David's Journal Entry

The Dutch stoner has a wife and she makes Liege waffles and jaffles...which probably makes for a very happy marriage. Our breakfast consisted of a couple of jaffles (toasties) from her roadside restaurant and when we ordered a second round followed by more coffee our seemingly endless appetite piqued her interest. The coffee, now gratis, was accompanied by conversations of cycling in Holland and tales of the road. An excellent way to start the day.

Despite the intermittent rain and the need to slide between storm fronts, this was possibly our easiest day so far. The frequent stops to plan and avoid the worst of the weather seemed to be paying off, and our decision to pull up short of our intended destination seemed to be vindicated at 4pm when the rains came. 

A quiet evening meal was crashed by Mr and Mrs Jonesy, who had driven 65km for a date night. Mrs Jonesy had been at the Coonalpyn Hotel yesterday, where we chatted for a short while. Mr Jonesy had only heard about us from his wife once she returned home. It's strange, yet obvious, to think that people would talk about us. It is indicative that all of our experiences and choices can extend their reach beyond the immediate situation.

We spoke to Ciaran this evening too. He is another numpty and old-school friend, albeit not a bike-touring one.  We should arrive in Melbourne in a week or so where we will catch up with him. As the oldest friend I have, I am genuinely excited about spending time with him. He has also rather graciously offered to hose us down when we arrive, and put us up for a few nights.

Today I learned (from The Jonesys') - Date nights should be non-negotiable.