resourcefulness

I don't read newspapers very much, unless someone hands me a free one on the street (and even then...) but I don't have my head in the sand and I do know that the world is in depression/recession/general meltdown.

Which means that this is a good time to be a student. I'm lucky too because I have a scholarship which means that while I'm on a very limited budget, I'm OK.

I'm not going to try saying that every cloud has a silver lining but I will say this: I'm impressed by the resourcefulness of the Dublin folk. I've found out that there's been a big upsurge in flea markets, car boot sales, etc. So this weekend Saoirse and me went to check a couple out in the hope of picking up some cheap clothes.

On Saturday, we went to Blackrock Market. It's in the "village" of Blackrock, which is really an upmarket neighbourhood, so not necessarily where you'd expect a flea market to be. You go in a door from the main street of the village and inside it's a fabulous place where hippies of all ages sell cool stuff. Wish I needed a flower-bedecked chandelier. I did pick up a couple of dresses older than myself and a purple fake-fur jacket that is totally my size.

On Sunday, I went to Newmarket Flea Market which is nearish to St Patrick's Cathedral and about a half-hour walk away from where I live. The square itself would seem to be a work in progress (pretty apartment buildings one end, shabby warehouses the other end) but the market is a whole lot of fun. Amazingly, there was a dude in the corner who was a ...DJ...! A DJ at a flea market! There were stands selling cheap eats and more importantly, lots of folk selling clothes. I picked up a black-and-white jumpsuit.

Interesting discovery of the weekend: I am a great size for shopping for clothes in flea markets. I sometimes find it difficult to find things to suit me in regular stores. I'm tall with broad shoulders (courtesy of my Outport forebears no doubt) so a lot of girlie clothes are too tight across the back. But I'm relatively slim (or at least, I'm not BIG big), so fat-girl clothes don't fit either. I've found out that, at flea markets, all the average sizes sell out fast, leaving the rest for me.

When I got home, I tried on a few outfits and showed them to Bepe.

"My girlfriend would never have worn something like that." He said.

I thought he was having a dig at me and started to get offended but just as I was getting ready to storm off in outrage, he added: "She's really pretty shallow."

Bless his heart, I think he's beginning to see sense.

Anyway, if anyone knows of other flea markets, I'd love a tip. Also, don't you think it would be useful if there was a website where you could them all up? Or maybe there already is...?