To want to move back home? (Northerners, feel my pain!)

[edam]

Went back up North for my Godmother's 90th birthday party at the weekend, to the village where we lived until I was 7 (moved away due to father's job but moved back to a neighbouring village a few years later).

It felt so nice. Comforting, cosy, full of nice and 'real' people. I don't know how to explain it, but people up North just are different. Friendlier, more straightforward, very dry sense of humour that is always just beneath the surface. Down South, you can have quite a long conversation before anyone cracks a joke...

I live in the Home Counties, very nice small town that is (relatively speaking) friendly with a sense of community. But it's not half as genuinely friendly and can be quite smug and pretentious. I dunno, I'm generally quite happy here, but going back 'home' made me long to return permanently. Oh, and the countryside around my Yorkshire village was just stunning, and feels 'right' to me. While Hertfordshire is just there. All very nice and all that but hardly compares!

I want to live in Denby Dale!

I haven't read all of this thread, but don't blame OP for wanting to move North from the "Home Counties"

Northerners are the best, and luckily I'm surrounded by fellow Northerners here in London

Actually, I even like some Southerners , but NOT the kind who would choose to live in the Home Counties. Boring!

mumblechum, we have lived here for 6 years and the children are 10, 8 and 2 (so the little one was born here) They have mixed accents. We hear the southeness and school hears the northerness I know they will think of it as home, I just find it weird. I never thought about it before I moved, but they 'come from' a different part of the country to me I suppose oh it is odd.

Some of my best friends are northerners.

ey bye gum, i prefer it down ere

mind you im not from t' north

Rhubs- we have chatted before (a loooong time ago, in a different incarnation) about how I actually grew up round the corner from you- I remembered your house, but not you IYSWIM!
We were at different schools... I escaped (to M/cr) at 19, can count the number of visits back on one hand. Went to Butterflies mostly (eek), sometimes Henry Afrikas and Montys, but used to go down to M/cr to go out.

There are another couple of oldhamers on here now you know... but I think they have name changed in the last few months.

lol i'm only kidding

Oooh yes, I remember now!

Do you have family up there still? I get a real sense of dread if I have go up there to visit family. Because the painful memories carry on whilst some members of my family are still alive and exerting their control.

I've come across humourless Northerners (had a horrid time in Carlisle) and side-splittingly funny Southerners who could give as well as they could take.

Overall, yes the Northerners do seem more bitter, there is a sense there that you aren't to have ideas above your station and if you do well, they'll criticise you. Whereas down here, people are ready with compliments and that took a bit of getting used to, I thought they were taking the piss!

And generally Northerners are able to rip into each other so easily, we don't take ourselves very seriously at all. That might be why Southerners find us rude, because they mistake our banter for insults.

I've never come across any prejudice though, apart from Aberdeen and tiny posh villages outside of Oxford.

Bold as Brass.... I meant the meaning of the expression not that Northerners are Bold as Brass and the humour thing was about the identifiable Northern humour is less intelligent and obvious.

Oddly enough... no!
There were 4 of us children, and we've all moved as far as possible away... I'm actually the nearest and there's over 100 miles between me and there now.
My parents moved abroad where they can stay.

I wish certain members of my family would leave the frikkin' place!

Star, you do sound a tad bitter, are you from oop North yourself?

No, but I am desperate for a shandy!

Ignore me I have no problem with the North but I am in a very bad mood.

[searches MN for a SAHM/WOHM argument debate]

Couldn't agree more. DH is forsces so I have been 'in exile' since we married, but each posting I get my hopes up!

Ah you see, I'm far too Northern to take you seriously!

Don't worry, I've had similar rants about the Scots when I was living in Aberdeen. Godawful place, but I will concede that not all Scots are racist gits and my dad does live near Inverness!

I was wondering when we'd get a mention.

Hatwoman, Jimmy Carr is Londoner with Irish parents so his hideous racist/sexist/anti-disability attitudes were presumably all developed in the South East.

And Radio 4 is a national station last time I looked. I grew up on Radio 4 comedy because our radio in Yorkshire could pick it up perfectly well, thanks very much.

By humour, I meant as the currency of everday life amongst friends, neighbours, colleagues, passers-by. It's just more prevalent in routine conversation. And it's a different sort of humour, very dry and earthy.

Although working class Londoners who were born there do use humour in a similar way, their style is much, um, sharper, I think.

oh yes i love a shandy

can I just say, I am actually from the midlands (not the north) and we have the best of both worlds the smog of walsall is the best in the world

Edam, I am on the south coast (closer to France than the north!) and I have heard Scots and Northern friends say the same as you!! I have always lived in the south and on occasions of going up north have noticed the people are friendly, willing to pass the time of day.

I found the Irish very friendly and the Scots. I would chat to anyone, but everyone tells me I am unusual.

Angry, DH is from Walsall!

I went back home to Teesside for the first time after 9.5 years this summer it was very very hard for me to go back and see that place full of beauty and beautifully friendly & warm people and know I'll never live there again. gut wrenching.

Even dh who never ever wants to live where we live now said thow much friendlier and approachable people were.

I spent the first 2 days wondering why people kept talking to me and then remembered oh yes, i used to be like that it's called being friendly!

I am from Cannock

Always felt odd/ confusing to me as a child to hear Yorkshire etc described as 'the North', as it's all south from us here in Scotland. To me 'the North' is Aberdeen

I'm Edinburgh to my bones, but I have always said that despite travelling the UK pretty well and loving much of it, York is the only place I'd consider moving to if I ever left. I have vague ideas of retiring there.

Managed a wee autumn break there last week - two words: Betty's Tearoom.

Oh. My. God.

And the Minster's right nice too

Grew up devouring James Herriot books so I admit my ideas may be slightly on the romantic/ 1940's/ cupcake bunting side.