The photos are just random shots of the Melbourne Train Station (gorgeous old building); my ongoing love affair with pastry shops (Richard and I shared one small profiterole, but I love taking photos of incredible pastry - these were taken at http://www.michels.com.au/); and my other ongoing love affair, Earl Grey tea at all times of the day and night. I love the ritual of tea in a lovely tea pot, especially when there's a
pretty cup and saucer, a small jug of milk, maybe some sugar if I'm feeling expansive. And yes, the Australian Coffee School seems to be down the road from us. Anyway......Today started with an early visit to the Miss Doctor so they could remove the waterproof dressing, check the incision and how I'm healing, all that stuff. We got the full report, all is well, and I'm healing fine (although still a bit of a bruise, but nothing to worry about). Miss Doctor took a photo of her work (which of course made me crack up
laughing, remembering our porno searchers who found us - maybe this is
why?!?), and apparently one of the spots that I'm left with is a dot of
ink. Yes, I may now have a new tattoo - just one dot. (Dye injected
for the pathology work, I'm guessing.) The incision is re-taped and I have spare tape - just because this is tender skin and the tape adds some support to the incision as it heals. Anyway, all is good, no Lord Voldemort. Miss Doctor told us that the other patient she worked on that same day, who started with all the same symptoms and
test results
that I had initially, did have sinister findings of pre-cancerous cells
and ended up with a mastectomy - so I'm very thankful that I went ahead
with the surgery, don't have any worries, and have the good results.
Very sorry for the other woman, but, well, I'm the one who is okay. So, YAY to our lovely doctor and crew who did such a good job on me - and I highly recommend her if you ever have breast health issues in Melbourne. Or even all of
Australia, I thought she was that good. Fly from Perth,
Darwin, Canberra, wherever. This is the place to go and the lady to
see. Miss Doctor Jane O'Brien:
www.melbournebreastcancersurgery.com.au
Their website: http://www.epworth.org.au/Our-Services/Breast-Services/Pages/Epworth-Richmond-Breast-Service.aspx
I'm now cleared to move on, and as much as we've enjoyed Melbourne, well, there's a whole big country out there.
Over the past few days we've spent time both online and at the Southern Cross Train Station (don't you love it?), planning farther ahead than we normally do - but the routes we plan to travel have trains only once a week this time of year, so that requires
booking
ahead of time. We have plans, but I'll let them unfold as we travel -
we need to build the suspense and keep you readers coming back!On our way to the train station, we were stopped by a cute young guy with a mic and another guy with a TV camera, asking for an interview - Richard, who hates being in front of a camera, said no - the cute guy said they were interviewing people on the street to get opinions about having taxi drivers trained in emergency medical services. Well, you know me, I always have an opinion or two -
so I was filmed! I told them it was
brilliant, that in New York you always hear about women giving birth in
taxis, that if there's a car accident the taxi drivers could do first
aid until the ambulance arrives, etc. (I should have added that in the
last week we've heard about three women up in the Queensland area who
gave birth on the way to the hospital - one was stranded due to the
flooding, one was stuck in traffic, not sure about baby 3.) Anyway, then the interviewer said people here make fun of taxi drivers and their lack of hygiene, and would I be
willing to receive mouth to mouth
resuscitation from a taxi driver? I laughed and said the first thing
that came to mind - I could probably get over whatever I might catch
from a taxi driver, but if mouth to mouth is going to save my life,
yeah, sure, no problem! We all cracked up laughing. No idea if this
will be aired, or what part - but it was funny. Then I ended up
chatting with them and they told me good places to visit in the country.We're exploring our new neighborhood - Victoria Market is absolutely amazing, and one of these days I'll get photos because it really is a unique experience. The place is HUGE! We met a teacher with a batch of students on the tram today, heading to the market for a field trip - 9th grade students - he's an English teacher, I'm guessing the assignment is descriptive writing. Anyway, it's that kind of place - huge, unique, busy, interesting, colorful, full of people and produce and things to sample and smells good and bad, bustling and crowded and fun! Great spot for a quick breakfast or lunch and some people watching. Oh, and probably shopping, too - we haven't done that part of it yet!
We found a lovely Italian restaurant just down the street (well, they call themselves a trattoria) - had dinner there last night, used my little bit of Italian with our waitress, enjoyed the meal, and she asked if we'll be back soon - when we went there again tonight (because the African place nearby was fully booked), she greeted us with a hug and kiss because we did return! It's just that kind of place! She's a tiny sparrow of a woman, busily running around serving and taking orders, with a strong Italian accent that somehow makes her sound more like a New York yenta as she helped Richard decide which veal dish to order: "The piccanti - is veal, is chilli, is lemon, is veal so tender, what's not to like??"
Seriously, that was the conversation! Last night we ended up lingering as we chatted with the group seated next to us - a married couple and a friend - native Australians who shared where to go and what to see, told us about their recent trip to Antarctica, and they were just interesting, funny, enjoyable, and interested in our travels! Tonight we chatted with the other waiter, the young man with gorgeous eyes of an old soul - turns out he's Nepali, and he was telling us about Nepal, where to go, when is the best time of year, and entering Nepal via China is the best way because we'll see the best part of Nepal. It's just that kind of place! We loved it.
The name: Maria's Trattoria, on Peel Street, in North Melbourne. Their website: http://mariastrattoria.com/ Go! Smile, be friendly, chat, look around! Oh, and the tiramisu looked fabulous! We didn't order it, just had espresso. But it did look amazing.
The weather is changing - we had a few nights of heavy rain, and now the air is cooler, the hot summer days seem to be gone. Today was gorgeous but a little bit cool - still beautiful sunny and blue sky, but light sweater or jacket weather. On the news they said that this is the official first day of autumn, and it did feel like it. It's back to what I think of as Seattle summer - warm and sunny with a chill in the back of the breeze, hinting of what is to come.
That kind of gives you an idea of our life in Melbourne - planning time, walking around to explore, sampling food, and meeting new people.
Life on the road is good.
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