Vanilla or chocolate?

Today we took Jazz to meet a new friend. Abby is only 13 weeks old and very playful. Both pups got a thorough workout chasing each other around the garden. It was a little difficult to sit and sip tea while all the mayhem was happening. Abby's chocolate coated. Jazz looks vanilla but her coat is more like pale banana.

Snoozeberries.

(Escher, Day and Night, web image)

Twelve awake,
Twelve asleep,
Tablets dubbed "snoozeberries".
Writing alot,
But I don't know what.
Fragments assembling,
Chemistry adjusting,
Feeling better than before.
Equilibrium achieved?
Maybe...

Tinker tailor utter mutter.

Thanks to subtitles, frequent rewinds, pause-please discussions and a quick peek at a film synopsis, we pondered our way through Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and almost understood the story. We had more success watching True Grit (the re-make) and only occasionally required subtitles to understand the muttering cowboys.

Sea Shepherd, Williamstown.

Today we ventured out of the kitchen and pushed a few boundaries by braving the busy freeway, grubby city air and a persistent sore ankle. The Sea Shepherd ships and crew pushed boundaries, circumvented limitations and crossed lines in their recent battles with Japanese whaling vessels on the icy Southern Ocean. The young American volunteer who guided our group around the Bob Barker told us of her sea sickness, fears, tears and elation on her first trip south. "I don't want to go again, but I will!" she said with quiet and sincere determination. Our small group sat comfortably and relaxed in the crew's lounge, watched a short video and listened to stories of various campaigns world wide. We'd all seen the video footage of colliding ships and could now see for ourselves the battered hulls and damaged superstructure. Ships aren't built for even moderately tall people so we had to watch for low ceilings, beams and hatchways. We also toured the newer Sam Simon, which was once a Japanese whaling vessel, and would like to go back soon to tour the Steve Irwin.

Bob Barker.

In the lounge.

On the bridge.

Sam Simon.

A touch of drama.

Six months ago it was impossible to watch films because, as the medical books explained, the flickering images and cacophony of sounds completely overwhelm the senses. It's only in the last few months that we've managed to watch simple films, all animations, and it's taken many sittings to view a film entirely. Yesterday we finished watching a very dramatic, complicated and amazing film, Snow Falling on Cedars. It's a personal favourite which Ben thoroughly enjoyed. Start to finish took several days with sometimes two sittings a day and we even watched before sleeping, something that wasn't possible until recently. What's next on the viewing program? Star Trek!

An aside: drinking water in Tas.

Local news items recently warned of problems with drinking water in Tassie towns and the list includes some places we visited. The tin dragon has, it seems, left a legacy of heavy metals and some other kind of dragon has tainted water supplies with unwanted organisms.

Residents of Scamander are reminded that a TEMPORARY boiling of drinking water alert is in place... Avoca, Pioneer, Ringarooma and Whitemark have been deemed unsuitable for drinking following the detection ... of heavy metals... Residents of Gladstone, Herrick, Ledgerwood, Derby, Winnaleah, Branxholm, Fingal, Mathinna, Cornwall, Rossarden, Mole Creek, Lady Barron & Lilydale are reminded that a PERMANENT boiling of drinking water alert is in place for this water supply....
http://www.benlomondwater.com.au/News/Alerts---Restrictions/Alerts---Restrictions

Water tanks are an obvious solution but hazards lurk there as well. One local manufacturer used lead solder to seal the seams of stainless steel tanks which have "lead levels well above safe levels set by public health guidelines". The tanks have no manufacturer's label and concerned owners are advised to get their tank water tested by a laboratory. I don't know how older metal tanks were sealed.
http://workplacestandards.tas.gov.au/safety/alerts/lead_contaminated_steel_rainwater_tanks

Cities and larger towns have their own problems which are expensive to fix, though we're reassured that the problem isn't an urgent one:

TASMANIAN councils might be stuck replacing hundreds of kilometres of water pipes containing asbestos, costing them tens of millions of dollars... `These are very low-risk assets and it would be unaffordable to replace them prematurely.' 
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/1394838/new-pipes-may-cost-millions/?cs=95

Cottage and water tank
(and the roof needs cleaning).

Plastic rainwater tanks would be preferable, provided the roof and gutters were suitable... and kept clean, which requires diligence and effort.

For us, the warnings are academic because we're out of the NE Tas housing market. I learned today that the little cottage is "under offer" and so too the owner's house, which was another option if we were considering a move. Both properties had water tanks and a connection to a local dam that supplied water of unknown quality via an unofficial network of plastic pipes. Truth be told, we were never in a stable-enough position to be in the housing market and that's the case now too.

The pool hall.

The pool hall is an unusual place, with small groups of males playing and some just hanging around, sitting and watching. It's not an unfriendly place but not all that friendly either. There are Africans, South Americans, Indians - all enjoying a game, or watching. Then, we guess, Lebanese, Iranians (according to Ben, but I've no idea how he can tell), some Greek boyz and so on. Tables are quite close together so there's a bit of silent negotiation that sometimes takes place between the tables as to who waits and who shoots. It's also a bit off-putting playing while being watched. We haven't seen any other dads and sons in there yet but did see one lady playing today. The building backs on to a major railway line and, every once in a while, a train rumbles past. It's somewhere to go on a quiet Easter Monday. And the game score? Two-one in Ben's favour, just like last time.