Loves Unchained Mallardy

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You try finding a song to go with a picture of ducks! Actually, don't!

The tavern last night was an interesting experience - there were 5 or 6 locals propping up the bar, all drinking like prohibition started at midnight and all with cars parked outside. The language was colourful, mostly just the f word. Anyway, I had a huge steak and chips and crept off to my tent at about 8:30 for a night listening to the wind switch by 180 degrees and turn up to warp factor 11.
My worst fears were realised when I set off in the morning - flat out I could manage 8, that's not a typo...... 8....f******g EIGHT! To make matters worse there had been nowhere to get breakfast and the next amenities were 42 miles away. Bugger.

I was cycling along a glacial valley (ok - a long flat bit with mountains on either side - it might have been glacial), slowly climbing but mostly just fighting a wind that occasionally reduced my speed to the point where forward momentum wasn't possible. It took me 5.5 hours.

At one point I had a cunning idea; I switched my computer to Kilometres and suddenly I was whizzing along at 13. This should have helped a lot but for some reason the distance seemed to increase virtually in proportion.

I eventually got to St Arnaud at 13:00 and filled my face with pies, before doing another 18 miles to Kawatiri where I am camped. In Kawatiri there is...err....a campsite. That's it. Luckily I stocked up in St Arnaud so have everything I need. The photo is of some ducks that have decided to nest outside my tent flap - if only I had thought to buy an orange.

Tomorrow I will either get to Inangahua and start heading south or just stay in my tent - it all depends on the wind.


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