Autumn Zebra

This is what I got this time - 10 SF books, 8 magazines, and 14 non-fiction. There's pictures of the books below the list. The best ones: "Simple Dressmaking" which is in near-perfect condition, and from what I can find on google, appears to have been published 100 years ago - pretty cool. "Smocks and Smocking" which is about smocking but specifically as derived from English smock-frocks rather than just generic smocking with no history. This is the book they couldn't find at the library when I went to get out books on smock-frocks 2-3 weeks ago, so that is an interesting coincidence don't you think? "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire" which is a biography about the woman played by Keira Knightly in that film recently and lots of people complained that Keira is neither buxom nor sensuous enough to play such a character. David Brin's "The Postman" - I always liked the movie based on it, and David Brin is good. Others: To Your Scatte...

Outside the Farmer's Market today, and a few weeks ago, there was a guy busking - with a drum kit. Which is something I haven't seen before, and looks pretty unusual on the grass lawn, with a few saplings growing nearby, outside the railway station. I took my camera to the market a few times after I saw him the first time, but he wasn't there then, and then I didn't have my camera today. Very unusual. Today, in addition to the crazy drumming, only 50m away we had a bag-piper who may have been busking, or may have been there simply for general ambiance, as they like to have bag-pipers for special occasions and in touristy places (like the railway station). Anyway, bagpipes and drums at most 50m away from each other equals a lot of competing noise... Exciting Farmer's Market purchase today: crab apples.

Near the Farmer's market on Saturday was a woman with a small stall of things apparently made by indigenous Mexican people. I think she was also Mexican herself. There were some fabrics and some jewellery, and also lots of Frida Kahlo postcards and some bags with her on (which hadn't been made by the indigenous people, she just really liked her). They also had these beaded animals where brightly coloured beads are stuck onto a wooden form. For some reason Mexican people like bright colours, whereas in NZ no one particularly likes colours at all... There were wooden turtles where the shell lifted up like a lid so you could put stuff inside and the top of the shell was beaded, which I considered getting as a present for Mum, but I thought they'd be very expensive. Instead I got the first thing I liked, which was a beaded deer, and when I said I wanted to get it, she said "Really?!" and seemed very surprised, and said NZ people didn't buy those ones usually. I th...