Had fine time last evening with John Dengate and his wife Gale. They served us a version of Wallaby Stew, washed down with bottles of intriguing white and red wines. John knows any number of traditional sea shanties, many with their unique Australian verses, some of which he has composed himself. I got to sing some of my own political songs, old music hall numbers, sea shanties, and a few unclassified dities. It was amazing how quickly John caught on to "A Cowardly Act", that tragic song about the cow who sinks the Japanese fishing trawler; I swear there were tears in his eyes!

Now it's off to find the highest order old books shop in Sydney, All at Sea Book Shop (check it out at Bookfinders.com). There are rumored to be shelves there of old nautical books, songs and poems by such fine writers as C. Fox Smith.