Manchester area

As a confirmed west-country bumpkin and proud, I often wonder how I ended up living in Manchester. It certainly is a change. No longer do I have to drive 40 minutes to find some decent shopping or 20 minutes to the cinema.

Entertainment, shopping, dining, and rich industrial history are now on my doorstep, yet I still hanker after a broad sky without rooftops and an open horizon and country lanes to lose myself in.

How do these two worlds combine? What do I love about this wonderful city? And why is it simply mint?