Summer in the early 50's

I'm going down memory lane today. I have been thinking how lucky children are these days as for most, holidays are the norm. When I was growing up in the late 40's and 50's life was very different. There was very little money and our 'holiday' was a day out with my parents and grandparents. I remember my gran used to hire a taxi and take us to a place called Purton which was only a few miles from home and is on the canal that goes from Sharpness to Gloucester. It's also near the River Severn but to my brother and me it could have been a million miles away and it was exciting to go by taxi as we didn't have a car. My father always made a fire and cooked onions and sausages long before fancy outdoor BBQ's became fashionable. We played cricket and walked by the canal and to be honest I don't really remember all the detail just the images of happy family times. The only problem I recall was one year it poured with rain and we were then stuck under a makeshift tarpaulin (thunder and lightening) because gran had instructed Percy Stump the taxi driver not to come back before time. Now that is one time it would have been good if mobile phones had been available back then!!
I'll leave you with a couple of photos:
This is my gran with my mother and us kids and my uncle Don. Oh the dog is Titch!!
My dad is in this photo and that's my gramp in the background. No one had taught me to sit in a ladylike manner and my knickers are showing-I thought I would get that in before anyone mentioned it!!!
I wouldn't necessarily want to turn the clock back but life was far less complicated in those days, there was very little violent crime (something that has not changed for the better!), you could safely leave your windows and doors unlocked without fear of burgulary and the community supported each other.