The Ballad of CNPS nos 31 to 40

So here at last is the final part of the task I set myself back on May 29 - it's taken be around 2 months to get 10 cars. Not a good rate. Oh well, here's the promised poem:

The Ballad of CNPS nos 31 to 40
A long time ago, Rich set himself a task:
To collect 10 number plates should not be too much to ask.
One to thirty had been found without a huge kerfuffle,
So thirty one to forty should be trivial with no hassle.
But pride of a collector will come before a fall
And in weeks one and two he found not one at all.
Eventually at a fancy dress, held at Castle Bert,
A thirty-one outside the house, at last, an end to hurt.
So now the game's afoot, the next one must be near,
But three more long days must he pass before he sees his dear
Next plate - To the North of Lendal bridge it's found:
It's night so the plate is hard to see, inches above the ground.
It's definitely a thirty-two, a check at the back confirms it,
But who'd have thought it'd be three weeks before he'd increment it?
On the way to the races, the John Smiths Cup, on the 10th day of July
Seeing a thirty-three on Blossom St did nearly make Rich cry.
And oh, the joy, and oh, the surprise
That plate would not be his only prize.
On the way home from the horses, forty odd quid better off,
Thirty four was near the train station hooray! Cough!
So now he's making progress, how much longer will he be?
At least a week it does turn out until the next he see.
But the eighteenth of July was to be an excellent day.
Three plates were seen on a walk round town - he walked a lucky way!
Thirty-five, thirty-six, and thirty-seven were apparently
At the Euro-CarPark, The Post Office and On Leeman Rd respectively.
So now the end is finally near, just three more plates to witness!
But wait, foreign holiday coming up, to finish before would be sweetness.
And oh, it's going to be so close, but he'll get two more in England -
On the twenty-fourth in Russell Square a thirty-eight he lands.
And the next day on the A2, from the window of the coach he spys
a plate thirty-nine on the road ahead, so quickly flying by.
And that's it for a while, as Rich has European Holiday
In Europe plates are all different, CNPS he can't play.
But when back in York on the sixth of August, walking with his bag,
In Euro-CarPark is parked a forty - this banishes all jet-lag!
And now the challenge is over, apart from writing this epic yarn.
The pressure's off, it's time for rest or maybe to buy a barn.
Whilst trying this challenge, Herring's finished the whole game.
But Rich still has 959 more to go before he'll feel no shame.

I thank you.

The journey continues...