Not much occurrin'

I went for a spin to Barry Island today between torrential downpours. I haven't experienced a day as windy as this since...well... the last time. There were about six coach fulls of people from Birmingham wandering about, holding on to their clothes during gusts but seemingly enjoying themselves. It made me feel nostalgic for something I barely remember - the community/chapel day out. An outing on a bus to the seaside (Barry or Porthcawl in South Wales) used to be a big feature in Welsh Valleys life (Dylan Thomas wrote a piece of prose about it called The Outing) but which has now been cast aside and forgotten by the current generation in the age of the three car family. I think we expect much more from our leisure time now and with our expectations we've lost the sense of innocence that made a day at the beach with friends and family an annual community event.