Have I told you how much I love you. . . . ?

A couple of other loves in Melbourne. I can't believe I forgot to mention the produce. Oh my goodness. It is so good. I have made, bought and eaten the best salads of my life here. The carrots are so sweet; and the Cos lettuce (a lettuce with a sturdiness somewhere between leaf and Romaine) is luscious. The pears are divine.

Then, there's Her Majesty. I know I've mentioned her before (she's my bicycle), but there is nothing more wonderful than bicycling around the city. . . lots of safe paths. . and a lot of road riding with bike lanes painted in. We haven't seen anyone texting and driving here, so though the traffic can be heavy, drivers are generally aware of the bicyclists.

And, for M, I have vowed to get more serious about starting a "Drink and Draw" group when I get home. I know you're serious about it, and I've finally found the wherewithal in myself to start drawing again, as evidenced here.  I have always known that I just need to draw at least one image a day, and finally, I'm doing it. On our little patio, with a cheap book and a #2 mechanical pencil. So easy. One just needs to begin. Isn't it that way with everything?

 Another thing to love about Melbourne is the architecture. It is so reminiscent of New Orleans, with all of the ironwork here. John has hypothesized that there must be a lot of iron deposits close by. And the brickwork, and clay (we think) relief on the buildings is astonishing. It's not just for rich folks, either. The images below are what were probably working class homes, though now they're quite expensive because of the close location to the city. Still. They're middle class homes.

I also started at the pottery studio in town today. I can't tell you how I had to force myself to just show up, buy the clay, pay for studio time, and then sit there and look at the clay, completely without inspiration. What? Yes. It's true. However. I was chatting with a young artist there, fessed up as to how clueless I felt, and she said "Just do something. Anything". Before I knew it, I had carved a tile, and thrown a pot that I'll alter later in the week. Sometimes. . . have I said this already? Sometimes, you just need to make yourself begin.

Finally, yesterday, I discovered what I think might be the dark side of socialized medicine. I had a formal prescription description from my doc in the U.S. regarding the scripts that I need. Not only did I have to go visit a doctor ($75) to get the script rewritten, but I was informed that they could not legally prescribe one of my medications. Instead, I was given a pricey prescription for something "natural". What could go wrong? Oh wait. Arsenic is natural. . .so is cyanide. Remember the good old days when we used lead arsenate as a pesticide? Repeat. What could go wrong?

Grr. It turns out, that in spite of what I read online about bringing prescription medications into the country (no more than 30 days supply), the good doctor said he always advises folks from out of country to bring a six-month supply. Who knew? Ah well. We'll see if I survive another 5 months of sleeplessness. Small sigh.

Still. I know that I'm lucky to be here. And this is all part of traveling isn't it? The different, both positive and negative.