Little Plains Drifter.

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There's been plenty of behind-the-scenes activity these last few days which, among other things, has resulted in your blog author making a hastily planned fly/drive trip to Tasmania. Today I captured this remarkable footage of an impressive high-altitude camp site and its sole occupant. If you watch carefully, you can see the clothes line. And if you're wondering what he's holding, it's a tasty egg and salad sandwich from the Scottsdale Bakery. The campsite was packed up today because Ben's moving elsewhere for a while.

A leap of faith?

SMS received 4:33pm: Late Jan. One way would be good but price isn't much different. I should be OK on clothes. Here it comes dad, the final frontier. Let's see how our story concludes...

Place to stay?

Campsites have become increasingly remote with fewer and now no facilities at all. It's a long ride to a shower or a laundry and there's always a risk when leaving expensive camping gear on site. The room at Weldborough has been useful but mostly for storage. The house itself, while comfortable, doesn't have basic facilities like a shower or proper toilet and the owner smokes quite alot. Ben's spotted a place near Pyengana that he could rent. The timber house is sited a few hundred metres off the main highway and on a southerly slope, above the valley floor where the cold air and smoke usually sits. It's in the state forest with just one house nearby. The pics look reasonable but most rooms have carpet which could be a concern and there are no photos of bedrooms, bathroom or laundry. It's still worth considering and Ben will make an appointment to inspect the property next week.
Ben's in St Helen's today and buying some prescription medicine to help relieve his symptoms. Only six weeks ago he was feeling invincible; running along bush tracks and attending taekwondo training. And before that he was sailing, fossicking and fishing. Let's hope the problems can be sorted out soon and he can become invincible again.

Air is fresher after rain.



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Ben spent the night camped in persistent rain near Little Plains lookout. It's fair to say that he's been feeling 'pretty ordinary' (euphamism for 'miserable') for a while. Recurrent headaches and neckpain are wearing him down. We're even contemplating jumping back onto the 'doctor–referral–specialist–diagnostic imaging–pathology–specialist again–don't like specialist–ask around and research–back to doctor–another specialist–more investigation–eventually something good might happen' merry-go-round. Looks promising from a distance but it's not all that 'merry' when you're on it!

Postscript: ABC news story a few days later, Man with cancer waits over a year for a test. That merry-go-round is well and truly broken!

Ambulance bill.

Unexpectedly a bill just arrived in the mail. It's for Ambulance Services used on 7th March when Ben was transported less than 1km from the accident scene in Quail St to St Helen's District Hospital. The amount due is $765!  A phone call to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), who issued the bill, was referred to Ambulance Tasmania who would have referred us to the Motor Accidents Insurance Board (MAIB) except for the fact that the bike was registered in Victoria so we were referred instead to the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) where an initial claim was lodged. Ben will not have to pay anything because, eventually, after paperwork is completed and certified, TAC will pay DHHS who will pay Ambulance Tasmania.

Spiral creations.

Two items of jewelry arrived in the post today; a gold ring with a topaz gemstone and a silver pendant also featuring a topaz gemstone. The stones were found by Ben in the rivers of the north east, cut by Lambert Industries in Thailand and then crafted into jewelry by Spiral Creations in St Helens on the east coast. The pieces are now proudly worn by their new owners. (The photo is a bit fuzzy, it's surprisingly difficult to photograph jewelry.)

Health is such a puzzle.

Berlin, October 2010.

Ben's back in the north-east and settling in gradually. Health is such a puzzle because there are so many possibilities and it's difficult to find conclusive evidence. Experts work within their specialty and it's rare that any admit that they simply don't know. Thus far, the expected gains of each medical intervention have always been accompanied by unexpected consequences. He lost faith in experts some time ago and managed as well as possible. The trip to the mainland was a setback in some ways, now he's looking for experts again.

It's warm today, 28°C in Derby and 29°C in St Helens.