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.