Myth Busters

Before I moved up here, stereotypical comparisons between 'The North' and 'The South' were never far from the surface. One particularly choice one came from two lads sharing a taxi with my girlfriend and I one night down South. When told that the pub was shutting in 10 minutes, so we'd bettter hurry up, my girlfriend commented innocently, "They're open all the time up in Manchester." "Yeah," replied one of our taxi companions, "but you don't get shot around here."

My girlfriend's Grandma was once offering me a custard tart and, while I was considering the offering, whispered,"Does he know what they are?" to my girlfriend. She then turned to me and asked, quite seriously, "Do you have these down there?"

She is also convinced that the South coast basks in year-round temperatures never dropping below 20 degrees and that rain is as welcome and rare as it is in drought ridden areas of Africa. Funny, I thought at the time. It's not quite so funny now because I sort of see where she's coming from - it rains here. All the time. I mean it - it's not a myth. I don't think there's been one day in the last three months when it hasn't rained.

In Southampton I used to ride my bike to work and walk when it was raining. During the year before I quit I didn't have to walk to work once - for a whole year. Two weeks ago, after two weeks of riding to work here, I fitted my bike out with full mudguards, front and back, because I was sick of sitting in my office soaking wet. I've even lived in Wales before and I don't remember it being this bad.