Sydney Dreaming

One of the nicest things about Australia is the festivals. Whenever the summer comes Australians, especially those in Sydney, like to hold festivals and celebrations. So I spent the weekend indulging in a little bit of 'festival hoping!'

Yesterday we drove down to Glebe where a rather funky little market is held in the grounds of a private school every Saturday. Walking around the market is a very strang experience indeed. Stalls sell all manner of goods, ranging from messages through the latest in hippy cloths. In many ways it feels as if you have just stepped out of Australian society and entered into the hippy cult in India! Its such a liberal laid back place as people lie back on the floor and people casually look around the stalls which are huddled together in the grounds of the school.

Simone had arranged to have some friends round to cook and Indian so we were on a book sharing quest for the day trying to find a decent Indian cook-book which she could use even though I know she is one of the best cooks I have ever met.

Newtown is a very weird and funky area of the city. The streets are lined with all manner of stores selling a range of goods as well as some of the best Thai and Asian cooking in the city. For some unknown reason, maybe because of its liberal nature, the area also boosts a range of book shops. One particular shop deserves attention. It is run by a formally high ranking member of the Australian Communist party who is in his 60s. When we entered he was listening to the public service ABC radio whilst doing the crossword and I had a destinct picture of this guy raising the red flag in his back garden! Anyway the book store is cluttered full of books, some of which should be disposed of in the dustbin immediately. It is impossible to move around many of the aisles as the books are pilled up of the floor and any hope of finding something you are looking for is about as likely as winning the lottery! Its essentially an extremely messy Aladdins Cave of books!