Whilst it’s currently beautiful weather here in Hobart, there is still that lovely crisp, clean, nip in the air and Mark dressed accordingly.

His outfit today consists of a pair of tracksuit pants (KwikSew 3663) made with some cotton fleece from Fabric.com, and a Rugby top (Stretch n Sew 1758) made from bits out of my stash.

We paid a visit to Salamanca Markets, a mandatory activity for any visitor to Hobart. They are only open on Saturdays and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised this visit, they are vastly improved with nearly every stall selling locally produced goods. Over the last few years a large number of cheap and tacky imports have been appearing but these have all but vanished now.

We got there early (recommended) before the crowds arrived, and bought our usual supply of locally produced soaps and foodstuffs (oh yes, and Tasmanian alcohol of various sorts!).

It is impossible to show the scale of the markets, they wind round Salamanca Place and there are also shops in the buildings lining the area. This photograph probably shows the busyness of it a bit better.

It appears that we have our own brand of apples at the markets!

There’s not a lot to say about Mark’s pants. They are basically the same as all the others – in fact, I made him two identical pairs before we left Perth. The Rugby top is another matter though. I forgot to add the seam allowance between the stripes which meant that it was very small and the neckline was all wrong. I put it to one side whilst I recovered my equilibrium and then got my act together and reworked it during Repurpose, Reuse and Refashion month. Here is a photo of this one next to one cut properly. You can see the stripes on the right are much narrower. I had to recut the neck, rework the shoulders and tops of the sleeves, and add stripes to the sleeves and the bottom of the top. I am pleased with the way it worked out – I still have perfect stripe matching everywhere.

I used some of the lovely braid I bought in Stockholm to finish off the collar

I took the opportunity to photograph Mark outside the practice where he was a partner in the late ’70s early ’80s. It is a pretty spectacular building. One of his claims to fame was his involvement in the legal case to save the Franklin River from being dammed by the government of the day. He took the family there on one of our visits (we had to fly in on a seaplane) and it was so beautiful and pristine, with waterfalls and lush forests, that it is hard to imagine it being turned into a hydro electric scheme. 

After Salamanca we headed to Kingston Beach just south of Hobart, where he is looking pretty relaxed. We went to Kingston Beach on the trail of a fabric shop, about which I shall report in a couple of days.

 A couple of random shots now – at the top of Mt Stuart which is just behind Mark’s parents’ house

and the view from the top of Mt Nelson.

You can take the man away from work, but you can’t take the work away from the man…!

I had to showcase this flower. Bushes of these are everywhere in Hobart and they are stunningly beautiful. The bit that I really love though, is the way the flowers spiral around the head.

I am also slightly obsessed with the hedges that surround many of the houses. They can be truly amazing. Imagine having to keep this one trimmed?

The details: Trackpants are Kwik Sew 3663 made from grey cotton fleece bought at Fabric.com. Rugby top is Stretch n Sew 1758 made from black and bottle green Rugby fabric from Knitwit, Nedlands. Mark is also wearing socks knitted by me. Setting is Hobart.