The whole of England is not London ;-)

Just a bit of a funny topic really, I have found that no matter how many times, how many different ways I go about it, my friends and family think I will be living in London when in fact I will be in Manchester.

Example Conversation:

Friend: Hi, how's it going?

Me: Great, thank you.

Friend: So when is the big move to London?

Me: Well, actually I will be living in Manchester about 2.5 hours north west of London.

Friend: Oh, ok. Well, I cannot wait to come see you in London, it will be so much fun!

Me: ?!?!?!?!?!

Has anyone else experienced this? It was annoying but now its just laughable. I just imagine their faces when they arive to MAN looking for Big Ben and its no where to be found.  hehehe

My mother did this to me; she is Canadian and ought to know better, you would think. (You'd be wrong) She used to ask me how things were, and tell everybody I live, in "London"; I told her countless times. I even gave her a map with my location between Taunton and Exeter marked with an X. Yet when she flew over to Heathrow and I met her and shepherded her through Heathrow Express, and then First Great Western to Tiverton Parkway and then a 15 mile drive, it was "You told me you lived in West London!" Anyhow, she knows better now. She tells everyone I live in the "back of beyond, 500 miles from London".

Yes. People keep telling me they have layovers at Heathrow, and I should come see them.  I then mention that it's a couple of hours by very fast train to Manchester! (Let alone trying to drive...)

Ah yes, I'm pretty sure London is the only city in the UK.

My conversation with my boss went something like this...

Boss: So where are you moving to again?
Me: Glasgow
Boss: Oh yeah, where is that?
Me: Scotland
Boss: Ohhhhh Scotland!!! I've always wanted to go to Scotland.  My great great great great Grandmother was Scottish, so it's in the blood.  Ah yes, the Emerald Isle.
Me: 
Boss: How far is it from London?
Me: 

My late grandfather always asked me about London, and I always said "Grandpa, I'm sure London is really lovely, but I live in Manchester" that always made him laugh.

I also get, because I fly from Manchester - "oh, Manchester United, that's your local team!"

Some of my family still think I live in London no matter what I tell them.    After a while I just don't bother trying to explain. 

I also get, because I fly from Manchester - "oh, Manchester United, that's your local team!"

Oooh I bet that goes over like a lead balloon!   

Yep, this has happened to me several times, and I live hundreds of miles from London, it's a 4 hour train ride! And if they were to see this place where I live, they would certainly know they were hundreds of miles away from London! There's nothing out here! 

Yep, this has happened to me several times, and I live hundreds of miles from London, it's a 4 hour train ride! And if they were to see this place where I live, they would certainly know they were hundreds of miles away from London! There's nothing out here! 

It's so pretty out where you are!

Surprisingly, my Mom got herself a map of the UK so she could understand where I was better!  She never confuses the north of England with London.  One of my good friends though could not keep straight that I was in Ireland for the summer (a few summers back) and no matter how many times I reminded her she kept saying, "Have a great time in Cornwall (Wales, Scotland, London, etc.)!"

Yeah, I got this a lot too before moving.  When I would tell them I would be living near Birmingham they still had no idea.  So I would say that I'd be roughly living in the middle of the country.  And that to drive to London was about the same drive as for us to go to NYC  (speaking of which, the whole of NY is not NYC.... that's another one.... I say I'm from NY and instantly, it's " oh I love NYC"....    )

Them: Where in England do you live?
Me: Derby, in the Midlands.
Them: Where's that?
Me: Great Britian is an Island. We live in the Middle (hence the name Midlands  ).
Them: Oh, cool. So you're close to London then...
Me: Yeah, about 3 hours.

I also get, because I fly from Manchester - "oh, Manchester United, that's your local team!"

You mean their not? 


I like that when I get some distant relative coming over on a 'trip of a lifetime' which is a 7 day whirlwind tour of London, Paris and Rome and suggesting they pop up and see us for a bit. If time allows. If time allows? Yea! Sure come on up. I got all the time in the world. In fact if they did come up here to the land that time forgot, they'd still manage Paris and Rome.

Wouldn't they?

You mean their not? 


I like that when I get some distant relative coming over on a 'trip of a lifetime' which is a 7 day whirlwind tour of London, Paris and Rome and suggesting they pop up and see us for a bit. If time allows. If time allows? Yea! Sure come on up. I got all the time in the world. In fact if they did come up here to the land that time forgot, they'd still manage Paris and Rome.

Wouldn't they?

LOL!  A friend of mine was going to somewhere in East Sussex for a long weekend and thought he would pop up here for lunch. Sure, if you don't mind riding the train for 4 hours each way for our lunch date! 

LOL!  A friend of mine was going to somewhere in East Sussex for a long weekend and thought he would pop up here for lunch. Sure, if you don't mind riding the train for 4 hours each way for our lunch date! 

Same thing with my cousin who is trying to plan some kind of whirlwind trip including Brussels, Paris, Italy, and the Arran Islands off of Ireland!  She's got a layover in Manchester and trying to fit us in (it tires me out just thinking about it!).

My late grandfather always asked me about London, and I always said "Grandpa, I'm sure London is really lovely, but I live in Manchester" that always made him laugh.

This was my grandparents too! I said the same thing!!! (Except I'm in Surrey) I kind of loved it!  And miss it now