Wheelers to Weldborough.

9.15am Garage the trusty old Skyline and disconnect the battery. 10.10am Leave the house and walk to Ferntree Gully Rd. 10.30am Catch a 753 bus which turns up precisely on time. 11.02am Board a city-bound train at Glen Waverley station. 11.30am Wait two minutes at Richmond Station for a loop train . 12noon Catch a "Skybus" at Southern Cross station. 12.20pm Arrive at the domestic terminal, Melbourne Airport. 12.30pm Feed my suitcase into an automated luggage check-in machine. (Wander around the airport for 2.5 hours - have arrived way too early, which is typical!) 3.00pm Board the flight to Launceston, forcing several rows of passengers to shuffle down to their correct seats. 3.20pm Fly out over the bay and Bass Strait. 4.25pm Land in Launceston, collect luggage and pay $65 for 6 days and 15 minutes long-term parking. 4.40pm Marvel at a spectacular golden sunset while also feeling weird about being back in Tasmania. Start the Falcon without problems. Buy fuel and head out of town. 5.18pm Swing slowly around the tight hairpin bend at Myrtle Park. 5.33pm Stop briefly at the Sideling to survey the scenery. 5.58pm Break for dinner at "The Oasis", Lord's Hotel in Scottsdale. 6.30pm Back on the road, turn right at the T-intersection towards St Helens. 6.47pm Breeze past Branxholm looking for signs of life, can't see anyone. 6.53pm Drive through deserted Derby. 7.05pm Motor past the golf course in misty Moorina. 7.15pm Arrive in Weldborough and note that the pub is still open. 7.20pm Unlock the back door of the cottage and enter, it's chilly inside!

It's really not all that difficult!

Today's news is that Ben can go home from hospital on Saturday.

Meanwhile - in NE Victoria.

Recently, in NE Victoria, Ben's sister and her boyfriend, both being artistically minded, staged an event that would have made Northern Exposure's resident artist, Chris Stevens, exceptionally proud. I'm reliably informed that no caravans were harmed in the production of this photograph. In NE Tasmania, the only remaining family representative, Jazz, waits patiently to be collected from the Wagabouts Boarding Kennels on Friday. She'll return to Melbourne next week along with her co-owner and a car load of items. The decision has been made to abandon our remote southern outpost and transport everything back to the mainland.

Visiting the patient.

Ben will be in hospital at Box Hill for a while. He had three family visitors today and we even managed to take a photo.

Dark at 3pm.

Who said darkness descends at 5pm? It was dark at 3pm on Friday! Storms hit just after lunch, knocking out the power with the very first lightning flash. Not a word from those pitiful pines either, no doubt too scared to move in case they were struck next. It looked like the rivers might cut the highway, threatening the trip to the kennels at St Helens and then on to Launceston airport via St Marys. Ben's back in hospital, this time at Box Hill which is much further for me than Launceston General but not so far that others can't visit. Options are very unclear at the moment, we just have to wait and see. I'm contemplating how, if necessary, to shift everything back to the mainland which, without assistance, would take at least three Bass Strait crossings.

Afternoon update: Jazz got to the kennels and I'm now back home in Melbourne. How odd it feels to be back in the (still unsold) house.

One year ago - boots, gems, bikes and cold.

And a year later, it's just the cold that's relevant. The once-new boots are worn and ragged from constant use, fossicking is on hold and the bikes are safely stored away. Bleakness continues in Weldborough: local rivers are swollen after five days of persistent rain, the ground is soggy and darkness descends at 5pm. Ben's at home in Melbourne, still unwell and wants to return to Tas because he misses the dog. We're unsure if that would be a good idea or not. When in hospital, all we wanted was to get him out. And now, finding the situation difficult to manage, hospital may be a better option so that he’s safe, being cared for by people who, we hope, know what they’re doing and taking medicine which, we hope, will help.

Outside the front window, through a curtain of rain, I see the characteristic tail-up arched-back outline of an ever-fattening yellow labrador making a deposit in the front yard. Better go and poop scoop before she tries to eat it. Dogs are so disgusting! She'll have a change of scenery and some like-minded company when she goes to the kennels tomorrow.

Bleak.

