New home.

Home is where you live, last year it was a tent, this year it's a rented house. Alan, the house owner/landlord, called in this morning to talk about the rental contract, write up a condition report and sort out any other legalities. No problems there and all that remains is for Ben to sign the paperwork after he arrives back in Tas tomorrow lunchtime. I'll drive over to Launceston to pick him up while Jazz minds the house. Here's hoping he likes his new home. As you can see from the photo, Jazz's home looks a little worse for wear, most of the damage done in the disassembly stage.

It's a warm sunny day in Weldborough today and there are still plenty of chores to be done. Time to retrieve items from "storage" in Rob's house up the road.

(posted from Little Plains lookout.)

I've had better days!

The pictures tell the story of our trip. Despite how it looks, Jazz didn't mind the boat trip. And despite how it looks, the trailer wasn't badly damaged, however it did take many hours to get it transported and fixed. Darryl, the RACT guy from George Town quoted $250 for the trip back to Launceston, then charged $220 when we got there. "He's just off the boat," said Darryl to the trailer guy and I wasn't sure if that was code for charging more or less. The trailer was repaired for a very reasonable $70 and the trip continued.

The whole reason for travelling up the east Tamar and via Bridport was to avoid the high mountain pass at the Sideling and it was probably just as well. Why did the wheel come off? Somehow the nuts worked loose and the trailer guy had two theories; either someone loosened them or, more likely, the wheel wasn't sitting perfectly against the hub when the nuts were tightened. Either way a lesson has been learned, check wheel nuts before every trip. Ten hours after rolling off the boat, one extremely weary traveller with an annoyingly alert labrador arrived at Welborough. I did have an almost overwhelming "oh God what have I done" moment (complete with music by David Byrne of Talking Heads) then slept at 8pm.

All's well today: the house is nice and bright, the dog kennel has been re-built, and the Ducati is off the trailer and parked in the woodshed.

Some food for thought. When Ben first arrived in Tas on a one-way ticket, he was only a few hours into his trip when he had an accident with the bike. It seems that I've repeated the performance on a one-way ticket, a few hours after arriving and with a two-wheeled vehicle. Lucky I'm not superstitious.

Shifting south.

Packed and almost ready to go. This is obviously not "travelling light" but all the essentials are packed, including the dismantled kennel. This is all very ex... ex... ex...hausting when it probably should be ex...citing, but there's just so much to be done!

Had a nice dinner last night, "meals on wheels" provided by Tess and Dan. We  tested the smile detector on the camera but for some reason it doesn't work with Dan or Jazz.

Ben returns from Berlin at the end of the week and another chapter begins.

Travel light.

In the 1930's, a swag was sufficient luggage for poorer travellers while those better off had a suitcase or two. In the 1960's and 70's younger travellers carried backpacks. They still do, although the packs are large and often counterbalanced by a smaller front pack. It's not all that easy to downsize and travel light, especially when the move is long term. Ben's collected a room full of things while in Tas, with more on the way from Berlin including: a pair of army boots, a new tent, a Russian hat and another hat that looks like a frozen chicken complete with wings and drumsticks - I'm not sure how useful that last item is. Even the dog has belongings to be transported. She's lucky enough to retain her house which is to be disassembled then reassembled on site.

Ben's trip to Berlin is nearly over. Medical problems have been investigated and treated as well as they can. He didn't manage to catch up with Damien who arrived in Freiburg then travelled south instead of north. He did have a surprise visit from mum, who seems to like Berlin and may have gained some benefit from three weeks away from her usual frenetically busy lifestyle.

The next chapter is about to start in a small town in NE Tasmania, population 27 and soon to be 29. 

An Indian named Mario.

House sale gathers momentum: the board is up, ads have appeared in the local paper and on the internet, and a few people have been through the house. The agent, a Vietnamese man named Daniel, calls them clients. His photographer, an Indian man named Mario, used a wide-angle lens to photograph the house, yard and rooms. The photos looked funny when I first saw them because they made our modest-sized house look almost palatial, even the laundry! For a while I thought the lens was "dishonest" but now realise it has just stretched the truth a little.

Manicured gardens.

Large luxurious lounge.

Light-filled dining area.

Palatial laundry.

Freezing fog!

It's night in Berlin Buch and our travellers should be comfortable in their rooms while, outside, a freezing fog is in the air. It looks like the forecast minimum of 7°C was a bit optimistic. Ben's only got a few more weeks in Berlin before returning to NE Tasmania. He's feeling well, which is excellent news, and thinking about what to do next. Saving to buy a BMW 650 GS motorbike is on the list. Mum's well, though not so keen on the theatre or lots of walking or climbing stairs.

Damo's in Freiburg.

One of Ben's school mates is in the "neighbourhood".
(Facebook status)

Tai Chi at a temple.

Ben's visitor arrived safely and has been busy. They've already been shopping in Buch and visited the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Tuyet's guesthouse room is large and warm; and directly below Ben's room which is large and cold because he keeps the heating off. The plan for today is to attend a tai chi class at the Fo Guang Shan temple in Ackerstrasse. Ben's visited the temple once already, to attend the tai chi class and enjoy the free meal that goes with it. There's also a Fo Guang Shan temple in Queen St Melbourne where Saturday is the day for a free feed, after attending the chanting ceremony of course.

Visitor to Berlin.

Ben's visitor has arrived safely, I think, although no reports have filtered through yet. Back in Melbourne, there's been further real-estate activity and the seemingly endless cleaning, sorting and packing continues each day. Finally, the move to Tasmania even has Uncle Peter dreaming of the possibilities.

Berlin via Doha.

A family member leaves Melbourne late tonight heading for Berlin via Doha on Qatar Airways. The flight is geographically direct and the price is very reasonable; especially when compared with another airline whose name also starts with a 'Q' not followed by a 'U'. Ben messaged to say he'll pick mum up at Tegel airport on Thursday afternoon. The local weather forecast is for a minimum temperature of 0°C, maximum 5°C, cloudy with light rain. High on the "to do" list will be shopping for warm clothing.

No bids!

Kennel of Jazz Hamilton.

Many items have been listed for sale on eBay this past month. I'm trying to "downsize" possession-wise, not through any great philosophical commitment, it's because the upcoming trip to Tasmania has imposed limitations. Everything has to fit into the car and trailer around certain "fixed" items like the driver, the dog and the Ducati. In this context the dog's kennel found itself listed for auction at the bargain starting price of $45. However the market has determined that no one wants a $45 kennel for a medium-size dog so the kennel will have to be dismantled for its journey south. Jazz is happily unaware of the real estate drama happening right under her nose.

Time marches on.

Eisbären Berlin
(web image)

Time marches on and temperatures continue to rise; it's a cloudy 9°C in Berlin Buch today, that's over 25°C warmer than a few weeks ago. Ben's been to watch the Berlin ice-hockey team, the Berlin Polar Bears (Eisbären Berlin). He's also attended a taekwondo class and plans to go again. Some cut Tasmanian gemstones, topaz and black spinel, were posted over a month or so ago. They have made fine and interesting gifts for some of locals including Dr R, the ENT specialist, and the lady who cleans rooms in the guesthouse. Finally, Ben's booked another room in the guesthouse; on the second floor, one floor below his own room. It's for mum who arrives next Thursday.