HERE is what happened to a York bus when it crossed the county boundary.

This picture of a once-proud open topped tour bus being systematically dismantled was taken in Barnsley.

We fear a new driver became disorientated by York's notoriously confusing one-way system and ended up accidentally crossing into West Yorkshire.

There his vehicle was seized upon by hordes of primitive natives... and the result is what you see here. What happened to the poor tourists and driver we shudder to think.

Either that, or the bus had failed its MOT and ended up in the knacker's yard being taken apart for scrap.

The picture was sent in by Ian Townend, who lives near that well-known anagram, Newark, in Nottinghamshire.

ABOUT time a Yorkshireman put the French straight about good cooking. That's precisely what James Mackenzie is doing. James, sous chef at the Michelin Star-awarded pub, the Star Inn at Harome, is being flown from Leeds to Paris by Jet2.com to cook for 100 French journalists.

Although French cuisine is often regarded as the finest in the world, James is helping VisitBritain to promote the English regions to foreign media. He will be cooking for a massed ensemble of French media at the British Embassy in Paris later this month. "It's a tremendous honour to be the invited guest of the Ambassador's residence and to be representing Yorkshire cuisine in Paris," he says.

Once they have tasted James' Yorkshire puddings they'll never go back to tiny nouveau cuisine portions again.

GOOD to see Steve Davis won a few frames in this year's World Snooker Championships in Sheffield.

The man whose cheerlessly robotic victories in that tournament once earned him the nickname "Interesting" had recovered from an unfortunate head injury to compete at the Crucible.

Last month Steve had to abandon his assault on the China Open after banging his head on a metal doorframe.

Now the Diary learns this is something of a habit with the lanky potter.

Evening Press sports writer Hugh MacDougall recalled a similar incident nearer to home.

A few years back Steve came to play an exhibition match at the Merchant Taylors Hall in Aldwark, York, and promptly smacked his ginger nut against a beam.

He recovered more quickly that time, and Hugh said to him: "You won't have played in many venues like this."

To which the Essex millionaire replied: "Oh, I've got a barn like this at home."

Updated: 09:57 Tuesday, April 26, 2005