Day 24 Laura to Clare 90 kms

It was cold but not as cold as they predicted but I did have trouble keeping my nose and face warm overnight, I may need a balaclava. Collis got the fire going again so it was warm near the fire while having breakfast. Chris' birthday today! After last nights nice wine we decided to buy a few bottles even though we don't drink red wine but we have been told by the experts that it was a nice drop.
No rain around this morning but still cold out on the road. Most riders stopped at Georgetown but I think it was only Lorraine and Pat that ended up having a coffee. Then morning tea was at Yacka. The local park has picnic tables that the locals have done mosaics on the table tops and the seats depicting the towns history. We took this opportunity to present Chris with her birthday present (a cap to replace the one she ruined when she fell off the picnic table in Minilya). We also did the judging of the photo competition for the last leg. One of Peter's photos won the competition and will be featured on the front cover of Stage 4 book. Well done Pete, it turned out really great.
We managed to dodge the rain today but it was looking pretty bleak as we arrived at Claire and it wasn't long before it started to rain again. Most of the riders have upgraded again tonight. Collis and I have got ourselves a B&B hoping to have a good break before we go into the last week and a bit after a very long journey. Not far from home now.