HI Mate

I trust that you arrived safely

And that Josephine is well

I have just returned from Yorkshire

And although I had visited the county before

This visit opened my eyes and gave me hope

Our country is badly polluted in parts as you are aware

But there are other parts that are pure white

I have visited a number of cities and towns in Yorkshire in the past

And found them much decayed and somewhat depressing

In Bradford for instance there is a lovely Victorian church

Which was now being used by those of a different faith

And to be honest it is a bloody disgrace

The graveyard where our Christian ancestors now sleep

Is now wildly overgrown with casual rubbish scattered everywhere

Quite why this can be tolerated by the town

Is beyond logical thought

Very few of the shops are English

And the ones that are not foreign are tedious chains

I had to avert my tender eyes on many occasions

It is like watching a corpse being devoured by rabid maggots

Leeds although bigger and more cultured was slightly threatening

With small groups dealing openly

Which the non existent cops do little to stop

Maybe I am incorrect as they might have been swapping football cards (who knows)

Leeds is a curates egg my friend

I thought that Scarborough was going to be just as depressing with lots of kiss me quick arcades and the like

How wrong I was

Scarborough is an absolute delight and has managed to retain much of its Victorian character

There were a number of bright lights but in a way they blended in

The town is much loved and one can see the intelligent money

Even the day trippers were quite acceptable

When you return from Bali I suggest that you and Josephine visit this lovely town

Another place I recommend is Beverley which is totally white

Jane and I spent a number of hours there without seeing one black

The strange thing is what was normal just a few years ago

Before we were all betrayed hit me between my eyes

We sat in a cafe for half an hour and decided to see how many dusky locals we could see and count

Zero a happy zero Joe zero happy zero

The villages were exactly the same Daz Daz Daz and so very English

Whitby was nice but overcrowded with tourists

There were plenty of chic jet shops

Chic and expensive

Chips with everything in the land of the lard arses (bless them)

York was more than acceptable but was badly let down by poor traffic management

It is non existent and reminded me of both Bath and Canterbury before those with some common sense realised that cars lorries and buses do not mix with people

Again apart from the tourists it was white

There were no homeless or beggars on the streets which was refreshing

Need I say more about the National Railway Museum (wow oh wow oh wow)

The railway station although a little tired is much loved which is really pleasing

I came back in a happy frame of mind as I thought that this country might have been less polluted than I had originally considered

I was happy

But then we got caught in the traffic jam from hell on our return journey south and my depressing thoughts returned once more

Enfield once lovely Enfield

It was now just an infected mess

A less than innocent multi coloured shop of horrors

The once proud inter war shopping parades were scarred by foreign barbers nail shops and tanning salons (knocking shops spring to mind)

I have yet to work out why in places such as Enfield that tanning salons are required (I am maybe missing an obvious point Joe)

Enfield up to a few years ago was just a normal part of London Town

Before the dams were fractured and the sewers overflowed

I knew it from my football days and it has changed so much

Poor Enfield

Poor decaying Enfield

Would I have said this about white Beverley or lovely lovely Scarborough

Closing now Joe

Enjoy the wedding and I bet that Josephine will look as beautiful as Alice Anne

Do reply when you have a mo (by letter mate as agreed)

See you soon

Do not get arrested


SMO


ps – I did visit Anne Bronte’s grave on the hill in Scarborough – it is only a short distance from the castle – I am glad to report that although she is a few miles from her sisters that her last resting place commands lovely views over the North Sea and the town below