Kitchen workshop.

There's not much eating room on our kitchen table.

Keeping busy.

One of the Ork Boyz.
Orks are ugly, strong, fierce and ugly.

There’s not much spare time in a day. There are large and small Warhammer models to be painted with more due to arrive in the post. This is one of the Orks and each model has an amazing amount of detail. Ben’s become very proficient at painting chequerboard patterns. The PS3 is getting a workout into the early hours as the mysterious world of Skyrim gradually unfolds. Before Christmas, we rang around to find a store that had the strategy guide in stock, then drove down a busy freeway to Narre Warren to pick it up. There are daily exercises to be done and short walks along the bike path. Visits to the Country Club are becoming rare and we no longer play pool or snooker every day. There’s only time for two fairly-meagre meals each day. Another Christmas day has come and gone; we had a pleasant afternoon lunch at the nieces' house.

23rd Birthday.

Birthday presents.

Tess organised our gathering at The Local in Carlisle Street. Meals were tasty, company was good, the place was full and thankfully that noisy hen’s table nearby finally quieted once their food arrived. Thanks to Tess, Dan, Mel, Tim, mum, Gavin, Maryann and Peter for coming to the party.

Two years ago, Ben celebrated his 21st birthday by himself in a Berlin guesthouse. The two birthdays before that, he went out with a couple of school mates. And the one before that, his 18th, saw the arrival of a shy little Labrador. Today, 23rd birthday plus one day, the two school mates called in, as did a German friend who visited him in the Berlin guesthouse. It was wonderful to see them all in the kitchen under the watchful eye of Jazz the no-longer-shy Labrador. Thanks to Anna, Damien and David for visiting our often-quiet kitchen.

Using computers is still somewhat difficult but all the Facebook messages were seen and most responded to. Thanks to the US-based gamers: Chad, Justin, Chuck, Kyle and Isaac for their well wishes.

Fireworks.

Thousands of people attended last night’s Carols by Candlelight at Jell’s Park. There was hardly a candle to be seen and Carols by Glow Stick would be a more accurate name for the event. We listened to performers, winced at the host’s jolly banter and tried our best to ignore frequently repeated sponsorship acknowledgements. There were long queues at the fried food caravans and even longer queues for the portable toilets. A young pop singer performed her latest single and encouraged the audience to join in the chorus. Not many sang because it was difficult to know what was verse and what was chorus in a song with so few lyrics. Some had brought their fashionable pooches to hear the music and be terrified by the fireworks. We did wonder what would happen if we’d taken Jazz and accidentally lost her in the crowd, most of whom were seated on the ground. It was easy to picture a happy labrador tail zig-zagging its way through silhouetted pockets of panic. Not being fans of traditional carols or boppy tunes like Jingle Bell Rock, we didn’t stay very long. Behind the stage, Santa donned his safety harness and chatted with the crew who would operate his platform lift machine. Further back, an ominous explosives truck was parked in a fenced and patrolled area. As we headed home to the kitchen, we stopped in a dark and empty field to marvel at the sparkling fizz, whistle and bang of the grand finale fireworks display.

Catching Fire.

Wintry cold returned for a few days and that would make any weary knight more comfortable by his bonfire. Dark Souls has been temporarily shelved 23 kilometres from home, thus removing the temptation to continue those relentless battles. Sunday evening, after church, we ventured to a nearby shopping centre where there are three relatively-new Indian restaurants. They’re all in the same block of shops and all happened to be empty. After choosing the restaurant with its menu pasted on the window, we had a pleasant meal of spicy chicken vindaloo, mild eggplant masala with saffron rice and garlic naan. When offered a choice of spicy or mild, Ben will always choose spicy and, if super-spicy is available, he’ll have that. An hour later we’re seated in another sparsely occupied room, cinema 2 of the Village Cinemas at The Glen, watching The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It’s the first cinema movie Ben’s seen for nearly 18 months. He found the seating a little uncomfortable but really enjoyed the film. The “catching fire” theme was further enhanced by the after-effects of spicy vindaloo and an empty water bottle.

