A very merry Christmas to all my readers back in the UK! We had an excellent Christmas buffet lunch at an hotel down near the river Yarra. We were on the 10th floor looking out towards the south bank - a magnificent view. The MCG was visible from there also. The deal included free alcohol (as a non-drinker Moz and Tutes kindly paid my share for me but I think they still got their money’s worth!) and the food was good too. I’m glad we decided not to try for a beach BBQ or picnic as the weather is positively Arctic! Very similar weather to April in the UK - hailing it down one minute and sunny the next. Rather windy too and generally not what we expected. If you had just flown out for the last few tests you would not be impressed. At least we have had some good weather already in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
The test match starts tomorrow, and given the forecast the clever money could be on a draw. Rain and cloud are forecast for most of the 5 days. With a bit of luck the seamers will get all the wickets and Warney would fail to get his 700th in front of his own crowd. I did wonder back in Perth what the odds would be of that and I expect they must have shortened due to the weather.
I’ve done some shopping at the Queen Victoria Market, lost all my winnings at the Casino (proving the old adage that the only winners there are the casino owners) and managed to see a few of the sights of Melbourne. It’s also rather odd to see loads of very white Englishmen arriving here over the last few days. The Barmy Army alone have 2000-3000 fans here for the last 2 tests. I can only guess at the total but it could be up to 20,000. Hopefully the extra support will give England a boost. Pride is at stake now if not the Ashes. Just to end McGrath’s career on a low note would be great.