Those of us who have trod these boards for some time will, without doubt, recall the era a few years back when a member named Peter was a regular contributor to many lengthy and meaningful discussions, often descending into magnificent piffle, balderdash and poppycock within a couple of Peter's often bewildering interventions. Oh, how I miss those!
It was soon laid claim that Peter was, in fact, father of Mince. This claim was made at the time by Mince himself, and I cannot actually recall Peter ever acknowledging the connection, but I may be misremembering. But I do recall vividly, that certain sceptics (of whom I was not one) among the forum members during those wild and trail-blazing days, actually cast doubt over the veracity of this claim, and the suggestion that Mince and Peter were indeed one and the same was never far away. This notion was exacerbated by Mince's predilection for practical jokes and nit-picking pedantry, contrasted with Peter's blatant resistance to correct spelling, punctuation and syntax. It was obvious (to some) that should Mincey wish to create an alternative identity, this would be the perfect cover.
However, I can now report that I have in fact met Peter face to face, with Mincey in attendance in the same room, and they were two completely separate carbon units. There was no time for any kind of deceptive set-up, as I dropped by the Mince household entirely unannounced and unexpectedly, for my first ever visit to Minceville, which, I discovered only the night before, I was due to pass through on a journey to a leading English east coast seaside resort for two days of live caricaturing at a Meccano modellers' annual convention (yes, I realise this also sounds like total bullshine, but it's absolutely true), such is the jet-set lifestyle of the modern cartoonist.
So, he's real, everything I expected and more, and protected by four hounds which threatened to nuzzle me to death should I step out of line (although two were purported to belong to Mincey's fake sister).
So there you have it. Let the records show - Peter exists. Let that be an end to any doubt. I'm off to find Nessie now...