Dark Souls.

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After fighting dragons, demons and monsters, a lone weary knight rests by a bonfire to gather strength for the battles to come. Dark Souls is regarded as an extremely difficult game and, after many sessions of play and much study of a comprehensive guidebook purchased online, Ben finally reached the end. However, once you reach the end, the game restarts with increased levels of difficulty. Fortunately the player retains weapons, items and skills from the previous game; and battles that were once incredibly difficult can be won in a few seconds. Bonfires wouldn’t be very restful here at the moment, it’s the second day of summer and we’re expecting a sunny 36°C maximum. And battling in all that armour would be very uncomfortable, making it even more difficult.

Who’s counting?

"I like to count."
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Today Ben attended medical appointment #37 for the year with another appointment next week and possibly one more before the end of the year. The Falcon, which has taken us to nearly all those appointments, ticked over 250,000km on the odometer yesterday. There are twenty five days till Christmas, though it's not such a big deal any more. Tess is counting down her final days at the AASB before starting a new job in 2014. Ben's birthday is coming up soon, adding another year to his age. Jazz is older too and still has two meals a day plus snacks in between. There are so many things to count and, as the muppet from Transylvania is fond of saying, I like to count.

Cockatoo.

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Cockatoos are very common. We often see small flocks of white cockatoos wheeling around and hear their raucous screeching. My personal favourite is the yellow tailed black cockatoo. We sometimes see them from the kitchen window and there were large flocks near Weldborough in Tasmania. Their distinctive call sounds prehistoric and they’re beautifully graceful in flight. Cockatoo also happens to be the name of a little town in the Dandenong Ranges, not far from Emerald. Ben and I drove through there once, after taking a wrong turn on the way back from Healesville, and I can’t say I remember what the town looks like. We ended up somewhere deep and dark in the Bunyip State Forest with no mobile phone reception. But I digress... back to today's theme. Cockatoo, the town, is also where Ben’s mum is now staying with a friend who owns a number of Mercedes Benz. We haven’t seen mum’s black Merc for several weeks but she has been driving a sleek SLK roadster and a more sedate silver Merc sedan. Ben’s been to visit a few times and Tess visited once too. As for me, I still can’t say what the town of Cockatoo looks like.

Uncle Ben.

According to their parents, the little nieces are quite fond of Uncle Ben and often ask about visiting. We never actually hear the girls talking and mostly just follow at a watchful distance as they busily and silently buzz around the house and garden. They visited on Saturday and again on Monday and no household object is safe from those curious little fingers. Jazz, however, is perfectly safe because they’re both terrified of her. Ben is so popular that the parents would like him to look after the nieces on occasions when the parents go out to movies or restaurants. When the time’s right, we’ll do a trial run and see how it goes.

Supernatural.

Sam and Dean
(web image)

Supernatural, with its suspenseful storylines and gruesome imagery, was once one of Ben’s favourite TV series but last year he was unable to watch for even a few minutes. Tonight we viewed an entire episode in one sitting. Dean is captured by a djinn, an evil spirit who makes Dean believe that he’s awoken in an alternate reality where life is easy and happy. However it’s just a trick of the mind that the djinn uses to preserve the hapless victim while his blood is slowly consumed. The spell is imperfect and Dean, warned by a ghostly figure, tears himself away from the lure of that perfect life. Dean's brother Sam rescues him and together they confront and destroy the evil spirit. Ben has seen the episode before but can’t remember how long ago. And what do you do after watching a gruesome, suspenseful story? It seems that painting Orks is a good way to relax when you’re wound up. And what’s an Ork? That’s a story for another time.

Expanding horizon.

Small steps are important.

Emerald - gem of the hills.

