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.

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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.