Well, didn’t Yorkshire look absolutely marvellous during the Tour de France earlier this month?
Thousands and thousands of people lined the route which wound through the stunning countryside, and with the sun shining, the lush Dales have never looked better.
While some of their southern counterparts who hosted the middle stage of the race were apparently whinging or apologising about the inconvenience of the closed roads, the good folk of God’s Own Country really put on a good show and I reckon they will be reaping the benefits for years to come.
It was a stunning advert for the area and I can see many people who never thought of visiting the county now planning a long weekend driving along the gorgeous route for themselves.
Bah humbug
It’s not long since midsummer’s day past and many of us are still looking forward to our summer holidays and hopefully another couple of months of good weather and long evenings.
But the dreaded C-word has already started to appear – this year it would seem even earlier than usual. That’s C for Christmas, cashing in and consumerism and in the case of your rather traditional editor, cynicism.
Here at Mature Times we are already receiving news about this year’s ‘Top 10 hi-tech Christmas presents’ – and there’s still goodness knows how many shopping days to go, by which time they might well be outdated anyway. Bah – pass those humbugs.
Just the tonic!
I read a newspaper headline the other day that stated that moderate drinking was actually bad for you.
I was actually delighted at first as I expected the following text to go on to say that a higher, but steady alcohol consumption was better than the ‘odd one or two’ – oh no!
The latest scientific study debunks the previously held belief that drinking two glasses of wine a day does not protect your heart and actually damages your health.
Boffins writing in the British Medical Journal revealed that drinking less reduces the risk of heart disease and lowers blood pressure.
They claim drinking as little as 12 units a week – less than a pint of beer or two small glasses of wine a day – has a negative effect on health. I wish they would make up their minds.
Cheers for that. Which brings me on to ……
Mala-ga-ga
What is going on with some of the senior citizens in the country (well residents in the country letting their hair and other things down) in Spain and other European hotspots.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating a society where anyone over 50 has to give up their wild ways, check out all the charity shops, join the WI or set up a cake stall.
But this summer has seen an explosion of elderly retirees descending on the cheaper seaside resorts and, frankly, behaving in a most shameful manner.
Foreign A&E departments are full of intoxicated pensioners who have seen too much sun and sangria.
The newspaper coverage of these ‘Saga-louts’ makes an 18 to 30s look like a trip to the library.
Again, people of all ages are allowed to have fun, but isn’t age supposed to bring a little wisdom if not decorum.
by Andrew Young, Mature Times editor