Today we went for another drive up Wellington Rd to Emerald. Tess and Dan came along this time and, after a late lunch at the bakery, waited with us at Emerald station. Puffing Billy, on its last run of the day, arrived precisely at 4:45pm. I think there’s more than one Puffing Billy engine because this one was a light brown or tan colour and I’ve previously seen a green one, or was it black? Speaking of trains and colours, Dan wore bright blue trainers with lovely emerald green laces that happened to match Tess’ emerald green dress.

Snooker.

We played our first-ever game of snooker yesterday. I copied this diagram onto a scrap of paper so, at least, we looked like we knew what we were doing. The table's enormous, the game took ages and we were both tired afterwards. Thanks to a video posted online by a group of 12 year old English girls, we knew how to score the points but not the penalties. It was a low scoring game but there was a winner.

Country club.

There’s a country club near our house. I'm not sure why it's called a country club because our house is in the suburbs and so too is the club. Last week, Ben and I paid the annual fees and, in today's mail, received temporary-member cards. Only after some kind of board approval process will we be granted full membership. The club has many mostly-older members who enjoy a variety of pursuits. There’s a room full of flashy melodic poker machines but they’re of no interest to us. We’re also not interested in lawn bowls, indoor bowls, squash, tennis, golf or darts. They do have two pool tables and two snooker tables which is the reason why we joined. There’s a bistro and bar where full members get discounts on food and drinks. This afternoon we played our first pool games; sipped full-price lemon, lime and bitters; munched on free peanuts and heard for the very first time the raucous sound of a post-game gaggle of lawn bowlsers.

The Z word!

Shaun of the Dead
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We’ve watched anime, sci fi and adventure films. The latest genre on the kitchen theatre menu has been zombie films starting with 28 Weeks Later and a computer game called The Walking Dead. Not being a fan, it’s taken a while to get used to the gore that horror aficionados seem to appreciate. A few practical lessons have been learned along the way. For example, a wooden stake through the heart is not the correct method of dispatching a zombie and cloves of garlic won’t keep them at bay either. The latest film, which we’ve just finished, was a British comedy-zombie effort called Shaun of the Dead. Though initially unimpressed with the unappealing characters and absurd storyline, Ben suggested I persevere and, after a while, the understated and sometimes ridiculous humour did manage to bring a laugh or two. My favourite moment was when the main characters met another group of people who were remarkably similar. Yes, I know it doesn’t sound funny but, in the context of a film full of unexpected moments, it was such an unexpected moment.

Changing state.

The fatigued and much-travelled Tasmanian number plate has been handed in to VicRoads together with the required paperwork, certification and payment. The red Ducati now has a shiny new Victorian plate on its rear and a faded plastic rego label holder bolted to the frame. Like many other states, Tasmania abolished rego labels some time ago but they’re still required in Victoria till the end of the year.

In other news of the day, Tess’ boyfriend Dan’s Australian citizenship application has been approved. After submitting paperwork, certification and payment; and completing a half-hour general knowledge test in less than two minutes with a score of 100%, the approval letter arrived today. Dan still has to wear his British plates until a formal ceremony takes place after which he can keep the Brit plates and wear Aussie one’s too. Thankfully we don’t have to stick a label on him each year.

Hello world.

A large National Geographic world map now adorns the lounge room wall, just next to the kitchen. It was ordered online a few weeks ago and, for a while, we thought it was lost. Mum is travelling the world today, or a small part of it, from here to Vietnam and returns in approximately two weeks time. It’s becoming a well-worn track with this being trip #3 for the year. We’re planning a small trip of our own, from home to Healesville and back, later in the week.

Grand Final day.

Not being all that interested in football, we took the Skyline for a run to Emerald. It’s a pleasant drive on country roads and only a short distance from home. We had an unplanned entree stop for a hot dog and two jam donuts at a van beside the road followed by a planned late lunch at the Emerald Bakery. Puffing Billy chuff-chuffed and whistled through town just after we arrived. The roads were very quiet, as was the bakery and Potters Pool Hall on the way home. And, as hundreds of thousands of footy fans cheered, the game score was... two-one in Ben's favour.

