How well do you know you're home town/city? If you had to be a tourist for the day where would you go? What would you see?

I spent the day in York having a wander round and spotted a few little odds and ends I've never really seen before, the Stonegate Devil and the statue of Constantine were two such things.

One of the problems is becoming too familiar with something and not always noticing the little things (or sometimes the big things!) that surround you on a regular basis. Being a tourist for a day, wandering around camera in hand, and just looking around can be fun.

The end of the final group games gets a little closer. As Harry Kewell levels things for Australia, the second time in the match that Croatia's one goal lead has been wiped out I cannot help but feel a great sense of relief and enjoyment.

Being an Englishman and following England is difficult at the best of times. It's also expected of them to progress deep into the competition. Watching and supporting Australia is more fun, it's not expected of them and they are making life somewhat fun. An expected loss to Brazil wasn't so bad. Their opening match against Japan was exhilarating to the extreme, coming back from 1-0 down to 3-1 in the last 6 minutes.

Australia may be my "second team" in this competition but I find myself celebrating their goals with more fervour than those for England.

It's hardly surprising though. Having spent so long travelling round Australia it's easy to fall in love with the place. Falling in love with an Australian as well makes the place a little more special. Having what sometimes seems like a vast extended Australian family maked it worthwhile.

Croatia go down to 10 men, closely followed by a red card for the Australians. The game descends into farce but Australia hold on and, in their second time at the World Cup, go through to the knockout stages.

Probably one of the best games of the tournament so far. 4 goals, 3 red cards and one player needed 3 yellow cards before seeing red!

It's unexpected and with Australia, it's much more fun. The inflatable kangaroo has to come out for the next match against Italy.

Summer's arrived in England, at least for now. It's got that annoying humidity level that I hate though. As a result I'm spending my nights not sleeping and sitting bed either reading or playing poker online.

Now the fun part of late-night online poker means I can sit in bed and play. Not quite as much fun as playing with real people but as technology progresses the old style 2D poker tables will become 3D and then onto video.

Meanwhile the World Cup occupies my days. I've discovered that spending 6 hours a day watching football can be somewhat taxing. All good fun though. Life and work have to be sorted out in the morning with the entire afternoon and evening spent, mostly, in front of the television while getting some exercise and fresh air between games.

It would probably more fun to be in Germany right now. Previous World Cups haven't had quite the same exuberance that the current one has. The parties going on make a trip to Germany worthwhile whether going to a match or not. The usual "If you don't have a ticket then stay away" message has been lost as the Germans have laid on one great big multi-national party for the masses.

Perhaps it's time to see what Last Minute have going on and get myself over there…..

The world seems a strange place today. Probably because I've had a few nights of insomnia and I've no idea if I'm coming or going at the moment.

Insomnia can be hell but over the years I've learnt to deal with it. I know early on when it's going to happen. Lying in bed for an hour or so listening to the rain outside and a million thoughts going round in my head.

The trouble now is that I can't stay up watching the Commonwealth Games. That event, this year from the world's greatest city - Melbourne, has now finished. No more the joy of watching late night table tennis, badminton and terrible English sprinters. No more trying to spot various family members at the outdoor road events.

Any more insomnia and I'll have to go back to reading! Not such a bad thing though since I've been re-reading all of Stephen Fry's books lately.

Glorious mornings. The snow didn't last. The sun's back out again and everything is good with the world.

Sunday mornings have become a relaxing time. Usually because I'm running backups on the computer, reading the Sunday paper and listening to whatever takes my fancy. Fortunately David Gilmour has a new album and it's become one of those perfect Sunday morning albums.

On An Island is a damn good album. It gets its critics because it "sounds too much like a Pink Floyd album". That's not in any way surprising considering David Gilmour was one quarter of Pink Floyd. It has moments that sound very Floyd, a general mix of Animals, Dark Side Of The Moon, Momentary Lapse Of Reason and The Division Bell. It's a beautiful album. Peaceful and relaxing.