As any Brit who has celebrated the birth of Christ in the southern hemisphere will know, the prospect of having a white Christmas is small indeed, unless you include the sandy beaches of Cottesloe, on the Perth coastline.The traditional routine of wrapping up warm whilst delivering family presents is a rarity here. Instead, suncream laden and scantily clad, people drop gifts off at various friends houses before heading to the beach to cool down. The relaxed and easy going lifestyle of West Australia is distinctly unhurried, apart from the times you take your shoes off and make the journey from your car to the waters edge.
The 45 metre journey from 'Cott' car park to the sea is akin to walking on a fully operational radiator, and is generally made to the sounds of 'ahh', 'bloody hell' or 'ohh-ohh-ohh' from the multitude of bathers performing their own version of walking on hot coals. Such is life in Australia, a place that some decidedly short-sighted politician decided would be an ideal place to send Britain's criminals in the late 18th century. 200 or so years later, Brits in their thousands pay enormous sums of money to follow in the footsteps of their misbehaving ancestors, enjoying all that this vast country has to offer. That is unless you're following your national team in your favourite sport.
As expected, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath have announced they will retire at the end of this series and Australia are now on a mission to provide England with a morale-destroying 5-0 whitewash, which would be the first in Ashes history. If England lose the toss for the last 2 tests, the unthinkable may happen but with any sort of luck, there's a decent chance England might sneak a win at either Melbourne or Sydney. For a selection shock, there might be a debut for Jamie Dalrymple at the MCG - his combination of off-spin and useful lower order batting could be just the present England need.
A merry Christmas to all,
Wello
