Graham the chef, or should I say Renaissance Man, asked if I liked sweets and then proceeded to offer me a delightful White Chocolate mouse with fresh strawberries, leftover from his catering gig. Graham was a qualified chef, electrician, plumber, and home builder,,, with lots of stories and a good heart, but as a result of some misfortune he was currently living out of his car at the camping ground.

So the wind must have blown the rain away because when I woke this morning the anticipated rain was nowhere to be seen. I took the intercity cycleway opposite the caravan park all the way (15 kilometers) to Salamanca Market. Arriving early, I strolled the market aisle window shopping. I bought an apple and thought about buying a book but at $11.00 for a dog-eared second-hand copy, it just didn’t seem right. I caught a glimpse of myself in a shop window, I was looking a little scruffy so I toyed with the idea of a haircut and barbershop shave but could only find one salon open and of course, I didn’t have an appointment.

The weather was improving all the time as I cycled to the Hobart Botanical Gardens, obsessively to check out Gino’s patch as seen on ABC’s Gardening Australia program. I was impressed the patch was looking great, with numerous varieties of potatoes, kale, (the veg of the moment), spinach, and onions. The gardens themselves were looking like a treat, so I spent a little time just wandering around on a slow sunny afternoon.

A tailwind back to Treasure Island for a little service on the bike. My brakes needed a bit of tweaking after the rolling hills of the last few days. The wind is picking up and it’s a good drying day so they say. I managed a quick load of washing. I’m getting ready now for a wet and rainy ride to Orford tomorrow.