Posted By Jeff But obviously something is missing in your life or you wouldn't need to keep telling us about it.

Posted By John Webster Strewth. I thought you were going to tell us about a problem with your bra size!! I thoroughly enjoyed a perfect white Christmas, a steady overnight fall of soft fluffy snow which stood about 6" deep on Christmas morning, covering the trees and making everything look like a Christmas card. That low golden sun was shining in a blue sky shot through with dramatic swirls of orange/grey, the kids were out with mums & dads, sledging, sliding, snowballing, igloo building (CDM not required) and just having fun. Oz is a great place, but swap that for sunstroke, sweat, shrimps full of sand and a plastic doll - no way.

Posted By Richard Spencer I'm not sure what is meant by 'Bra Size'. Can you explain? Today Friday was 43 C in Sydney. Not to worry the Aircon was working in the E Class Mercedes. I did some shopping in the air-conditioned mall and when I got in back home, I poured myself a cool glass of Gin and Bitters and watched Sky News in the comfort of ducted air-conditioning – Hum, your right its pretty tough but hey some of us have to put up with it. So the blue tits got to the milk bottle first hey. So Stuart - am I to believe that all Poms are now in short sleeve shirts and shorts (dresses if you’re a Sheila) and sunnies with number 30 sun screen lotion. What are you putting on your porridge besides sugar – antifreeze? Richard

Posted By Julie Geairns And here's me thinking Oz is in the news at the moment because of all the bush fires caused by the high temperatures - not nice at all. I used to live in Australia - Adelaide to be precise - and although 40 degree heat is not as unbearable as it would be in the UK due to the lack of humidity - I don't remember it as being particularly pleasant. In summer all the grass used to disappear off the hills around Adelaide leaving the hills looking like bald brown lumps. It did have its compensations though - the road down to the Barossa Vally lined with pineapple trees, the wonderful multi-coloured parakeets, not to mention the lemon and orange trees in people's gardens - sigh. Oh and an eccentric (I presume eccentric anyway) neighbour who kept a sheep in his front garden as an ecological alternative to the lawn mower. Yes, I do have very pleasant memories of Oz but the UK does have one big advantage over it and that is the wonderful greenness of our countryside not to mention the variety of our landscapes from the heights of Ben Nevis to the wonderful Cornish beaches not to mention of course the Cotswolds, Pembrokeshire, the Derbyshire Peak District, Norfolk Broads, Snowdon, Yorkshire Moors, our wonderful historic cities etc, etc. We really are quite lucky and not very jealous of you at all Richard!

Posted By colin I agree with Fats !

Posted By Richard Spencer Well, well. I’ve heard it all now. Poms defending the appalling weather of the UK. As Basil Fawlty once said “you know best dear”. But riddle me this (Batman the Return), why does half the UK disappear each summer and I dare say winter to these sun drenched places we call home? It must be the glossy magazines are to blame!! “Fats” mate, why so nasty? We are talking about the weather ‘not’ whether you like me or not. No need to carry a grudge! C’m on lighten up and be nice. I spent summer 1998 in Cyprus diving on a wreck off the coast, I noticed the behaviour of the English divers – not one was wearing a wet suit the temperature of the water at 40 metres was about 12 degrees C. At the end of the dive they emerged ‘blue in colour’ from the cold and reckoned they had had a great dive! So do I take it that you Poms like the cold? If that’s the case why bother with the warmer climes just head north to the Russian Tundra. The 20,000 who made Aus home in 2003 must have got it all wrong then? Give me sun, surf and the great Aussie outdoors. As for the ex resident of Adelaide, did the visa run out? Richard

Posted By Merv Newman Hey - can I put in a vote for France ? We came out here for a two-year project 20 odd years ago. The climate in the north-east is not that much better than England minus 4 C this morning with a hard frost. And the beer is foul. But the wine is cheap, the cheeses are pretty good and a decent house is about a quarter of the same in England. And the sheep at the bottom of the garden are not for any kind of environmental/ecological statement. They keep the grass cut and make one hell of a barbecue. Much tastier than "giant" shrimps. And Fats doesn't need "quotes" around his name.

Posted By Jeff Jealous of Australia, come on Tom, it must be the UK sun getting to you! Personally, I can't remember any occasion, wherever I have been, that I have had to boast about it to make me feel better. But we are all different. Jeff (a nameless what????)

Posted By Roger the Dodger Remember the classic poke at our distant cousins - all still true, of course Q. Whats the difference between an Australian and a B747? A. The B747 stops whining when it gets to Heathrow. 'nuff, said I think. It only used to cost a loaf of bread to get to Aus - now it costs £500....

Posted By Jonathan Breeze Merv, I am truly amused, I would have said that the artisinal beers of north east France were one of it's redeeming features. Especially Chimay Bleu. Indeed, the Germans liked it so much they have had many pi** ups in the area in the last 150 years. Oh, that and the smoked wild boar sausages. Not to mention the Champagne (though climate change now means you can get some very satisfactory sparkling English wines made to the same method). Come to think of it the place is a sheer gastronomic delight. Can I come & see you sometime? But, I agree with you, the wine and the cheese alone are enough to move. Richard can keep his 41C though, that just sounds unpleasant.