Oh, to be Aww-stray-lian!

Yay, yay, yay, the sun decided to shine yesterday for 2007's Toast Festival - a celebration of all-things Oz and Kiwi. They even sold Vegemite, Arnott's Shapes and wait for it... Burger Rings (or do they only excite me?).

The two-day festival, held in the gardens of Fulham Palace, was marketed as the northern hemisphere's biggest bogan bash (okay, so not really, they actually specified a dress-code of smart-casual, with, get this, no boardies or ripped jeans!), honoring New Zealand and Australian food, wine and culture. While Saturday's Ode to our Sheep-loving neighbours suffered torrential rain, on Sunday, the sun blazed down, Aussie-style. I even got a tan.

The highlight of the day was definitely seeing guest presenters, Kath and Kim. Kath's attempts to make an all-Aussie sambo, while Kim threw pastrami slices into the crowd drew cheers from the mob - yes, they were quite toasted by this stage, so anything was bound to be funny.

I have to say I was disappointed with the music line-up. It seemed like guest bands, Killing Heidi (Australia's brother/sister combo, with Ella sans-the-dreadlocks), Ellison and the Bondi Beach Bums (my fellow festival revelers and I were at a loss as to who exactly these bands were... maybe we've been away from home too long?), seemed to rotate round the three stages blaring out the same tired tunes and failing to get the crowd into dance mode.

However, the ever-flowing Toohey's Dry did ensure us expats a day of drunken debauchery. A day to band together and praise all things Green and Gold - a day to join hands and slap arses, for, "I am, you are (or maybe not, depending on which readers I've sucked-into this page), we are, Aww-stray-lien!"