Thursday, 8th June, 2006.

Good Lord, it's stopped raining. We've just had a three day deluge called "occasional showers" by the weather man. I've been in Sydney for 25 years now and I've never experienced a shower yet. Anyway, this morning is bright and clear and brand new and the harbour is a-sparkle. I still get a surge of excitement when I'm driving across the Harbour Bridge - after years of looking at pictures of it in books and postcards, I'm actually on it and I can't take it casually - there's always a "Wow!" factor.

I've noticed that the Aussies are very possessive about their icons - they say, "our Harbour Bridge", "our Opera House", "our beaches", etc. which sounds quite strange when one isn't used to it. I can't imagine saying "our Big Ben" or "our Tower of London" as an indication of national ownership - or do I mean pride? It's showing off a bit, I suppose - and why not? Australia is but a teenager, constantly looking in the mirror and seeking reassurance as to her identity. The ancient wisdom of the Dreamtime has been killed off and hasn't yet been replaced with anything substantial to feed the heart and soul. Early days, yet - and as Bill Hicks' newsreader says: "It's all going to work out. Here's the sport."