My Love Affair With The North

Firstly, let me say this. I am a soft southern bastard. Obviously, as this is a love letter to the north, this is to be pronounced bassstad with all the vitriol you can muster.

I was born in the south, spent my formative years in the south and after a sixteen year exile in the Midlands I returned to my homeland. The South.

I love where I live. I love the laid back nature. I love the air, the warmth, the cosmopolitan attitude! I even love the smug superiority of the southerners. We feel we are above northerners for the very fact that we are not quaint, old fashioned and, let us not shy away from it, a wee bit backwards.

I'm not saying that I am proud of this, far from it, but more that I recognise it in my southern brethren and do not shy away from its existence.

And yet...

When my best friend moved to North Yorkshire it was all hats and scarves as leaving presents and jokes about taking the huskies to work. Did she want us to post her the Guardian? Was she sure she wanted to live among savages? Maybe she could treat it like missionary work!

And yet...

The first time I went to visit I was overwhelmed by the friendliness of the people. The warmth was amazing. (The people still, not the weather it's bloody freezing).

Yes there is a language barrier, it really shouldn't take ten minutes and a resorting to sign language to order hotpot, but people smile, smile I say, at you and they pass the time of day with you at the (admittedly freezing) train station.

I have been back many times. I am on my way there now as it happens and rather than see the fondness for vertical blinds (there must have been a european vertical blind mountain which ended up in Redcar) as something to mock, I now see it as endearing.
The industrial structures are beautiful to me now. Majestic.

As for the food. Pie and peas has to be tried before you die. And if you don't have mint sauce on it you are a fool.

Far from it being 'grim oop north' I have to say North Yorkshire I love you and I salute your brand of open friendliness and guile less honesty. I salute your architecture and your vertical blinds. I even salute your chimneys.

Still reserving judgement on the Chicken Parmo though...
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