six months is a long time

Believe it or not, It's exactly six months since we touched down here in Perth. To commemorate this momentous milestone I thought I'd give you a rundown of what's hot and what's not about this particular part of Western Australia.
Before I even began
The thing is that when we arrived, we did so without any preconceptions....... we knew it was going to be different and hopefully quite sunny but apart from that we were happy to just go with the flow.
What we have found is that Australia really isn't all that different from the UK. That may be due to the fact that wherever you go in the World it's still you and your personal view that is seeing and interpreting the surroundings so we are still seeing everything through 'Brit goggles'. It is true to say that some things aren't the same here but on the whole there is nothing that is overtly foreign.... apart from the blue skies.
Luckily we have got all of the famous UK brands over here, such as: McDonalds, KFC, Ikea and Dominoes Pizza.
I've even managed to infiltrate the local music scene. I've found several bands that are proficient in the art of producing jingly, jangly indie guitar music overlayed with an untuneful singer telling tales of having problems with his girlfriend. Home from home.
All I saw on Channel 4
The TV over here is an odd mixture of UK and US shows with a generous sprinkling of Australian 'car crash TV' programs. We get all the same sort of reality TV bobbins that you do, some of them with celebrities who I don't know (just like the UK). It is actually a feat of endurance to watch a film on the commercial channels here due to the fact that the shear quantity of adverts pushes the duration of most movies to well over three hours. And the closer to the end of the film you are the more adverts they subject you to (because by that point they know they've got you).
Shoplifters of the World
The worst thing about Australia (and I'm sure I will never get used to it) is that they search your bags when you go out of a shop. They've got all the usual security measures: cctv, security guards and the detector things by the door but you are also required to show your receipts to the girl on the checkout and let her rifle through your shopping. The temptation to say 'look you don't have to be a convict to come here any more' is very strong... luckily (for the sake of my boyish good looks), so far I have resisted. The thing is, my pockets are always bulging (it's more of a curse than a blessing) and they never ever ask to have a look at what I've got in my trousers.
The other thing is that the Postal Service appears to lose a lot of mail. Don't get me wrong, all our Australian post gets here and the odd letter from family and friends in the UK gets through. But I never get anything from all the people that had said they would write to me....so it's got to be AusPost losing the letters because all my acquaintances in the UK must be trying to send me stuff, mustn't they? Yeah, of course they are.
now, today tomorrow and always
I think it's fair to say that Wendy and I are loving it here... the work, the outdoor lifestyle, the weather, the house, the fact that we are about a mile from golden beaches and the Indian Ocean. The kids are taking a bit longer to be convinced that it was a good move. They are a lot happier now they have all their belongings around them again but they both miss the friends (school and otherwise) they left behind in the UK. Mind you, at least they are getting letters from their friends, they aren't all being misplaced by the post office.

In conclusion, It's great.. you'd love to live here. Wait a minute though, it is getting a bit crowded, especially out here in the west..........actually you'd hate to live here, stay where you are.