Australia vs England

So - time for some comparisons after a week of being here. 

What's better about England

• My friends and family are there (obvious one that)
  
• The quality of tv news programmes. Oh I miss John Snow....
  
• Over here spelling programme 'program;' when they mean 'programme'... grrrr
• Spelling & grammar generally (e.g. a typical conversation in a shop may involve the assistant saying "how does that work for yourself?" - it's just wrong)
  
• Tv comedy (most of that's over here anyway)
  
• Shower gel - they just can't make it here
  
• The banks, believe it or not, don't fleece you for just about everything
  
• It's not miles from just about everywhere else on the planet
  
• You can walk on the pavements at night in relative safety (actually maybe not in Deptford or Croydon) - around here it's safer to walk in the roads at night than the pavement as spiders have a tendency to build webs between the trees on the side of the road and parked cars
  
• English sports stars tend not to defecate in hotel corridors or indulge in group sex. It seems to be de rigeur here for the footie players (League)
  
• Food essentials and other basic stuff is cheaper - I miss Tescos and Sainsbury's
  
• People don't speak in questions with unrelenting upward inflection
  
• Music - they're stuck in about 1985 here (mostly)
  

What's better about Australia

• The easy answer is 'everything else' but anyway....
  
• The weather: 'cold' here means about 8 degrees. And it's cold in the the winter if it's sunny.
  
• Rain is refreshing, not freezing
  
• The quality of news readers - the women are all hotties....
  
• Rugby on tv every night. On almost every channel.
  
• Televised women's netball. I've no idea what's going on but it's just awesome; especially when Perth are playing :)
  
• You can still get a seat on the bus in rush hour; in fact you can move in rush hour without feeling like you're on a cattle truck
  
• Meat and fish are cheaper and much better quality for your money; the fruit and veg (and prawns) are huge
  
• There are many fewer people and they're not all crammed on to a little island
  
• I can reduce my alcohol intake, as it's lager - no ale here, and served in smaller glasses
  
• Nothing beats Sydney Harbour
  

More later.....