Long, long ago just after the war, the primary school parents association used to organise a charabanc (what a nostalgic word) trip to the seaside . It was considered to be a real treat, but I dreaded it. Being a coach-sick child, I was nauseous after a few miles, then we would stop halfway there for a drink at a ramshackle roadside caff where the only thing on offer was bottles of violently orange fizzy pop. At the beach there was no shade and after a few hours of sun I was invariably burnt and, going home,would have a thumping headache and feel really ill. The next day, I would look like a boiled lobster and after a week or so,my skin would peel off in strips. What a treat that was.Of course, there was no sun cream then,just copious applications of calamine lotion after the event, and sunburn was considered to be healthy! My sister died at 60 of malignant melanoma and I often wonder if these early sunburns contributed to it.