Space marines.

Interest in Warhammer model painting has resumed and the Space Marine squad is looking resplendent in its new blue colours. There's alot of fine detail that's hard to show in a photograph. The job’s not finished yet, the Orks have to be painted next and they’ll be an ugly shade of green. There are space marines (real ones, and ugly as well) in Avatar and we’ve been watching the movie over the last few days. It’s an amazing film and the computer-generated scenery is stunning. The theme of greedy corporate miners versus spiritually-connected natives seems very familiar.

Gradation graduation.

The eight-week term has ended and Ben has completed a set of colour mixing charts. The basics of oil painting do take a while to learn and colours have many shades and hues. He's re-enrolled for next term and will begin work on a small art project.

Blue light.

We rented then purchased a GoLite Blu™ in 2009 to help with a sleep disorder or, more accurately, a waking-up disorder. It’s hard to know if it worked because several medications were in use at the same time but maybe it did help a little. It was then packed away in its box for three years. Now it’s out again, on the kitchen table and casting eerie face shadows during breakfast.

Raising the Titanic.

On our kitchen table, three hundred and ninety seven press-out cardboard pieces have been successfully assembled into a scale model of the Titanic. The model was completed yesterday morning, just before we voted in the federal election, visited the local library then played a few pool games at Potters. There was no cardboard iceberg in the model kit and someone unfamiliar with the story would simply marvel at a mighty ship. Unlike collisions with icebergs in the dark, the election result was widely anticipated and no serious injuries have been reported. SS Australia has a new captain and adjusted course to starboard.

Incense stick.

There was once a time when the slightest whiff of smoke would cause major anxiety. Because of smoke, we drove half a freezing night from Cambridge to St Helens with Ben riding the just-purchased red Ducati. Because of smoke, he left the beach campsite to live in the mountains at Weldborough. To avoid the smoky air, we rented a cold little cottage right on the edge of town. Today, without any ceremony or even a comment, Ben lit an incense stick.

Nieces visit.

Ben’s little nieces visited on Saturday. Because we don’t see them very often, they’re both very quiet and wary of us. Little frowns and staring eyes give clear warning, “Don’t take another step closer or I’ll burst into tears!” After an hour, they’re still quiet but busily running around the house examining objects of interest and moving things. After another half-hour, they’re outside collecting flowers in the garden. Much to my surprise, May says, “There’s Ben,” as he comes outside to soak up some sun; and in the afternoon last-day-of-winter sunlight we watch their also-silent and equally-busy shadows.

Tentativity.

It’s a new word, I just invented it. If a person can be sensitive and display sensitivity, it seems reasonable that someone can be tentative and display tentativity. For example, you might read a story about Ben watching game streams and assume that it’s the beginning of a whole new activity. However, while the activity did begin, it did not continue. There’s a long list of activities that haven’t continued: motorbike riding, fossicking, eating salmon many times a week, computer use, tap dancing, reading SMS’s, music lessons, long walks, making Warhammer models and so on. The difficulty with tentativity is that it’s hard to know what will last and what will cease. And it’s always a surprise when an apparently strong interest simply vanishes.

Ben had a night out last night, staying at Tooradin with mum and her friend. Jazz and I had a quiet night in.

Thinking about psychology.

I’m still not totally clear what psychologists do; except for listening to people and charging for the experience. It’s nice when someone listens and, I’m told, psychologists don’t just listen, they talk a little and offer suggestions from various books. We recently met a former psychology student who was very keen to help people but found the detailed study of statistics to be a considerable impediment.

