An Open Letter to Councillor Mackintosh

Dear Uncle David

As you know, I like busses a lot. My freinds tell me that your bus station in Northampton is crap not very good so last Wensday mummy took me to see a propper bus station that is better than yours I thort I would tell you about it.

It is lovely and knew like yours. It was a bit old and tired like your old one ...

... but mummy says it was conveen covneiant easy to use like your old one becorse all the busses were there. Daddy told me all the busses used to be green.

But the Counsilors have just spent a lot of pennies bilding a new one, just like you have. Mummy went shopping there and let me see round the new bus station.

It wasnt quiet finishd but it was lovely and shiney like yours. There was a lovely enkwirey encwiry place to ask qestions. Why dont you have one of those?

Mummy said you could get a timetabel book with all the busses in it.

I would like a timetabel book for Northampton. Why dont you make a timetabel book?

And all the busses go there including Nashunul Xpress. Daddy made his computor print a plan of the stops and said that coaches stopped in bay l.

Why have you made coaches wait in a bom site? And there is lots of space for busses to park while there drivers is haveing their brake and a cupper. When I am a big boy mummy says I can have a fone which will take pickchers. I will take pikchers of busses. Why isn't there space like that in your bus station?

Mummy said I could have a wee as it didn't cost 20p 2p. She larfed but I didnt get the joke. Why do poeple have to pay in your bus station?

Daddy told me that some of the stops for some of the busses were at the end

like yours in the Drapeary. But mummy picked a leeflet up wot said that these stops were going to have nice shiney new shellters

which would not be windey and wet like yours. Why dont you have nice shellters in the Drapeary like shellters that keep the rain out? Daddy said that stage coach would be oprating left hand drive busses soon. I dont know what he means he is being silly.

Mummy said as a hole this new bus station was grate but as a hole your new bus station is a hole. She larfed again. What did she mean? I think this new bus station is cool. Daddy got me a picture from a web kam which is cool as well.

You would need a lot of Welcome to Northamptons becorse there are two meny places to find your busses.  Why isnt your bus station as cool as this one?

Can I make a sujjest sugest tell you a idea I have had? Why dont you bild a nice shiney big bus station for all the busses and Nashunul Xpress on the bom site where you have just nocked down the old one. Perhaps the man from Bedford could tell you how to do it propperly.

Mummy also took me to the train station becorse she said it was very eesy with lots of sines all the way. Not like in Northampton. Why dont you have sines to the train station in your bus station?

Mummy says that you wont take no notice of my letter but my freinds big brother says Cousilors job is to help the publick. It would help the publick if Northampton had a propper bus station.

I am sorry if my speling is not very good but I did get an a in kraft.

Thank you for the pressent you sent me for my birthday It is cool I like leggo I have made a moddel bus with it But not as good as this one daddy found in the innternet.

I havvnt got enuff bricks hint hint mummy says that is norty.

Lots of love from your neffew
Torquil xxxxx

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fbb received this letter (in text form by email) from an anonymous correspondent who works in Northampton Borough Council offices. The rumour is that the letter was left beside the photocopier near Councillor Mackintosh's office. fbb's secret correspondent is usually very reliable ...

... but the authenticity of the original document cannot be verified. The bits in bold italics have been emphasised by fbb; he has also added some extra pictures.

The new Bedford bus station opened on Sunday 29th March, with a budget of £8 million. All buses in the town serve the new facility which is a much improved clone of the previous station dating from the 1970s (?).

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 Easter Week : Or Easter, Weak? [4] 

St Michaels Church, Shute is dominated by the statue of Sir William Pole (1515 to 1587) ...

... progenitor of the Pole (later Pole-Carew, later Carew-Pole) family. One of their homes was Shute Barton and the intriguing Church is much more of a chapel to the "big house" than a quaint village church. Hence the huuuge statue. Next to Will is a plaque in memory of his second wife. She died young and, of their seven children, only two survived beyond childhood.

Life was much tougher in the very old good old days!

But the new life in the spring daffs etc. serves to remind us that, despite the toughness of life in a broken, "fallen" world, Christianity's offer of New Life in Christ is the best offer on the table. Because it involves eternity.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. (John's Gospel, Chapter 3)

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 Next bus blog : Friday 10th April