Hashing in twos

As we predicted last week, the last few days have brought in new social distancing requirements - limiting "gatherings" to two people (this is surely a redefinition of the concept of a "gathering"!) The key wording from the new Queensland "Home confinement direction" states that a person who leaves the house "to engage in physical exercise" must do so "either alone or in the company of no more than one other person; or in the company of a family group who ordinarily live in the same Household".

So - for the first time since 1991 - there was no full-group hash meet this last Sunday, and we began hashing in twos. It was good to see that the traditional levels of post-run alcohol consumption were not affected by the changed circumstances. Keep it up, guys! And please keep sending in your pics for posting....

Le W*nk and Lax took to the streets of Mitchelton:

Budgie and Miss Behavin' headed for the rainforest at Mt Mee:

Shaggy and Cadbury (and Satchmo) explored the finishing touches that have been put in place at Wahminda:

And Culture and Haughty (on a day when they were supposed to be in Mexico City - ha, ha) completed a Mt Lawson ascent:

B-Flat and Malpractice are now out of home detention and have had a chance to visit Superhacker in hospital. They report that she is out of the ICU and back to her old self. She'll be going into rehab for a bit before heading home.

And, finally, we have Upstanding to thank for the following little true story:

A salesman approaching a country town sees a sign at the petrol station saying: “Free sex with every fill!” Needing fuel (and a bit intrigued) he decides to fill up. And as he pays he asks “What about the offer on the sign?”

“Oh, right,” says the attendant. “To make it legal, we have to run it as a competition. Pick a number between 1 and 10.”

The salesman replies "4”.

“Sorry, mate, today’s winning number is 7.”

He then stops in at the pub for a counter lunch and engages the barman in conversation. “I just filled up at the garage that has the sign offering free sex with every fill, but then I needed to guess the correct number to win! I reckon it’s just a con to get customers in.”

“No, it’s all legit,” says the barman. ”Last month my wife won 3 times!”

Keep walking...keep running...keep drinking...and keep those pics and stories coming in for the blog!

Stay safe...and

On, on!

Suspension

Around the world - in Asia, the UK, the rest of Europe, the US - H3 meets were suspended some weeks ago. And given Australian government announcements this week (weddings limited to 5 people, funerals to 10, boot camps to 10, no family BBQs, and a general requirement to stay at home unless absolutely necessary) the time has sadly come to suspend whole-group Samford Hash activities as well.

In the UK, Brits are now allowed out of the house just once a day for a run or a walk, and this has to be solitary or in company with members of the same household. Police will be dispersing meetings of more than 2 people. This is not actually the rule here yet, so small groups of us could theoretically still go for a run or walk from the same location, as long as we maintain social distancing recommendations. But it's only sensible to assume that something like the UK lock-down is on its way, quite possibly within the next few days.

This last Sunday at Lake Samsonvale we generally managed to keep the recommended 1 - 1.5 metre distance from one another. And some special serving arrangements were in place for the meal to try to minimise any possible contamination. We were rewarded with a pleasant easy waterside walk or run and a beautiful sunset over the water.

Thanks to Banger for this shot - surely worthy of publication in a calendar:

On trail (note the 1.5 metre gap):

Maintaining our distance as darkness fell:

And who on earth gave this man a camera?

Meanwhile, stranded in Cairns, Shaggy and Cadbury foreshadowed what we'll all be doing for the next few weeks, or even months. They organised their own two-person Hash walk and posted pictures of it.

The rest of us will also be taking part in our own one- to few-person runs and walks on Sundays during this suspension of our normal activities. Please share pictures and notes with us so we can feature them on the blog during this time.

We may experiment with holding some virtual circles for those who wish to share Dad jokes and at-home down, downs...watch this space.

Stay safe - and

On, on!

