TRECCO BAY 1965

   TRECCO BAY HOLIDAY 65'                    TIM WILLIAMS                      FEB.2015

" IF YOU LOOK OUT OF THE FRONT OF THE CARAVAN
YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE IT ", " SEE WHAT ", WE SAID
" THE SEA " OUR MOTHER SAID POINTING FORWARD,
WE STARED , WE SQUINTED OUR EYE'S AND STARED HARDER,
ALL WE COULD SEE WAS THE BACK OF THE CARAVAN IN FRONT
AND MIST A THICK DRIZZLY RAINY MIST, WHAT SEA ?

THIS WAS THE FIRST DAY OF OUR SUMMER HOLIDAY
THE YEAR WAS 1965, WE HAD BEEN RIGGED OUT
IN A NEW SET OF CLOTHES EACH THE PREVIOUS WEEKEND,
WOOLIES FINEST GREY SHORTS, BLUE POLO-NECKS, AN ELASTICATED BELT
WITH SNAKE BUCKLE ( ALL THE RAGE AT THE TIME ), 3/4 LENGTH SOCKS,
AND PLASTIC SANDLES IN RED ( A MUST HAVE ACCESSORY )

WE HAD BOTH RECEIVED SEVERE HAIRCUTS, MORE SEVERE
TO ONE SIDE THAN THE OTHER, ADMINISTERED BY OUR MOTHER
( THESE DAYS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WORTHY OF A CHILDLINE CALL FOR UNNECESSARY CRUELTY THOSE DAYS YOU BORE IT LIKE A MAN ),
THEY RESEMBLED SOMETHING DONE BY EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
WHEN BOTH DRUNK AND BLINDFOLDED, WE LOOKED LIKE A
PAIR OF ESCAPEE'S FROM A SECURE INSTITUTION WITH EXPRESSIONS TO MATCH

ONE GLANCE OUTSIDE TOLD US THE RAIN WAS IN FOR THE DAY,
SO HERE WE WERE MY BROTHER AND I BEING HELD
PRISONERS BY THE WEATHER IN A 12 X 10 ROOM IN
TRECCO BAY PORTHCAWL WITH ALL AMUSEMENTS IE.
GAMES , TOYS, BOOKS FOOTBALLS AND RUGBY BALLS AT HOME
THERE WAS NOTHING FOR IT BUT TO FIGHT SO FIGHT WE DID

AFTER THE FIGHTING HAD BEEN BROKEN UP 3 OR 4 TIMES
MY MUM HAD A SUGGESTION " LET'S TAKE THEM TO THE
AMUSEMENT ARCADE AND SEAFRONT SHOPS" ,
NEW PLASTIC HOODED CAPES THAT SMELT STRONGLY OF RUBBER APPLIED , 
SOCKS REMOVED, SANDLES RE-APPLIED AND OUT INTO THE ELEMENTS WE WENT

DUELY ANNOINTED WITH 2/6d EACH WE WERE
TAKEN TO THE AMUSEMENTS AND DUELY AMUSED FOR AN HOUR,
THEN THE MONEY STARTED TO RUN LOW AND WE WERE REMOVED 
AND TAKEN TO THE VERY QUIET SEA FRONT SHOPS WITH BALLS HANGING
IN NETS, AND NETS HANGING NEXT TO BALLS, WE WISELY PURCHASED
A GAMES COMPENDIUM BETWEEN US, AND WITH CHAFFING FEET FROM
WET SANDLES RETURNED TO THE CARAVANS POPPING GAS ELEMENTS AND WARMTH

THIS REMAINED PRETTY MUCH THE DAILY RITUAL
FOR THE DAMP AND DRIPPING WEEK, STEAMING SHORTS AIRING
AND PLASTIC MACS THE ORDER OF THE DAY, THE PLAYING CARDS
WERE USED SO OFTEN YOU COULD NO LONGER READ THE NUMBERS
AND MY BROTHER AND I HAD DEVELOPED UNHEALTHY GAMBLING HABITS AND DREAMT
OF MAKING IT TO LAS VEGAS, THE SEA WAS VIEWED AS A DISTANT WONDER
ON 3 OCCASIONS BUT MOSTLY WE WONDERED WHY WE HAD COME AT ALL
AS WE ONLY LIVED 3 AND 1/2 MILES AWAY