Friday: Just back from a quick walk around the farm paddocks with Pierre. Very French, late afternoon walk. Though I still haven't got over the news that Jane and Brian are in France somewhere for six months! Grrrr! Jealousy. I suppose he is retired but still . . .
Still having a quiet time, though visiting the Health Centre each day to have my dressing changed. I found out from the nurse today that Tony Abbot's new Medicare rebates for nursing procedures does not apply to post-operative dressings. Why? That would encourage hospitals to offload them to local medicos. Where they would be cheaper, more efficient and more convenient. What a silly idea!
So the Health Centre is doing me as a sort of grace and favour exercise. So far the Health system is working okay for me though not because of any policy of the present government.

Thursday: I'm having a few restful days at home before the next surgical bash on Monday. Got a notice for it today. Gee, they think of good names. This one is called a Wide Excision Left Cheek Nasiofacialangle. I'm sure that can't be absolutely correct. Anyway, you expect surgeons to surge not spell.
I cooked dinner last night. Very simple: just panfried steak with mustard and oven baked potato bits with frozen peas. Nothing easier, but I felt better for doing it.
Peter is off work for the rest of the week, and I have to decide whether I feel up to going to the family barbecue on Sunday. (This is the whole extended family, cousins and all.)
I had a call today from an old work colleague who has had a brain tumour removed just before Christmas (most of it, that is) and is about to have radiotherapy. We swapped notes!

Back home again after the big surgery. I'm allowed home on condition that I go to the Health Centre for a daily dressing, then back to the hospital next Monday for a little 'trim' of some bits that tests showed they might have missed last time. One thing that the first time has showed is that it is not too painful (touch wood) which was one of my worries. So I'm not too apprehensive about going for a second round.
I'm looking forward to the second round healing up, then getting back to some kind of normality.

Sorry, that was Tarrawarra Art Museum, and it was splendid. We went there yesterday (Saturday) on the way to Healesville, and it is a stunning building in a beautiful setting with very good art. So well worth the drive. It is closer to Healesville than Yarra Glen (I think).
Then we went to Strathvea guesthouse, a twenties building, which is a bit quaint, lots of knicknacks, but very comfortable. Had a huge, fourcourse dinner, and a huge four course breakfast this morning so if I don't eat for a couple of days in the hospital I'll be all right.
This morning we went to the Toolangi State Forest and did the Wirra Willa Walk on a board walk through the rainforest. Very beautiful with several pure streams and lots of ferns and the tallest moss in the world!

Tuesday night Sally came around as a kind of meals on wheels. She had too much rabbit casserole (and prunes) to eat on her own, so we had leftover borscht, rabbit casserole and fruit to follow.
On Wednesday, I went round to see George Pappaellinas, whom I hadn't seen for a while, at his house in Fitzroy and we yabbered away about things literary and medical. George has ms but is fine, relatively, and is working away on two books, one of which is coming out with the ABC next year.
Today I had lunch with Renata Singer, and again we had a good old natter about books and life at Deelish, where the service was as slipshod as ever but the food was good. Before that I got halftix for the Flying Fruitfly Circus tonight, mainly to see their show with Noel Tovey, the actor. Also booked a guesthouse in Healesville for Saturday night, so we'll probably go to the new Trawalla Art Museum on the way (near Yarra Glen) and the Sanctuary on the way home.

Monday and Tuesday have been quiet days. Today (Tuesday) my father came to do accounts and wizarded his way through the cash book, stock sheets etc.
In the post came notification of surgery, next Monday, on the 19th January, which was my original date. I thought that they might punish me for forgoing the amended date of 22 December, but no. So I have to really face up to it now, but feel much more accepting of it, but still, understandably, apprehensive. Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging that now I feel like it is a hurdle to overcome rather than the end of the world. I am sure that I was right to want to go to Sydney, Nowra and Canberra over Christmas. I feel much stronger for the journey.

It was a Farmers' Market weekend so Jill and her mum came to the market. Peter was crook, so stayed in bed, but Frank came round and we did a round of the market. Jill and her mum went off to the races. Our dinner last night at the Rathdowne Tavern was good if not exceptional. Good value, and good food, but not brilliant. A good place for a dinner though. A bit noisy, but then, we were responsible for a large part of the noise.
On Sunday, went out to the Olds for lunch, delicious roast pork, with Julie and Ian. Frank came round for tea which was just borscht and rhubarb (both made from market ingredients) which was supposed to be a light dinner after we had all stuffed ourselves for lunch.
I've now got a quietish week, just waiting for the hospital to call me.

Went into town to the National Galley of Victoria (I was at the 'other' National Gallery just a few days ago) to meet Jill and Margarette at the water wall. We had a quick peek at some of the new gallery. I think that their hanging is a bit sparse, Peter thinks it is stylish. There you go! I'm sure they have lots of stuff in storage they could have put on display if they crammed a bit more.
We had lunch at Southbank then Jill and her mum went off to shop till they drop in Richmond. Jill had already bought two pairs of shoes that morning. Peter Walsh is in Sydney at some train thing.

Very busy day yesterday. Early in the morning Peter's nephew, Ricky (son of his sister Jacquita) rang to ask could he and his girlfriend, Hollie, visit that morning. Of course, but I had already arranged for my father to come and have lunch with Carmel. Peter is still on sick leave, so we dropped him and the young ones in Brunswick Street and went and had lunch at (guess where?) Deelish, which my father loves. Both he and Carmel bought a loaf of their bread.
Jill Walsh arrived in Melbourne late in the arvo, with her mother, Margarette. We're having a birthday dinner with Jill tomorrow night (Friday) at the Rathdowne Tavern.
We're going on a review in Epicure alone so I hope it's all right. The Van Dammes are coming and Meredith Rose (so I hope their vego options are okay as well).
Just waiting on a call from Jill about today. Peter is still sick so we could do the galleries or museum. They might just want to shop till they drop.

A blog posting from Lesley, Louise and Michael's place in Ainslie Canberra. Too much from 10 days on the road to report here (I'll do that when I get home). It has been a most enjoyable trip and really refreshing. We had roast chook tonight, and Michael's friend Louis stayed for tea. It is boiling hot in Canberra and I watered the plants of the nextdoor neighbour who is away. (It's an odd day today so you can water between 7 and 10. Enough trivia! Back to Melbourne tomorrow morning.