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Santa's Sunshine Swim
Ho! Ho! Ho!, Allo Allo! or Sawadee Krap, as they say in Thailand.
Global warming meant that Santa found himself in oriental sunshine rather than artic snow for the preparty hash. Dressed up for the occasion in red hat and jacket Santa Padre warned that the trail would involve a little water, but he said it wouldn't be deeper than shoulder level as he had been standing on Big End's shoulders to lay the flour. However he claimed to have inflicted injury on himself and would not be joining us on the run.

Only a fraction of the partygoers turned up for the 2.30 start, and even fewer had followed the instructions to be in appropriate dress. Last minute arrivals of No Satisfaction and El Toro and family held up the off. A suicidal dash into the road of El Toro's dog Rika almost immediately ended the hash with a disaster, but all the cars managed to stop and we resumed the hash.

The hares must have thought they were still back in Thailand as they gave us a tour of a shopping site in this fast urbanizing area of the underdeveloped rural Var. The flour quickly led us into the real jungle and the runners were faced with their first water obstacle- this was just about jumpable and on the other side there was more jungle and a check. The trails into the fields turned out to be false, and the real trail led back across the stream , so those hashers who hadn't attempted the crossing were spared getting their feet wet….. for the moment.

But we hadn't left the water, the trail went along the banks of the stream and it turned out to be easier to get into the water rather than to avoid falling in.. Unlike Thailand, water crossings in the Var were full of very cold water- in the Far East, the hares arrange for the water to be warm!. After about ten minutes messing about in this patch, we found ourselves back on the roadside still only 100 yards from the start.

Flour was seen on the other side of the road leading into the fields- Sadist followed the trail to the next check, placed on some concrete next to the stream. Trails were checked laid through what seemed to be the paddy fields, but these turned out once again to be false and Wetspot, Perpetch and Cool Dude ran round all the fields looking for every way which didn't go up the stream . No signs of flour were seen on the other side of the torrent but it seemed to be the only way the trail a could go- and the water seemed to be very deep. At this point whistles were heard from the other side of the brook which seemed to indicate that Big End was waiting for us there on the other side of the water. We tried to see if there was a crossing point further upstream , but thick bramble s and bushes prevented any crossing. Sadist eventually took the plunge and waded along the stream, finding some flour after about 50 yards and shouted OnOn. More wading along the stream brought him to where Big End and the walkers had gathered on the bank by another new shopping complex.

None of the runners had followed Sadist and the pack opted for finding some way along the road. All this had taken about half an hour and we were still in sight of the start. So we regrouped and crossed the road again and went into the fields hoping for a less marine continuation of the hash. This now seemed more like a normal hash- fields and roads and into the bush. Perpetual Motion disappeared into the distance and the rest of us scrambled around the bushes looking for trail. The hare accompanying us, Big End, kept appearing near the checks but she didn't join us in the watery parts of the hash. Another check was suspiciously close to a stream and of course Sadist jumped into the water and found flour along the banks and waded on. Going on the landside route Prestressed managed to reach the end of the stream and met Sadist emerging from the water near the next check. Cumalot found the trail and led on to another water crossing where Padre was drinking a beer and waving people across a ford ten yards across and at least six inches deep- no jumping from rock to rock, there was no way Pedo could escape getting his feet wet. On the other side the trail was merely a loop leading back to where Padre had been; another wet crossing of the ford back to the road where the beer car had been parked. Perpetual Motion had found his way here, but we don't know which trail he had followed.

We enjoyed the beer stop in the sun, being joined by the walkers who had managed to arrive with dry feet. Before it got cold we set off back on what should be an easy run along the road to the hotel. But of course as the trail had been set by Padre there were diversions whenever possible. The wimps avoiding the puddles and flooded fields . Through the fields and round buildings we arrived in the hotel's back car park.

Back at the back of the hotel, Padre had set up the bar and the circle was led by Perpetual Motion whose idea of a 'quick circle' was interrupted by the arrival of the ladies from Italy.
Down-downs went to:
The hares- Big End and Padre
World Hashers- Padre, Big End , Sadist, The Bag
For Repeating a down down from the last hash- Perpetch
For leaving his family in the hotel when he went hashing- Cumalot
For would be voyeurism in the hotel- Pedo
For upcoming competitive running- Cool Dude
Latecomers- Two Cheeky, El Toro, Cool Dude, Julia
Running through crosses- Perpetch, El Toro
For Christmas decorations- the Santas- Padre, Big End, Supermarket Trolley, Sadist, The Bag, Iron Bum, Cellular Sex

Then On On to the Christmas party.