Butlins - 1971? and other early holidays

Here's me and my sister - me aged about 5 or 6; sister aged about 3 or 4. That puts this as around 1972. I also remember pulling that expression as a form of defence. I hated having pics taken or being in any way the focus of attention. And look at the way I was dressed. Grey shorts. Ugh!!! I hated my clothes. 

15th of February 1971 - the UK switched to decimal money. I was 4 so never knew old money, never needed to. Have no memory of it - except old re-purposed coins were around for years. And i think that when we were on holiday in Cornwall soon after decimalisation it was old ha'pennies that were still  in use in their slot machines - and we had to get new money changed to old money on the resort to use the machines.

Other really early holidays - Perranporth which can be possibly dated by the fact that I remember laughing at a comic character called Janet the Gannet (my mum was Janet). Have some fairly strong memories still but obviously the memories of a very young child somight not makea whole lot of sense.

Perenporth: With Mark, Gina et al. We camped. Played racing game with pieces on a board. I read summer specials of comics, didn’t know then that all the issues that came out on a certain date with same title were the same. Thought I could keep buying comcs and they would all come out diferent. Walk along cliff. Sand dunes. Bomb site scared me - but was it real? It would have been about 1969/70.

I can date this by a Goodies episode I saw on the campaing site tv - where all the construction equipment started behaving like dinosaus and attacked the Goodies. The episode also involved them building a railway station, though i don't yet know what episode or when it broadcast. Watch this space. http://www.goodiesruleok.com/articles.php?id=60

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0591042/

broadcast on 4^th February 1973 – repeated in the summer? Looks like repeated late July – but still not found a reference. - but it puts me at age 7 going on towards 8. 

Butlins twice I think - obviously where the above picture was taken - I reckon in 1972.

I remember knowing we'd been to Butlins twice but I can't separate out the two occasions. I rememebr being there, the unreality of the place, with the bright colours, the mono-rail and fountains, the fair-ground, the plastic aesthetic, the chalets, the nearby Minehead High Street, which was a huge contrast for me to get my head round - the beach, the countryside, the town and Butlins all in more or less the same place. Hurt my head to a degree.

We went with Lorraine and Ray and the two girls. Lisa (or me? ) got chicken pox. I wouldn’t (or couldn't?) go on the big wheel. Lisa and I danced together and some old biddy went all sentimental about us - we thought it was hilarious and went over and told mum. There were big orange cushions in the chalet and we used to build things with them on the grass outside. I took the name card out of L&R’s door and ripped it up. Lucille cried and told off me to her mum. The other pair of siblings we played with and my earliest remember sexual feelings, for this girl who was about my age, and it drove me to chase her round (we were playing chase anyway) all the more. I didn;t understand this feeling till later.

I also clearly remember starting the journey to Minehead with L&R and the girls - we were following their car. In the dark, through the countryside. Maybe it was just very early morning though - but it was dark.

Lake District - I fell and got scar on my knee which is still there, Remember having soup and rolls in the guest house, sitting outside a pub with parents inside, the mini-golf at Windermere. I had very strong memories of the holiday till well into childhood but they've mostly gone now.

I know at least one year from 1974 to 1978 we didn't have a holiday - i was pulled out of school to go on day trips with parents.

The ones I remember better

Camping in cornwall around early 70s – London in 1977 – lake district – new forest – day trips sometime around 1976 probably. New Malvern (1978?), Salcombe, Potton (1972?) – jersey around 1980; Butlins, Minehead.

- 1977: Windsor

- 1976: Bournemouth/ new forest

- 1975: day-trips?

- 1974:

- 1973

- 1972

- 1971

I remember at least one other caravan holiday in Cornwall where parents rowed really badly and it was frightening. My dad became really angry really quickly which i think has left me with a fear of angry men all my life.