The reason psychology comes to mind on this particular day is presently basking in the sun on the decking. Jazz has an intermittent psychological barrier to climbing stairs; she’ll get to the first landing then hesitate and can go no further. Last summer, when I told the vet about this problem, she joyfully ruffled Jazz’s ears and said, “Ooh, you’re psychological!” in the same way that someone would say, “Ooh, you’re a lovely dog!” Having owned a dog for a while, I understand a little about dog psychology. I’ve tried placing her food bowl at the top of the stairs, without success as she struggled yet failed to step off the landing. I’ve carried her up the stairs on several occasions and 26 kilograms of wiggling labrador is a very difficult load to manage... and of course, doing it for her doesn’t solve the problem. The solution is to do a “reset”: go downstairs, play for a while, say the word “hungry” which causes her to jump and bump into my shoulder, then say “up”, quickly go inside via the garage and close the door. That’s the usual queue for her to run up the outside stairs. Today it took two “resets” but eventually worked a treat. Perhaps a detailed knowledge of statistics would reveal a better way to solve the problem but I doubt it. Some barriers are there and we just have to work out a way to go around them.

Camping in the kitchen.

The wattles along Dandenong Creek are blooming, so too the cherry blossoms along nearby streets. According to the calendar, it’s not yet Spring but flowers and trees have their own, more flexible, calendars. Ben’s camping gear has been packed away for over a year and it’s time to air out the two sleeping bags and the small tent. (The large tent is still in Tassie). Of course, once you put up a tent, it’s hard to resist the urge to get in it. This is advertised as a two-person tent but I think two would be uncomfortably cosy. At full stretch, Ben doesn’t quite fit and has to lie down diagonally, corner to corner. We don’t have any plans to travel, although we do talk about places like Tasmania, Berlin and Benalla quite often. For now, the tent’s just getting some air in the kitchen.

Gaming again?

Journey (web image)

Once upon a time, Ben was an avid gamer who won a trip to play competitively in the US. After that, his interest in games diminished to absolute zero for a couple of years. Lately he's been watching Starcraft streams and marvelling at the strategies used by high-level players in fast-moving and lucrative competitions. In addition, we're still watching DVDs and our viewing has recently been enhanced by the purchase of a Blu Ray player that happens to be contained within a Playstation PS3. The return to gaming is somewhat tentative and the first-person perspective of games like Portal are disorientating, even though Portal does seem to be a very interesting game. One game that impresses the most-disinterested of gamers (that's me) is Journey. Its images are beautifully cinematographic and the music, sounds and effects are almost spell-binding. About twenty minutes of play is the current comfort limit and that's more than enough time to get from one save-point to the next. Progressing gradually through the levels and another boundary slowly crumbles.

Art class.

With his old Nazareth College bag on his back and a plastic toolbox full of new paints and brushes in hand, Ben attended a Neighbourhood House art class today. At home, in the kitchen, he sometimes draws detailed pencil sketches of nearby objects. This class teaches oil painting so the level of detail will be different however the ability to sketch will be a great advantage. Ben, being the only beginner, is learning to mix colours while other class members work on their projects including a portrait of a Golden Retriever and a painting of Napoleon on his horse. He enjoyed the first class and claims to have lowered the average age of the group by approximately twenty years.

Six foot fence.

According to Darryl of Daz’s Fencing, everyone wants a six-foot paling fence these days. One of our two backyard neighbours wanted one and we obliged by paying half the cost. Their back yard is now walled in by six-foot palings on three sides. Thankfully, a lower fence separates us from our other neighbour and it’s still possible to chat face-to-face, or pat their Irish Wolfhound who can easily peer over. Not so the other neighbours, it’s no longer possible to look over and greet Murphy the King Charles Cavalier every morning, and talking to him through the fence just isn’t the same. Ben could see over a six-foot fence if he wanted, though he rarely ventures out to the far corners of the yard. Our kitchen is high enough to see over the lower fence and we do occasionally watch newborn lambs playing in the garden or marvel at how the Wolfhound pays no attention to the chickens. I suspect that Jazz would be quite interested in chickens. Unfortunately it seems that illness is a bit like a fence, it keeps us in and other people out.

Ready to rumble.

