Porcelain

The full moon reflected brightly on the Victorian homes of Carlton as I meandered down Rathdowne Street reorganizing my next few days in Melbourne.  My first evening had begun a little later than planned with a meeting, between a daughter settled far from her mother's home in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada and me a first time visitor to Melbourne, Australia, for the purpose of a goodie drop off, a care package, filled with love that travelled with me around the world to Rosie.   Drop off complete, a drink shared,  I was left to contemplate next actions in this the most livable city in the world.  The bar tender suggested heading into the city, and then he said, follow it where it leads you.  I suppose you could say I did that,  followed myself around the corner to Elgin Street to study the map, the paper kind.  

Looking around for a stoop to sit and study on,  a sandwich board caught my eye.  Take tea, Take time I read.  I looked in the door and found a comfortable looking couch,  a dining room table, with my grandmother's chairs set around it,  and few smaller tables and chairs, fitting for one or two.  Subduing my temptation to sit on my grandmother's chairs,  I sat enjoying the varied tea pot and cup and saucer collection covering the back wall   A menu was brought to me by a friendly host,  who admiring my map welcomed me to Melbourne.  

It didn't take me long to share with her that I had come to write,  continuing to claim, tentatively it's true, my writer self.  The menu invited it.  I sat with delight reading a menu item tea and post, with an invitation to have the ingredients for " the fine art of letter writing complete with, in country post" with your tea.  What a brilliant, creative entrepreneur had come up with this Porcelain tea room, I wondered.

What I did not have to wonder any longer was what to do with my evening,  a pot of oolong tea brewed to perfection,  some cheese and crackers, a clip board with embossed stationary, a fine black tipped pen,  another piece of magic on this highly probable journey of mine.  As I prepared to leave, this another sanctuary,  I was given a list of all the best cafes for writing in Melbourne. 

Do I dare dream it probable to find porcelain tea rooms as easily as McDonald's?   I do believe I'll continue joining Alice in believing six impossible things before breakfast, and this shall be one of them. 

gkn October.2015