Behind the Beauty

Despite everything I've seen as I travel around the world the capacity to be appalled by the little things in life has never left me, thankfully.
Today, on the way back from solicitors, I stopped at a quiet little inlet on the Clyde between Langbank and Port Glasgow.

The tiny park is the starting point of a major tourist renovation project that lets you walk along the banks of the Clyde from just past Langbank until eventually Greenock. The parts of the walkway that you can see from the road are truly superb, but the beginning of the walkway, hidden by trees from the road is where the park is.
I should say where the park was. When my father was dying from Alzheimer's Disease I would take him to this tranquil spot and just sit there, admiring the beauty while my dad would sit lost in his own thoughts but seemingly, for that short while, contented.

The view across the Clyde ,which is today's blip, remains the same as it was all those years ago. Quite stunning

Behind me is a travesty of what used be a tranquil park. Burned out cars, broken glass, hypodermic needles, condoms, broken crack/cocaine pipes and empty whisky bottles.

Not unusual we may think, however there are at least 8 dilapidated caravans complete with occupants both young and old lounging about drinking and smoking. I have traveled enough and seen enough to know what a crystal meth lab smells like. The tell tale smoke and smell from three caravans left me in no doubt, as did the homemade distilling equipment, as to their source of income. In addition to the Social Security Free Bank I assume.

In addition parked in an area that could not be seen from the road was one of those mobile coffee/tea/burger vans. It seemed to be doing a roaring trade in both snortable and injectable substances. No surprise that they thought my BMW was a customer with money, so they left me alone..

This used to be a very special place for me and many folk like me.
There is wickedness, depravity everywhere, in every country in the world, so why should I be so shocked to find it here in the land of my birth? The fact that so many decent Scots, that far outnumber the scum, seem unable to prevent this kind of desecration leads me to my final thought courtesy of the Scottish Tourist Board's famous phrase:

" Haste Ye Back ".

Please forgive me if I no longer have the wish to ever return.


douglas