Marine radio operator, tick.

Ben passed the marine radio operator certificate course with a score of 88% and, according to our lengthy Facebook chat, he's "got a card and everything".

The subsequent demonstration went something like this:
here ill do one for ya
John1857 John1857 John1857 this is HandsomeBen1990 HandsomeBen1990 HandsomeBen1990 position is Derby going to scottsdale to buy vanilla slice over

Gems haven't arrived back from Thailand yet, there's an invoice to be paid first. Ben sent an email which began with "Dear Wallet". No trip to Hobart to watch the title fight either, maybe next time.

Ordered Lego Mindstorms.

Is it possible? Could there be traces of a Tasmanian accent in this message?

One year ago - Austin Texas.

Team Chris Thormann
(web image)

Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment, Ben flew to the USA for his first-ever visit. The occasion was a World of Warcraft regional tournament in Austin Texas, followed by a flight to Newark New Jersey, a road trip to compete in another tournament in Raleigh North Carolina and a flight back home via Florida and LA.

That was just one year ago.

Cheddar, chillies and chives.

A few items of Pyengana Dairy Company produce arrived in the brief visitor's luggage. "Devilish gourmet cheddar with bite" looks interesting with crumbly mature cheddar, chillies and chives. Probably best eaten before 7PM if you're an older person who wants a decent night's sleep. There's also a mild cheddar and a jar of homemade (non-dairy!) raspberry jam. The dairy itself is an interesting place. The cows have learned to enter a particular gate, push a large button which opens another gate, saunter around a corner and then stand under a large rotating brush which gives them a delightful back scratch. The dairy's cafe, named Holy Cow Cafe, serves excellent food at very reasonable prices. Don't buy a steak anywhere else, at least that's Ben's recommendation and he would know.

Proof of life.

A rare image snapped two days ago in the dim light of a north-east Tasmanian Myrtle forest. He looks well, perhaps a bit taller even?

Ben's in Hobart today, first-time crewing on a sail boat. The morning weather report mentioned fog and 3kph winds so sailing should be very smooth and not all that fast. Perhaps the wind will pick up as the day progresses.

The brief visitor returned to Melbourne last night. There are photos to be posted once the iphone feels like coughing up the images.

It's just a coincidence surely.

Meanwhile, back in
Melbourne, training
continues.

I sent this SMS to Ben today: Flooding! St Mary's pass, St Columba Falls rd Pyengana, Binnalong Bay causeway all closed. It's just a coincidence surely. Hello to mum.

Don't know why really, the sun usually shines when I visit but there's a history of bad weather coinciding with visits from mum, see March for example.

From today's news: "The weather bureau is predicting flooding as north and north east Tasmania continue to be hit hard by rainfall... Rain has again closed the main road to Tasmania's east coast, St Mary's Pass - it was closed for six weeks and only reopened in June after rain caused extensive damage. Other roads closed include... St Columbus Falls Road at Pyengana... The Binalong Bay causeway and upper Scamander Road are also closed." Source: ABC news.

 (The hypothesis will be further tested at the end of September.)

A fine day.

The last few days have been spent in and around Hobart, staying overnight in Cambridge. Ben attended a family party in Hobart. The family belongs to an artist who lives in Weldborough and Ben had the honour of being the only non-family attendee. On a trip into the city, his near-new Kathmandu sleeping mat dislodged itself from the bike, landing somewhere along the highway and never to be found. Today there was a visit to the Kathmandu store to buy a slightly bigger sleeping mat. Ben also bought a mid-sized tent since the one-man tent is too small and the steel sections of the old $80 Aussie Disposals mid-sized tent have rusted through. This evening he sat the test for the Marine Radio Operator certificate. Results won't be known for a while and he has to return to Sandy Bay tomorrow morning with a signed passport-sized photograph. And why was it a fine day? Well, Ben was nabbed by the police twice. The first policeman gave him a warning and the second, on the same stretch of road and not long afterwards, fined him $110 for riding without displaying an 'L' plate. It seems the second policeman was attracted to the bike because of a tail lamp that hasn't functioned for many months. The broken light globe has now been replaced at a cost of around $10. Speaking of family, a family member from the mainland flies into Launceston tomorrow morning for a brief three-day visit.

A roof overhead.

Ben missed the Marine Radio class in Hobart on Wednesday but has been reading the notes which may be enough to pass the test next Wednesday. Hopefully the SailTrain instructor will make allowance for the bad weather and flooded roads earlier this week. The big news of the day, and it is big news, is the move from living in a tent to staying in a spare room in Weldborough. The room has been well cleaned and dusted and, so far, is working out OK. "It'll be good for me and good for you!" insisted the house owner, a Weldborough local who rides a motorbike. In due course the rented storage shed at St Helens can be cleared out which will save $18 a week and the tent can be packed up from its present site in the grounds of the Weldborough Hotel at a saving of $30 a week. Ben's been learning to drive in an old Suzuki Sierra 4WD. It's a four-speed manual and a big advantage is that the roof can be removed. Great for "fresh air freaks", as Ben described it. Finally, the BH Tracking Device (BHTD™) is no longer available. Ben has changed the password on his bank account ("Gotcha!" he said with a laugh) and can manage finances without undue parental watchfulness. Blog posts will be fewer as a consequence.

Commuting.

Honda VTR 250 GT.
Grand Touring configuration
in readiness for December.

Ben's staying in Weldborough for the weekends and commuting almost 300km to Hobart for the mid-week Marine Radio course. Sitting in a classroom has rekindled some not-so-pleasant memories of school days and it's probably fortunate that this is only a three-session course. The practical two-day sailing course should be much more interesting.

Speaking of commuting, there's been a fairly regular (and longer, 680km) commute between the mainland and its smallish southern island. The next visitor, Ben's mum, plans to fly over next week. Other family visitors will be travelling over at the end of September with another trip planned (but not yet booked) for December, assuming that Ben's still in Tassie at that time.


Afternoon update: More bad weather in the North East. Over 60mm of rain at St Helens, Binalong Bay causeway underwater (again!) and sections of the Tasman Highway flooded. "[Police] urge motorists to use extreme caution and recommend only four-wheel drives use the section of the highway". Commuting south may be more difficult than expected, though there's no need to travel until tomorrow.
ABC News video.

Sailing courses.

Sailing on the Derwent.
(web image)

Ben's in Hobart today and has enrolled in two courses at the Derwent Sailing Squadron. One is a "Marine Radio Certificate" course consisting of 2 x 3 hour sessions and an exam. Sessions are held on the next three Wednesday evenings. The other is an overnight practical sailing "Passage Course" in September.

This evening's dinner was at a favourite pizza restaurant in Cambridge where Ben caught up with some old friends. Not sure where he'll set up camp for the night. The bike toppled over while parked recently and the clutch lever snapped off. Ben had to ride to town while operating the hydraulic clutch with his finger, which wasn't very successful. The mechanic at the Bicheno Motorcycle museum has made a temporary repair by swapping over the clutch and brake levers. We'll have to find replacement parts and also a better side stand for the bike.