Australia is fabulous soyour positive banter will be most welcome by everyone you meet unless they were born under a very sad rock

We have 2 Post Offices, and to avoid a problem, I avoid them on pension days, and rarely see a queue. But don't they have queues in UK Post Offices these days ?

I buy my paper at the Fruit shop, or at Woolworths, while I am shopping, so I don't see any of that at the newsagent.

Cars, parties, etc, just the same as the UK... They had an 18th party across the road some time back, and the 18 yr old came over to all neighbours to tell us about it the day before. But we did find a beer bottle on the garden the next morning! How did I react ? It could have been worse, and I know I've done worse when I was that age, in the UK, so it probably happens everywhere.

Schoolies, yes, I agree, they should be banned. In 5 years time, that may have been a problem for me, but my daughter has agreed not to go, so I have avoided that potential problem.

Too muggy and warm ? I'm sitting here in the shade with a bit of the sea breeze coming in.

different negatives, different country but I don't think one is better than the other. They are just different.

My life here is far better - I don't miss the negativity and dead end feeling of where I lived in Wales but I feel quite far from lots of things i want to be near here. I kind of think I will go back one day but now my children are Australian it gets harder.

I miss cheap holidays, cheap flights, architecture, diverse scenery, fringe events, shopping choice, pubs, spring mornings and smells. I miss BBC2 and I would never have said I was a bbc 2 type of person. I miss British people or maybe just knowing where I am with people.

I don't miss people being so miserable, the lack of business opportunity - here you can really make something if you work hard - I think more easily than at home. I definitely don't miss the grey.

I dont like the sports coverage here, hate the tv, the adverts arent as good, the "we are great" mentality but then again it doesnt bother me because I am usually outside doing something.

I think its really strange though that some people dont like other people criticizing Australia in any way, as if it somehow is something that shouldn't be talked about and its against the rules to be negative. Inversely, some people make me wonder why they havent just gone home and enjoyed what they now seem to appreciate.

I was surprised on going home, how small my house really was there, how nothing had changed in 5 years and how I just could pick up the conversations where I left off. I loved it but after a month I couldnt wait to come back home to Australia.

I agree, like everywhere, it isn't perfect, we can all complain about something no matter where live.

But I tend to accept things, especially where it would be no different if I was somewhere else.

With the cultural differences, they also used to be a problem, until I accepted that I was the one who needed to adapt, and not want Australia to change to suit me. And that is how I felt/thought in the beginning.

I chose to come to Australia, therefore I should accept Australian ways. Once I realised that, it was easy to accept things being different here.

Schoolies was no worse than every weekend where I came from..

My son can go next year, no problem..

And I can talk out of experience as I live a stones throw from Surfers not miles away in a brizzie burb , went into Surfers during schoolies this year and found it fine...

Youngsters are as entitled to have fun as us oldies... Remember we were all 18 once...

It seems that, rather than face the problems, and complain about them, I have found ways to avoid them instead. It gives a happier life.

But when they are the same problems that would occur in the UK, I do not even think of them, as they are just part of normal life, either here or there.

Something that is making me wonder, is the mention of "defending Australia".
I am not sure, but I feel that most of my comments are in stating that different parts of Australia are different to other parts of Australia, rather than in direct comparison to the UK. I will have to look back and see...

My neighbour is in his garden now, mowing his lawn, should I complain about disturbing my peace, or just accept that it happens, both here and the UK ?

That's the problem.... I DO remember... and I now have a daughter.... if I had a son, I wouldn't worry as much

I have found the biggest problem with most people's attitude who have emigrated is that they expect Australia to be like the u.k:curserives me mad, we emigrated here to have a different and hopefully more fun filled life which I have found to be the case. I do find myself comparing the differences between certain things but think this is a natural process of adjusting to a new life.
I miss lots of things but mainly clothes shopping but what I have here I wouldn't swap to go back to the u.k.
Things are going to be different after all this is AUSTRALIA not the U.k:

Allyson

Sorry mate but you accept everything.. Nothing has a negative side to you. Everything is positive.....

Lose a leg.. think of the money I can save on shoes
House burns down... all that released carbon will be good for the plants
Spouse drops dead... chance to get a younger model.

Its not normal and its just a little creepy.

Just because it's not how you are doesn't make it not normal. If he's not normal, then neither am I - happily. If you don't like it, the answer is, as usual, don't read it. If you do read it, don't knock someone because they don't have the same mental attitude to you. No one's right and no one's wrong, everyone's different.

You're definately not normal

...mustn't grumble?

Seriously - how about reading about the mental toughness of people who have got through concentration camps, war, famine, deprivation etc.

I think you'll find that they overcame minute and daily struggles with sometimes ludicrously positive thoughts. Day in day out! Shit now I've torn it!

No, I disagree, I'd have problems with the first two... the third one I have already done...

The thing is that I have had that "negative" side, and I didn't like it.
I now do look on the bright side, my cup is not half empty, it is full.

For people to feel that they MUST find problems with life, is a problem in itself, and I no longer wish to feel like that. So I did something about it and changed my whole attitude to life.

And thinking about it, if my house burnt down, my insurance would buy me a better one.

The first option you mentioned though, "lose a leg", well, yes, that would just about cripple me.

Try using that argument in the legal system...

So your wife dropping dead warrants a thumbs up

Somewhat proving my point there...