Melbourne - Day 3 (11th Jan) - Shopping and Cricket

After a thoroughly enjoyable sleep-in, I headed off to the Queen Victoria Markets with Chris and Amanda. While they shopped together in a quest for the week's food, I braved the clothing/miscellaneous section alone, in my quest for boots. Although I counted at least eight stores selling ugg boots, my quest for boots that don't look stupid with a dress or skirt was unsuccessful. After lunch at the markets, Chris dropped Amanda and I off at the new harbourtown (at docklands) so we could shop while he put the groceries away and hung clothes out to dry.

Our adventures at harbourtown were more successful, with both Amanda and I obtaining a few items of clothing and me managing to find a pair of boots I liked (grey ones, and they only cost me $30).

After a delicious dinner of lamb racks and roast veggies cooked by Amanda, we all walked to the MCG to watch the cricket. Chris and Amanda's apartment is in a very convenient position for sporting fans, as the MCG is only a 15 minute walk away, straight across Fitzroy Gardens. Unfortunately for me, we were running a little late, so we walked quite fast. Chris and Amanda were wearing sensible shoes, but I had decided to wear the new boots (with the logic "it's only a 15 minute walk"). Big mistake - I now have a blister on each foot to show for my efforts...

The T20 game was enjoyable, but not the best ever. Warner's batting (especially his his 50 off 19) was thoroughly entertaining, as was watching Tait bowl (his dismissal of deVilliers was a particular highlight - possibly one of the funniest dismissals I have witnessed). Although the rest of the game was good, it wasn't as good as many of the T20s I have previously witnessed. After losing several early wickets, the Safs never looked very good, and just drifted to defeat. The game may have been more interesting had I taken up Neil's offer of $1 if I could get a photo of myself stroking Amla's beard, but I decided arrest was not in my best interest since I need to leave the country so soon.

Sitting in amongst the general population for this kind of game also makes me realise how much I appreciate sitting in the members' area at the WACA, where the focus is always primarily on the cricket. Reasons I like sitting in the members' area:

• In the shorter form of the game, people may (half-heartedly) participate in a mexican wave: but never during a delivery. I missed being able to see a couple of deliveries because of the wave going past.

• Members don't stand up at miscellaneous times (blocking the view of the ground for those behind them) just to check out the location of a beach ball. Inflated condoms also fall into the beach ball category. I'm even less likely to want to touch one of those, but at least they burst upon impact with the ground, meaning they don't hold up play. However, I did enjoy it when one of the "I'm all dressed up and I keep acting like an idiot because I want to be on TV" girls two rows in front hit an inflated condom with her flag, bursting it and inviting boos from the crowd. Which brings me to the next thing I like about the members' area:

• It's not full of idiots whose main aim is to be on tv.

Members also know not to walk in front of someone just as the bowler is coming in to bowl. I could rant longer, but it's not really worth the effort...

On the way home, we went possum hunting in Fitzroy Gardens. It wasn't very easy, what with all the other people in the gardens (walking to their cars which were parked further away than where Chris and Amanda live), but Amanda did manage to spot one. Again, I was too slow to take a photo. By the time we got home it was fairly late (because the cricket finished late, not because we spent much time hunting), so it was just time for bed.