A bleak wintry scene outside the window made it almost impossible to get out of bed this morning.  And now, at 10am, fine mist swirls while those aloof pines whine and whistle when the wind gusts.  Even Jazz prefers the warmth of her kennel today.  I drove to St Helen’s yesterday and had lunch at the waterfront. There’s a suitable boarding kennel for Jazz, just off the highway near Diana’s Basin and the next step is to plan a flight back to Melbourne. Having already forfeited one return air ticket (with luggage allowance), I’m hesitant to push the ‘book and pay’ button until sure that something major won’t change; such are the complexities of a situation which, like the weather, just refuses to stabilise. Work will be happy because a large batch of compilations has been completed and posted over. The AusPost employee had to explain that an Express Post envelope is only for documents and that a USB stick full of documents is not a document. It’ll get there, but not express.  News from Melbourne is that Ben’s slowly improving on new medication; the doctor did say it would take a few weeks to be effective (and that presumes the sometimes-reluctant patient continues to take it!). He’s caught up with some of the relatives and some of his school friends. The socialising helps him to feel better – so rally around one and all!

Which way now?

The pines are busily whispering today, gossiping amongst themselves as they stand tall and observe; all the while feigning disinterest in events below. Their hushed mockery continues as a battered blue ute turns into the driveway, drops off its passenger then reverses quickly away. One of the locals, who doesn't drive, shuffles towards the house. Under his cardigan he's wearing a faded pink T-shirt displaying the words ‘Stroke my ego' and in his hands he's carrying a container of pumpkin soup for my dinner - a thank you for doing a little bit of shopping yesterday.

It's dark, windy and wet tonight. It must have been very difficult to camp out and ride a motorbike in these conditions. Thankfully the cottage is cosy and comfortable; "a stable base from which to study or work," that was the plan.

Mother's Day.

It's been a difficult few weeks but we still had an enjoyable Sunday lunch at the Holy Cow Cafe, Pyengana.

Too far away from just about everywhere.

Ben's out of hospital but requires medication and regular visits to doctors. Thanks to all who sent emails, posted messages of support and/or phoned. Services are fairly limited in Launceston and we live too far away from just about everywhere so, together with Tuyet and Tess who both visited this last weekend, Ben's heading to Melbourne for a while. Jazz and I will hold the fort at Weldborough and ponder what to do next.

The grey cloud.

We sometimes talk about the grey cloud that follows Ben around; it waits till things are going well then descends, spoiling everything. It reappeared with a vengeance last week and smothered him in a fog so thick and soupy that he could barely move or communicate. The emergency department at Scottsdale Hospital turned us away but, thankfully, staff at the local medical centre appreciated the urgency and a doctor saw him very quickly. Referred to LGH, we charged over the Sideling while the doctor rang ahead to let them know we were on the way. Now, seven days later, Ben's still in hospital while doctors adjust medications and search for the appropriate labels to characterise his condition. Understandably, Ben doesn't really want to be there but they require him to stay longer. Yesterday, for the first time, he was permitted to leave the ward for a few hours and we drove down to Evandale which, while close to the city, is far away enough to feel like a country town. He was tired but enjoyed the fresh air.

Launceston General Hospital.

Ben's severely depressed and very unwell. It's been a very difficult few days. He's now in casualty at LGH and may be admitted for a few days. More news to follow...

update:

Admitted for a few days so his condition can be assessed. He's in the best place he could be at the moment.

(Some friends and family have mentioned their intention to visit us during the year and we'd love to see you. Unfortunately I can't say where we'll be on any particular dates. North-east Tassie is a great place and please include us as an "optional extra" on your trip. However don't be too disappointed if, for some unexpected reason, we're not around.)

Adapt, retreat or die.

The sign is on the Myrtle Forest walking trail, just a few kilometers up the road from Weldborough, where placards depict the slow demise of rainforests and the gradual ascendancy of flowering plants over conifers and ferns. Warmth and bright colours don't always suit and, while flowering plants have the upper hand, conifers and ferns cling to the edges and cooler high places.

We have two Californian Redwoods growing in the cottage yard. They tower over the landscape and whisper in the wind. The trees were planted when there was a primary school at this location, some time in the early 1900's.