Everyone keeps talking about fall and indeed the temperature has dropped a few degrees. The high today is only 23 degrees and going down to a low of 15 tonight. The shops have all their fall and winter clothes out on display and in the afternoon we decide to go downtown and do some overdue shopping that we have be meaning to do. We head to David Jones–“Australia’s most beautiful store” and buy—ok–my first pair of speedos. (John bought his earlier in the week with “Bondi” displayed on the bum). We buy our odds and sods and end up in the 380 bus back up Elizabeth street and off at our stop on Oxford street, head home and settle into the Oscars.

The Oscars start at 7:30 pm. and we plan to have a bottle of wine and a bowl of pasta at home tonight to get a dose of North America or more pointedly, America. We know all the winners, because the show actually started about 9 hours ago, but we watch it anyway. Yeah for Canada and the Foreign Film award. The entire Australian media is so caught up on Naomi Watts winning for best actress. They are really pro-Aussie here and the press and media was full of how Australia had been snubbed in the nominations…Nicole, Russell et al. As usual, Billy Crystal saved the show.

In a week and a half we will be onto the next phase of our trip—Singapore, Bali, Thailand and India. This will be very different from our Aussie experiences. I am really looking forward to it.