A fishy dish

A weekend of fine food prepared by my old friend Jessica and my new friend Juliet was rounded off with a shared fishy dish at the Sydney Fish Market: giant prawns, lobster, crab and calimare - with lashings of lemon juice and a layer of fresh salad. And my first oysters - delicious.

The seagulls hovered greedily but got nothing. We ate it all, cracking shells open and scooping out the meat with our fingers.

Later, wandering round the market, I felt really bad when I passed a tray of crabs awaiting their inevitable fate. In a corner of the tray one resilient fighter was trying to wriggle free of its bonds and was waving its claw towards me whether in anger, entreaty or reflex, I couldn't be sure, but for a briefest of moments the thought came to me that I would rescue it. Then I walked on.