An aside: wood smoke in Tas.

In the heat of summer, it's easy to forget the depths of winter. This story was in the news today:

Scientists from the University of Tasmania, the Menzies Research Institute as well as US and Canadian universities found smoke from forest, grass and agricultural fires affect the climate, air quality and human health... Report co-author David Bowman says there are implications for forestry burns in Tasmania."We are exposing populations to risks and preventative measures have got to be taken."... "There has got to be an understanding that people who complain about the smoke have a legitimate case, the medical science is on their side now," he said.

However the story, based on a report commissioned by Forestry Tasmania, deflects the reader's attention to other causes:

Last year a CSIRO study into air quality in the Huon Valley, south of Hobart, found woodheater smoke significantly outweighs emissions from forestry regeneration burns.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-20/wood-smoke-linked-to-deaths/3840570?section=tas

The reason, according to the study, is that hot regeneration burns create so much heat that convection currents carry the smoke high into the atmosphere. That's the theory but we have seen pictorial evidence that the smoke doesn't always rise very high and sometimes the smoke is blown elsewhere. Wood heater smoke stays low and is often trapped by layers of cold air. This next extract describes the major source of the wood smoke problem in cities and towns:

Wood heaters particle emissions are lowest when the heaters are burning efficiently – that is that you’ve got plenty of air supply to it – so the one thing that you don't really want to do with a wood heater is to shutdown the damper and stuff it full of fuel to keep it burning overnight.
http://www.csiro.au/Portals/Multimedia/CSIROpod/Wood-heater-pollution.aspx

This is why, for us, living in valley towns like Derby and Branxholm is out of the question. Thankfully our soon-to-be residence is right on the edge of Weldborough away from smokey chimneys on cold winter nights. I wonder if the locals could be re-educated to use heaters in the most efficient manner and to cut down on smoke emissions. After all, clean air is in everyone's best interests.

Jazztronaut training.

Jazz has been in training for her voyage. It's not quite the same as sending an astronaut into outer space but the environment will be challenging for her. Gradually, she has become accustomed to car travel through progressively longer trips. Alas, there's no way to simulate a sea voyage in the hold of a boat but she's shown enough resolve and should manage the trip OK. Her new home will be cooler than Melbourne and she's likely to enjoy all the open space and fresh air. Preparations have been made, the countdown has started, we're now at T minus five weeks and counting.

A Russian hat.

(web image)

The weather is warming up (1°C now!) and the days are getting longer. Ben's daily routine is a big breakfast in the canteen, followed by a big lunch and then he's out for about seven hours. He's visited the museum a couple of times and been to the Berlin Zoo, the aquarium and also Legoland. He's planning to attend a gym class and see some concerts in Berlin. A busy schedule keeps his mind off health, which is a good strategy although it would obviously be nice to have some company.

Oh yes... and he bought himself a Russian hat! I'm sure it's very practical but will he wear it in Tasmania?

News story: Snow and ice spread across the country.

Ninety days in Berlin.

It's been ninety days since Ben left Tassie and headed to Berlin. With no appointments organised and no accommodation booked it was a bold (and slightly desperate) move. As the days passed and with the help and kindness of people like Ms Fabienne Kurzke (the Helios coordinator), staff at Pension Geissler, Anna (friend and nurse from Freiburg), Ms Tatjana Buchmueller (accounts person at Helios Berlin Buch), Mrs Bettina Warmbrunn (person in charge of Campus Buch), Dr Hagemann (neurologist), Dr Schromm (ENT surgeon Bad-Saarow), Dr Till Rathert (ENT specialist Berlin Buch) and others, Ben's health and wellbeing has improved. No "quick fix" was possible but definite progress has been made and symptoms can be adequately managed.

Ben's mate, Rob from Weldborough says, in his usual forthright manner, it's not the place where you are but the people who matter most. Sincere thanks to all those mentioned above. Special thanks: to Fabienne for patiently answering so many emails, organising accommodation and helping with the visa extension; to Mrs Warmbrunn for printing documents and delivering messages so promptly; to Anna for travelling all the way to visit Ben in Berlin and, later in Freiburg, helping out when he was hit hard by serious side-effects of new medication; to Dr Hagemann for his professional help and supporting the tall Aussie patient who'd just turn up at his office from time to time; and to Dr Rathert for the warm conversations and advice. Ben could, I'm sure, add more to the list.

Finally, it's not over till it's over! There are forty five more days till our patient traveller returns to Tas. Here's hoping that health issues can quietly slip into the background and life can get back to normal, whatever that is.

Blue men.

Ben's been to see the Blue Man Group in Berlin which is an amazing show by all accounts. I could be wrong but I think they're blue because of the cold.

Brrr-lin, 18 below!

Ben likes cold, but does he like it this cold?

Somewhere to live.

This is the cottage that we'll rent in Weldborough. It's classed as a four-room house with two bedrooms, kitchen and dining room. It also has a bathroom and laundry. Located on the eastern edge of town, it should be well away from smokey chimneys. It's very clean and tidy inside with polished wood and tiled floors. Unfortunately, there are no sheds or outbuildings and we do have plenty of items that belong more in a shed than a house. There's alot of land around the cottage so maybe the owner won't mind us building an unobtrusive and temporary shed. The dish on the roof is for satellite TV but we won't be subscribing.

Update from Little Plains, Tasmania

It's quite a role reversal. I'm at the lookout with the wallabies and phoning Ben who's not in Tas. After six hours of bureaucratic procedures in several locations, the visa extension has been approved. Ben's feeling better and will leave Berlin at the end of March. Meanwhile accommodation in Tas has been organized so pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. It's raining and getting dark as I type this on Tess' iPad. Back to the miner's hut for a good night's sleep with fewer things to worry about.