According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the City of Sydney has a plan for [a] new square opposite Town Hall so that it can be like Brisbane and Melbourne. When I started reading the article I was a little upset at the possible loss of a trusty Woolworths supermarket where I often go to buy my groceries if I’ve been down Pitt Street Mall or wandering around the shops on George Street, however it seems they have plans to keep the underground portion of the store.
The cost involved with purchasing the buildings on that plot of land is enormous and I can’t help thinking perhaps the money (and only a portion of it at that) would have been better spent to beautify the square to the left of the town hall with grass, extra trees and nice benches.
Hyde Park in all it’s glory is a few streets away from this proposed development and the Domain is a little further on from there. These are magnificent large areas for people to sit in or wander around and feel happy. An expensive little plot of grass to open up the city and provide space for ceremonies just doesn’t seem quite right to me.
On the other hand the new park in Surry Hills is going to be lovely but I’ll admit my bias considering it will be across the road from my place. The long-time empty plot of land will serve the local area well by allowing people in near by offices to have their lunches in the sunshine, and local kids will have a spot to run around in.
Mild rant over.
In other things.. I’ve bought my trusty Regional Express plane tickets to head off to the countryside for Christmas to chase my mother’s dogs and sheep around the paddock in the sweltering rural heat.
Lately I’ve been checking out and practicing Finnish recipes found on the net and I have every intention to make a few dishes for Christmas. I’d heard reviews on the radio of the recently released Falling Cloudberries cookbook by Tessa Kiros which contains recipes she picked up from her family and travels around the world, including Finland where her mother was from. I found the cookbook in Borders the other day for $45 and flicking through it I knew I wanted it but decided to give myself some thought to the matter first instead of buying on impulse (and I was loaded with shopping so wasn’t particularly keen on adding several more kilos to the load). A few days later I still want it so next time I head to the labyrinths of the new Bondi Junction Westfield I’ll shop a little lighter and pick up a copy.