How To Lose a Game In Three Days

Christmas Day on the beach
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Day 80 - Christmas Day in Perth

We spent Christmas Day with Kelly & Sam's relatives, Irene and Ian, in Sorrento, just north of Perth. Our day began (of course) with a trip to the beach and a quick dip in the sea (well, Naomi dipped a festive toe in). Half of Perth seemed to have the same idea and the roads were really busy, as was the beach. Some of the grocery stores were even open. All very different from home! We spent the rest of the day eating 'al fresco' (turkey and a colossal ham) and playing with the kids (well, mainly trying not to get drowned by them) in the pool. It was a really fun day, and our sincere thanks to Irene & Ian for allowing us to gatecrash their Christmas. It was very different from the cold English Christmases we know and love, although we've decided to do Christmas again when we get back in March (except without the presents)!

It really was one of those WOW moments that will stay with us both forever.

Mrs Santa Claus
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Days 81 to 84 - Pulling a Moonee in Melbourne

Having spent 3 weeks trying to find somewhere to stay in Melbourne without breaking the bank, we gave up and broke the bank. We booked a 1 bedroom apartment in Moonee Ponds, a short tram ride from the city centre and were upgraded on arrival to a 2 bedroom apartment. The place was brand new and massive, complete with huge kitchen, laundry facilities, 2 bathrooms, 2 TVs. Naomi was as happy as a pig in um.... mud!It was our second upgrade of the day, having been given a free upgrade to business class on the flight from Perth to Melbourne. When it was time to leave the apartment, Naomi threatened to chain herself to the sofa - I thought it was going to get ugly there for a while, but I eventually managed to prise her out!

Finally, the English middle order found something they could do without collapsing
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We had a good look around Melbourne and checked out the old Melbourne gaol where Ned Kelly met his maker via the hangman's noose. We also saw a ghost in one of the cells and managed to catch it on camera! Cool!

We had tickets to Day 3 (the final day as it turned out) at the MCG, where England dramatically collapsed (again) to lose by an innings. Naomi, still undergoing treatment for her cricket addiction decided not to go, so I was allowed off the leash for a day. Despite getting soundly thrashed by the Aussies, the Barmy Army did England proud and you'd have thought that it was England that was winning judging by the amount of singing. I left my seat and joined them for the last hour or so. A few amusing chants were sung, most of which aren't printable, but the most popular (although probably not with Shane Warne's family who were at the ground) was probably:

Melbourne Gaol. It's a ghost!
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(to the tune of My Old Man's a Dustman)

Shane Warne's an Aussie.......He Like's to Play Around.........He's Got a Different Girlfriend.......In Every Single Town.......He Always Gets in Trouble......He Always Gets in Strife..........And When He Lost His Hair.............He Also Lost His Wife.

We took a trip to St Kilda the following day and the small beach was absolutely packed with English tourists who should have been at the cricket for Day 4. The smell of burning Pommie flesh in the midday sun was unmistakable. We also took a trip to Melbourne Zoo which unfortunately seemed to co-incide with a pram convention. After a couple of hours of being bashed by prams and pushchairs not even the meercats could keep us there any longer!

The MCG, Melbourne. Take your photos quick while it lasts!
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Days 85 to 88 - Seeing in the New Year in Sydney

We got an overnight bus up to Sydney which was as gloriously uncomfortable as the last overnight bus we took. Arriving at 6.30am in Sydney, we spent a few hours walking around Darling Harbour and along the Harbour Bridge....tired and grumpy and burning in the sun (a low point). We stayed at the Ibis Hotel which was fine and brilliantly located, although for the amount we had to pay due to New Year's prices the room should now belong to us!

Waiting for the fireworks to start (with the masses). Only 8 hours to go!
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On New Year's Eve we wanted to make sure we had a good place to watch the fireworks from. By 2pm, the harbout area was already really busy so we found ourselves a prime space by the Opera House at about 3pm and there we stayed..........for 9 hours! No books to read other than a South American phrasebook. Che? No music. No food. We nearly killed each other just to have something to do! At one point I swear my watch was actually going backwards.

Anyway, we made it through (and we did find some food and drinks) and it was certainly worth the wait. There were some really good fireworks at 9pm which kept us going and the fireworks at midnight were fantastic - going off from the bridge, from behind the Opera House and from the skyscrapers surrounding the harbour. It really was one of those WOW moments that will stay with us both forever. If you ever find yourself in Sydney at New year then I'd probably suggest getting yourself a vantage point in the elevated section of the botanical gardens, which don't fill up until much later - you will also be able to get some great photos of the fireworks over the Opera House and you'll save yourself a long wait.

After New Year we caught up with our stalkers, Helen & Jo on Bondi Beach and also Naomi's friend Alanna who has come out to Oz for a few weeks. We also checked out a 3D 'Deep Sea' film at the Imax in Sydney (apparently the world's biggest screen). We were both blown away by it, as sad as that sounds. We'll have to compare Bristol's Imax when we get back.

Off to New Zealand now. Can't wait!