They don’t really rumble but do have a nice note. Ben pays one rego and I pay the other which also has to be transferred from Tas to Vic when it expires in October. I’ve considered selling both bikes because they don’t get much use. Each usually has a short run on alternate weekends with dates duly noted on a whiteboard in the garage. Resale value of a '99 Honda VTR is fairly low and ours has a dented fuel tank that further reduces its value. The '98 Ducati's in good condition but there are so many more-modern bikes available. We’d be lucky to find a buyer who wants a Ducati Monster 600 as much as Ben did when, after the unexpected demise of the VTR, we bought this one in Hobart. Rightly or wrongly, I think of the bikes as a barometer and, one day, when they're regularly back on the road, it's a sure sign of recovery. That’s why we’re keeping them for a while longer.

Magic wand.

We’ve been watching Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. It’s action-packed with battles, baddies, ghosts and magic; nightmare material for little kids, that’s for certain. Ben explained how the stories have developed and changed over the various books in the series, starting as a children’s story and evolving into something much darker. He seems to know alot about characters and places; and even knows a few incantations. Being unfamiliar with the books, I had some difficulty following the storyline of this the final movie (or is it?). It's obvious that magic wands are very useful, if not a tad dangerous in the wrong hands. If I had a wand, I’d wave it around our kitchen and chant a spell that makes everyone and everything better, starting with you know who.

Play catch?

Throw and catch, back and forward, left hand, right hand, fast, slow, high or low. We played catch at Weldborough, in the yard behind the cottage and out of Jazz’s view because she got very upset watching others play ball. We played catch in Cairns, with this yellow ball purchased at the shopping centre after hours of unsuccessful shoe shopping. We play now, in the lounge because Jazz can see us in the kitchen, and at the local park on warm sunny days. You have to pay attention because, if you think about anything else, you’ll drop the ball. Just throw and catch.

BSG.

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There are many series and films that we've started viewing but not finished. For some reason, interest just seems to vanish after a while, even though we've enjoyed the early scenes. One of the thus-far enduring series is Battlestar Galactica where the last survivors of the human race defend themselves against the Cylons; robots who have somehow evolved from mechanical 'chrome toasters' into an organic form that's impossible to distinguish from human beings. So far, we've seen six of the twelve unique Cylons models of which there are many copies... and, we're told, they have a plan. There's even one with an Aussie accent, how devious those Cylons are! Cleverly scripted stories keep us interested with a host of strong characters; awesome spaceships and effects; and interesting themes of survival, justice, hope, loyalty, betrayal, myth and belief. We've yet to understand why there's ample gravity inside the spaceships while, outside, objects float around as you'd expect. However if FTL drives can propel ships faster than light, generating a bit of gravity can't be all that difficult. Our kitchen can't jump across the universe but does have its own gravity. It's refreshing to imagine other worlds and immerse yourself in the twists and turns of a really good story.

Warm water pool.

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As well as visiting Potters Pool Hall on a regular basis, Ben's also a regular visitor to the warm water pool at the Monash Aquatic Centre in Waverley Road. Warm water is good for aches and pains and, looking back at the diary, we were regular visitors there about four years ago when the mysterious shoulder and joint pains first appeared. At that time, any water was considered therapeutic and Ben often went swimming at Chelsea beach where the water was anything but warm. I still remember sitting on the sand on a dark moonless night while, somewhere out beyond the sand bar, Ben and Damien swam laps parallel to the beach. Renewing some of these old routines initially feels a bit odd, especially when you thought that you'd moved on from a certain stage. Progress isn't a straight line. We float around a vortex avoiding the rapidly spinning centre and seeking calmer water. It is calmer now... and the pool is warmer than the bay.

Minus 5 in Weldborough.

