Went down to Manuka Oval to watch the Sydney Swans play the Western Bulldogs. Readers unfamiliar with Australian geography should note at this point that Canberra is much colder than most parts of the country. Actually, it was not as cold as it could have been, but certainly got chilly towards the end. There were Swans and Dogs fans aplenty, but also a lot of the crowd were just football fans, wearing scarves, guernseys and beanies of other clubs. (Such traditional wear being very practical in Canberra in late May.)

The match was not even close; the dogs thrashed the swans, who are probably not going to make the finals. It did take me back to those days when I was a kid, when we used to go down to the old Moorabbin Oval to watch St Kilda play. This year, the Saints are undefeated, on top of the ladder; but they have yet to play similarly undefeated Geelong.