Social distancing

As stockmarkets kept on plunging, as borders started to close, and as people started to take the pandemic seriously, thirty-something members of Samford Hash gathered for a pleasant Sunday afternoon stroll up and down Cabbage Tree Creek. And while some of us did manage to keep the recommended 1.5 metre distance away from others (well done, Prattle and Jamesbondage) the rest proved to be rather slow learners....

Thanks to our hares Shockjock and Miss Demeanour for a well-marked trail and a very tasty meal!

Of course a lot of conversation turned on what would be happening with Interhash 2020, and Le W*nk was busily having a text conversation with the organisers as we met. At time of writing the chances of it coming off seem a little like a snowball's on the beach at Port of Spain.

Malpractice and B-Flat arrived in the country this week. Welcome to Oz! And we look forward to seeing you after your 14-day quarantine period is over.

Of course, the situation with the virus continues to change. The US is now discouraging social gatherings of more than 10 people, and in the UK people over 70 are being told to stay at home for the next twelve weeks! Let's hope Samford Hash is able to continue meeting as we always have....

Finally, some non-cv news: the latest New Scientist has a cover story about whether walking or running is better for you. For those who don't have access, the good-news take-home message is that they're equally good, as long as you expend the same amount of effort in total. And a side-bar message is that 1 hour of running extends your life by 7 hours. Do the maths: there are 168 hours in a week, so if you run for more than 24 hours a week you could live for ever!



Next run details
When: Sunday 22nd March, 5 pm
Where: Forgan Park, Forgan Road, Joyner. NOTE: THIS IS NOT FORGAN COVE - it's closer to Bullocky's Rest. A map!
Hares: Culture and Haughty.

And please bring a chair!!

On, on!

Blimey! A beer stop!

The world has waltzed its way around the sun many, many times since we last experienced a beer stop mid-run. And how welcome it was to come across Scratchit with his little esky at the half-way mark and to replenish our precious bodily fluids. Here are some runners doing just that:

Our hares led us across the park and along the waterside for a very pleasant Kedron Brook jaunt...around 5 km for the walkers and 9 for the runners. This was followed up with some fragrant curry made with home-grown organic ingredients. The feeding frenzy said it all. Many thanks to Floater and Scratchit!

International Women's Day was recognised with some highly appropriate stories. Here's another one, which we originally posted back in 2009:

A very clever lawyer is sitting next to a blonde on a long plane flight. He suggests that they play a version of Trivial Pursuit to pass the time. He'll ask the blonde a question, and if she doesn't know the answer she'll give him $5. Then it'll be her turn to ask him a question, and if he doesn't know the answer he will give her $100.

The lawyer begins: "What's the capital of France?" he asks.

"I don't know," says the blonde.

"That'll be $5," says the lawyer. "Now you ask me a question."

The blonde thinks a moment. "What goes up a hill on four legs, and downhill on three legs?" she asks.

The lawyer struggles with this one for a long time, but eventually he has to say, "I don't know. Here's your $100. What is the answer?"

"I don't know," says the blonde. "Here's your $5"

Next run details
When: Sunday 15th March, 5 pm
Where: Wightman Reserve playground, Yingally Drive, Ferny Hills. A map!
Hares: Shockjock and Miss Demeanour

On, on!

Pottering along the Pine

There was at last a touch of autumn in the air as we headed off on an admirably well-marked circuit that crossed the Pine a couple of times, taking in some lush green riverside vegetation and some  surrounding lush green suburbs. Curry, lasagna, salad and paddle pops followed - yum! Many thanks to Budgie and Miss Behavin'....

We bestowed a Hash name on one of the young'uns too. Congratulations to Hot Stuff! He and his brother Dynamite enjoyed a really, really cold down, down and did it manfully.

And Haughty brought back (from Africa) a useful contact for any of us suffering from "Witches At Home" or a wide range of other problems:

Next run details
When: Sunday 8th March, 5 pm
Where: Teralba Park, near the Scout Hut. A map!
Hares: Floater and Scratchit

On, on!