(web image by
Weldborough Hotel)

It's cold in Weldborough and, I'm reliably informed, there are a few people camping in the hotel grounds. We camped there in the winter cold: tents crisp with ice, two sleeping bags just warm enough and campground taps frozen solid. Our kitchen's cold in the early mornings but not that cold and Ben hibernates in the warmth of his room until late morning anyway. Sedation is one of the medication side effects but that's minor in the scheme of things because sleeping well is infinitely better than not sleeping well. He plans to enrol in a local art class in term 3. The class is just two hours per week for eight weeks. They have a German language class in the evening, which is also of interest and could be useful when he eventually returns to Berlin for the last of the medical trips. In the meantime, a frosty Weldborough morning is usually the prelude to a magic blue-sky day. We'll visit there too, one day.

Starcraft streams.

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We've got by with wireless internet since returning from Tas but, now that Ben's keen on watching video streams of Starcraft battles, it's time to sign up for ADSL with a large monthly quota. These battles are broadcast like sports events with american-accented commentators who banter quietly with each other until the action peaks and their voices escalate into a manic overdrive of incomprehensible Starcraft lingo. Winners are applauded by the arena crowd and cameras cut to downcast losing teams and their equally despondent coaches. It seems the Koreans are masters of the game, closely followed by the Chinese, then a much smaller group of Europeans and Americans. There are a few Canadians and, much to Ben's delight, a lone Australian who progressed through a few early rounds but was then defeated by one of the heavyweights. Ben used to be an avid stay-up-all-night gamer but the interest now is just to watch, not to participate.

The ghost in the mirror.

On the 25th June 2012, on a freezing winter's night, in an unheated cottage far from just about everywhere, a ghost appeared in the mirror. The forlorn apparition seemed tired and lost yet not as scary as you'd expect a ghost to be. No one else was present, just myself and the ghost in the mirror. But, if you find the story hard to believe, this photograph is proof.

A busy day out.

We're told that, while routine and structure aid recovery, boundaries have to be pushed from time to time. Ben had a busy day out with mum: lunch at Springvale, then to Mornington to see this year's Archibald Prize paintings, then a massive seafood platter at a pub, and finally "a gig" (solo, guitar and voice) performed by Kyle, the son of one of mum's friends. Kyle's performing in Launceston in August and Ben's considering going along too which, compared to pushing boundaries, would be more like jumping a fence. While they were out, Jazz and I had a quiet night in.

Supplements and creams.

While a qualified doctor prescribes the meds, Ben carefully researches and manages the over-the-counter supplements and creams; which are better described as off-the-shelf or even sourced-overseas-and-delivered-by-postal-courier. There's now a collection of pills, lotions and powders accumulating on the kitchen shelf. The doc is aware of most of them but doesn't believe in their efficacy. Ben does and is aiming to be 200% better than before.

May in June, Summer in winter.

While I was away overnight at the farm: Tess stayed over to keep Ben company, mum came home and on Sunday, Ben's little nieces, May and Summer, called in with their mum. It was a busy full-house in the kitchen on Sunday night; certainly a positive change from our well-established and fairly quiet routine.

A winter's day.

A winter's day,

Colours play,

Candle bright,

Morning light.

Resveratrol reservations.

Ben is conducting a clinical trial of a supplement that contains the same amount of anti-oxidant as 150 glasses of red wine, or some such figure. Tess commented, "It's like having wine but without the fun!" Gold fish given the supplement were found to live 40% longer. Also, according to webmd.com, Rodent studies suggest that Resveratrol might even help against some of the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle and lead to increased longevity. Ben thinks that a substance that benefits both gold fish and rodents with an unhealthy lifestyle might be good for me, and I'm on two tablets per day. Thus far no obvious improvements have been noted, though we're at a very early stage of the trial. Meanwhile Ben's trialing Rosehip, fish oil, vitamin E extracts and other assorted vitamins and supplements.

Blending in.

Ben blending.

Last night we blended in with the crowd attending the opening night of "Control"; a photographic exhibition of large-format images taken in natural light by Daniel J Bushaway. Tess and Dan did a fantastic job of organising and hosting a well-attended event. Can't wait for the "Farm" or even the "Tassie" exhibitions! Ben's already pre-planned what to wear and my own wardrobe does need some fine tuning.

