VICTORY!!!

  TUESDAY 7th DECEMBER

  The weather prognosis was not good for today with showers in the morning and a thunderstorm forecast after lunch.  Mark adopted a pessimistic stance and decided to go round the town, whilst I made my way down to the ground.  Admission was $20 and you could sit anywhere except in the members' stand. The weather was perfect with the sun shining, no sign of showers.  Play started at 10.00am because of the time lost yesterday.  Things went well wth Finn getting the first wicket.  Then Anderson got two in two balls including Ryan Harris out for his second golden duck of the match (out first ball).  Meantime Mark, listening to the radio had noticed that 7 wickets had fallen and decided to make a dash for the ground.  By the time he got there 8 wickets were down.  He got in via the members entrance telling the guy on the door that he had had to dash out to give his wife a credit card to go shopping.  He took my ticket and went back to show the doorman that he did have one.  I had managed to get exactly the same seats as on the past two days so he had no difficulty in finding me.  Swan polished off the innings finishing up with 5 wickets.  The Barmy Army accompanied by their trumpeter Billy Cooper were in good voice singing "Swann, Swann will tear you apart...again" to the tune of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart.  There was also "Jimmy, Jimmy  Anderson" which seemed to inspire the bowler as he promptly took a wicket, and a ribald version of Waltzing Mathilda.  By 11.30am it was all over and England were one up.

  Mark and I stayed to listen to all the interviews and man of the match presentation to Kevin Pietersen before wending our way back to town.  There we went our separate ways arranging to rendezvous at the Stag at 2.00pm.  I bought a couple of books (American Assasin by Vince Flynn and a biography of Olivia Newton-John) as well as a couple of CD's - The Hollies and a double by Billy Joel.  Christmas has certainly come to Adelaide.

  I arrived at the Stag early, so indulged in another $6.00 Peroni, again I had to remind them of the member's price!  Mark arrived soon afterwards but didn't want a beer, so when I had finished mine we set of to find somewhere to eat.  We settled on a kebab restaurant and my falelah (at least I think that was what it was called) was very tasty.  Whilst there the heavens opened and it poured.  After a while it eased and Mark suggested we make a move for the hotel.  I had my North Face jacket with me lest it should rain, but I agreed it was time to make a move.  We were about halfway across the park, when the thunder and lightning started in earnest.  And boy did it rain!  Mark counted the interval between lightning and thunder and declared the storm to be 3 miles away.  As the pathway across the park was an avenue lined with trees, this wasn't perhaps the best place to be in a storm.  I told Mark to press on as he had no jacket, whilst I would continue at my sedate pace.  Coming around a corner and with the path ahead a completely straight line there was no sign of Mark.  I contemplated the possibility that he had sprinted for home but discounted that as a virtual impossibility.  I continued merrily on my way hoping that the lightning would stay well away from me.  The rain got heavier and heavier, but my jacket proved to be fully waterproof.  However the trousers and shoes weren't!  By the time I got to the Royal Coach my bottom half was sopping wet.  Mark appeared a bit later having hidden in a gardner's shed he had spotted in the park.  The car park at the hotel was flooded as was part of the restaurant.  I managed to dry my trousers, socks and shoes and other parts of my apparel on the hand dryer in the gents toilet which fortunately was otherwise unoccupied.  The power went off after lightning appeared to strike the building but it soon returned.  Mark asked the hotel to order our taxi for a bit earlier than we had originally asked, and it duly arrived at 5.00pm.  It seems that 40mm of rain fell today which is the average rain fall for the whole of December in Adelaide!

  Despite the heavy traffic we arrived at the airport in plenty of time to check in.  Again it was all self check-in, but when I tried to get my boarding card it told me there was a problem.  Meantime Mark was complaining that he had put his details in but the machine had printed my boardingcard!  We took our problems to a Service Counter, where they eventually told Mark that whilst his ticket was reserved the payment had not gone through.  The card number Qantas quoted for payment was not Mark's, and he didn't have his to hand, so I paid for it and he has given me the money in dollars.  We boarded the flight and it was quite a rough ride for the first 40 minutes or so as the storm was still raging.  Upon disembarking we discovered that Ricky Ponting the Australian captain, Dougie Bollinger, Brad Haddin and several other members of the Australian team had been on the same flight. I stood next to Dougie, whilst waiting for my bag and inspected his "rug" which certainly looked good to me - might check out who did it and get a quote!  The guys all said "See you in Perth" to each other (the venue of the next test - but I fear some may not make it after this defeat). Robert was there to meet us and as soon as he spotted Ricky he went up to him and said, "It's all downhill now, Ricky".  Ponting replied that he didn't think so, but Robert assured him it was!  The car was parked miles away and my luggage got heavier with each progressive step!

  Robert missed a turning in central Sydney which resulted in a tour of the Rocks and other points of interest in the centre of town.  We got to Carlingford to say hello to Jane and swop cars, but Nick was asleep so shan't see him until tomorrow.  Rob then drove us over to Eastwood where we adjourned for a few beers before going to bed at the residence in Ward Street.