My AA Book of British Towns included lavish and kindly descriptions of every obscure community you could think to name ... but of Retford it maintained a stern and mysterious silence.

I found in My AA Book of British Towns an artist's illustration of central Edinburgh as it might be seen from the air. It showed Princes Street lined from end to end with nothing but fine old buildings. The same was true of all the other artists' impressions of British cities ... You can't do that, you know. You can't tear down fine old structures and pretend they are still there.

[At Blenheim] I took the opportunity to study the miniature steam train. It ran over a decidedly modest length of track across one corner of the rounds. The sight of fifty English people crouched on a little train in a cold drizzle waiting to be taken 200 yards and thinking they were having fun is one that I shall not forget in a hurry.