One year in the kitchen.

Our corner of the universe.

Stardate -310409.58, or thereabouts. Travel from Earth to Mars takes about 10 months using current technology, and with planets in a favourable alignment. We've been living in the kitchen for longer than that but at least we haven't been cooped up in a tiny capsule and Ben can step out of the kitchen (and the house) as often as he feels so inclined, which is once every day or two. I, on the other hand, frequently don the spacesuit and venture out. Of course the current environment is very different to the wild outdoors of NE Tas or the bitter cold of a Berlin winter but we're settled and things are going OK. "All systems nominal," as a space commander would say. The Jazztronaut lives just outside the kitchen, keeping a close watch through the glass and making sure her sustenance is provided at correct times. Unlike a sojourn to Mars, we're not sure how long this trip will take, nor certain where we'll end up. But some things can't be hurried and the warp drive is out of action; note to self: check for Dilithium Crystals at the local supermarket. "Engage thrusters, Mr Sulu. Plot us a course to an improved outlook!"

Historical note: Ben returned to Melb on 15 May 2012,with mum and Tess. Diary note 15/5/2012: Me and Jazz in house at Weldborough. Plans in disarray. Too naive and optimistic, still thought he'd be OK after a stay in hospital!... What to do now?

One year ago, this happened.

One year ago, this happened
and it was a very difficult time.

Mum's Merc.

The "old" four-wheel-drive ML320 Mercedes Benz reached a more-expensive-than-usual point in its maintenance schedule and has recently been traded for a Merc C200 sedan; a glossy black, 2010 model with leather seats and an assortment of modern gadgets. We saw the "new" car last night and also received some new T-shirts and a book from mum's recent trip to Sydney art galleries. In addition, we got to sort through two bags of "near new" clothes for any useful items. We're not sure where the clothes came from but one of the jackets had a fairly-recent funeral notice in the pocket.

Vanilla or chocolate?

Today we took Jazz to meet a new friend. Abby is only 13 weeks old and very playful. Both pups got a thorough workout chasing each other around the garden. It was a little difficult to sit and sip tea while all the mayhem was happening. Abby's chocolate coated. Jazz looks vanilla but her coat is more like pale banana.

Snoozeberries.

(Escher, Day and Night, web image)

Twelve awake,
Twelve asleep,
Tablets dubbed "snoozeberries".
Writing alot,
But I don't know what.
Fragments assembling,
Chemistry adjusting,
Feeling better than before.
Equilibrium achieved?
Maybe...

Tinker tailor utter mutter.

Thanks to subtitles, frequent rewinds, pause-please discussions and a quick peek at a film synopsis, we pondered our way through Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and almost understood the story. We had more success watching True Grit (the re-make) and only occasionally required subtitles to understand the muttering cowboys.

Sea Shepherd, Williamstown.

Today we ventured out of the kitchen and pushed a few boundaries by braving the busy freeway, grubby city air and a persistent sore ankle. The Sea Shepherd ships and crew pushed boundaries, circumvented limitations and crossed lines in their recent battles with Japanese whaling vessels on the icy Southern Ocean. The young American volunteer who guided our group around the Bob Barker told us of her sea sickness, fears, tears and elation on her first trip south. "I don't want to go again, but I will!" she said with quiet and sincere determination. Our small group sat comfortably and relaxed in the crew's lounge, watched a short video and listened to stories of various campaigns world wide. We'd all seen the video footage of colliding ships and could now see for ourselves the battered hulls and damaged superstructure. Ships aren't built for even moderately tall people so we had to watch for low ceilings, beams and hatchways. We also toured the newer Sam Simon, which was once a Japanese whaling vessel, and would like to go back soon to tour the Steve Irwin.

Bob Barker.

In the lounge.

On the bridge.

Sam Simon.