Good bye ol' Blighty!

Things I will miss about England:

1. The magazines. Wire, Plan B, The Idler, The Week, Sight & Sound,  The Chap, Cabinet... too many to actually read/subscribe to, long term. They're my most expensive habit so maybe it's good to put some distance between us. God knows I'll cave at some stage and buy the issues at inflated import prices. As my methadone, DUKE is a pretty good Aussie offering.
2. British TV comedy and documentaries- well, the iplayer and the like saves me the actual misery of missing quality things like BBC4's Style season and new Star Stories/Fonejacker episodes. I never really watch TV when I'm away from home - life get's more interesting- but I do take for granted how decent British TV still is. I only had to see how awful Italian game shows were to start feelings pangs of homesickness. To be fair, Oz does have the amazing Kath & Kim but the rest of it is pretty dire. They appear to really embrace American pop culture on their screens and lack persuasive alternatives. Maybe unseen cult hits await me, who knows?
3. Fish & Chips!(And mushy peas!) It's the only thing that makes me feel patriotic. 
4. Shitty seaside resorts. All the beaches are the real McCoy in Australia. I'm sure I'll appreciate their clean sand and surd but the melancholic perversity of places like Cleethorpes and Skegness will be missed. They clutterer themselves with lights and garish seaside attractions to try and distract from the subzero temperature of the sea, (or estuary, as the case may be) and attempt to engineer happiness through high sugar/fat foods that makes for especially aggressive seagulls. Some people find their appearance desperate and depressing. I see it as determination. 

Otherwise, good riddance to most of it. It goes without saying that my friends & parents will be missed but even they'd agree, reuniting in another country would be preferable! I sort of feel like a rat jumping ship right now. Here's hoping the snow, (bloody British weather!), doesn't delay my escape on tomorrow's flight.