Sunday Picnic's for families

1940's & 1950's

We had no cars, no phones, but all the families met up on a Summer Sunday, Picnic Day, it just shows you how the meet in town on a Saturday was important, my mother had brother & sisters in Ann Street, & Broomhill, at that time you were only allowed 3 minutes to stand on a corner, the police were constantly walking up & down the High St., " Move On " you were told, so when you saw the police coming you crossed the street and kept walking, why this was I don't know, but mother met her family between Westburn St and Woolworths somehow

The family had there favourite spots for their Sunday Picnic, 1. Pencil Point, ( Just passed Largs ), 2. Red Rocks, ( Just before Largs ). 3. Inverkip, 4. Lunderston Bay, 5. Kilcreggan, 6. Rothesay, 7 Dunoon. My father was responsible to where we were going that day, we loved our seafood, Whelks & Cockles, we went to one place, Cockles, another, Clabby Doos another

Loaded up we would all head for the bus at George Square, some busses went to Inverkip only, others Largs via Barrs cottage, others Largs Via Gourock, so if you were going to Lunderston Bay, that was the one you caught, and when I say there were hundreds of folk in the queue at George Sq. I mean hundreds, the double decker buses were continuous

We had the same spot at every one of these places so the family knew where to find you, Mother had a large pot, black with a handle she used to fill with sea water to boil potatoes, every one had a job to do ordered by father, mine was get enough wood for our fire, no gas then, another was to gather big stones to make the surround for the fire, we play football, swam, skipping ropes, and our parents caught up with gossip with others members of family, I loved my Sundays

Father kept his eye on the tide, then shout his warning to start, we had bags over out shoulders and off we would go, we were taught at an early age, what to pick and what to leave, father taught me the way to catch Clabby Doos, father had a shovel, others had a small garden rake

If, when we got home and viewed or catch, mother would sell some in a saucer from the back bedroom window, salt, pepper & vinegar were on the window sill, also on sale at mother's window was Hot Pea's & vinegar also sold by the saucer full, these pea's were not from a tin, these were soaked over-night and cooked by mother

We never went to the same place two weeks running, I Loved every minute of it, some time neighbours would come with us, so it wasn't all family, neighbours were very close back then