I was stopped by a middle-aged couple who said ‘we’ve come here from Bolton. It’s the first time we’ve been’ they said. ‘It’s awful.’ We were standing at the entrance to a decayed and heavily graffitied walkway. I was taking photographs. ‘You don’t live here do you’ they asked, with looks that said I surely couldn’t. ‘Yes, I do’, I said. ‘If you look beyond the decay which is down to lack of public spending and governmental neglect, the words in the graffiti will tell you everything you need to know about the people. It really is a great place to live. Even in the bleakest times, hearts are warm.’ They looked at me as if I was quite mad, which of course I am. I’ll post another of the graffitied panels tomorrow.
