The weather for this year's Sydney Mardi Gras festivities may not be all that it could be, but when you're in an outdoor pool surrounded by 1,000 hotties... well, a little rain really isn't enough to dampen the atmosphere.

Admittedly we were all a bit apprehensive at how our British tans and less than perfectly sculpted torsos would go down - the men out here must all live at the gym. But as it turns out the body concious Ozzies really aren't body fascists... everyone was friendly, easy going and a pleasure to party with - all shapes and sizes welcome.

Shelly Legs Diamond and her troupe called a temporary halt to the evening for a gorgeously choreographed show of shipwrecked mayhem and a huge sound system ensured that the whole pool was flooded with fierce tunes from Jayson Forbes and Shigeki - the music pulling the crowd into a huddle in front of the DJ box even during the occasional thunder shower.

Loved it from start to finish... with luck this will become a firm fixture in the Sydney Mardi Gras diary.