I was jesting about Australians speaking English.
Yes, I know you were, and I took your comment in that spirit.

Speaking of the Aussie accent, I remember when I moved semi-permanently back to Oz. Although I worked in an industry where English is the only language permitted, it was limited to work related language and technical jargon. All other times I communicated in Japanese.

On arriving back here, everyone used to laugh at me whenever I opened my mouth, as they had great difficulty in understanding my accent. One person thought I was from Pakistan (!) even though I don't look Pakistani. I was often asked where I had learnt my English and where I was from. They all thought I was an immigrant from somewhere.

A few years ago a friend replayed the tape of a speech I had made at his birthday in 2004. What a hoot! Even I was laughing at myself.

These days when I travel, I always get "Where abouts in England are you from?"

And sorry, Neal, but I wish I had a dollar for every American who, when discovering that I was Australian, complimented me on my ability to speak English. :sign5:

Losing your accent is really sad, I think, as it is a part of your identity. I actually LOVE the Aussie accent - well, the mild one.

Merry Christmas!