said was thoroughly enjoyable and would like to give a down down to thank those involved. Down Down

On in Park n Shop and Tapper (Tappa or Tapper, we never were quite sure) When Park 'n Shop was born in nineteen canteen, in the front parlour of their smart semi detached in Boot Hill...at that time an almost rural upper class district next to the slums of Liverpool...Frank (aged 9yrs) had to run to tell the midwife, who didn't have a mobile, to come to the house quickly. For his troubles, Frank got six of the best (the cain) for being late at school that morning. Down down.

Chatroom P:

On in FFFM, All those notes that we saw you making were for the briefing and no chalk. Down down.

FFFM again, No enough beer for the hash. One hare she said, but drunk it down down...

Now there was a general break up to buy more beer, pay for the meal, and then a general dispersion to home or that other Wednesday frequented place in Wanchai.