When you get a nostalgic feeling people will say that you are looking to the past with rose-tinted spectacles.

But who can argue that any sentimental yearning for a return to the past, say the Fifties and Sixties, did indeed give us a life that was so much simpler and happy.

Yes, families had to watch the pennies but we didn’t need trolley loads of food every week from a supermarket to stay healthy.

Not many Britons had cars and the buses especially in country areas were few and far between. But for sure all that walking must have been good for one’s health.

Many villages had their milk and eggs delivered by a local farmer with a horse and cart. Locally-made bread was similarly delivered by the baker himself– well before sliced bread!

Those were the days when we had four distinct seasons. It was a bit of slog walking a couple of miles to nearby farms in the height of what seemed to be sweltering summers which went on forever – often to do back-breaking tasks such as picking and sorting potatoes – now done by machines.

Picking peas was somewhat easier. The joy of all this hard labour came with pay day – helping the family budget but also putting some cash aside for the camping or b&b holiday breaks.

We didn’t have all this palaver over who said what on this or that social media platform.

You relied on the local newspaper and radio broadcasts for your news – which didn’t have to report dreadful news day in and day out.

Yesteryears’ positive and happy faces have been replaced by grumpy visages and a feeling that “The end of the world is nigh”.

There was little chance of being chauffeured to school whatever the weather. You just used your trusty Shanks’s pony or, if you were lucky enough, get out the bike.

Instead of jetting to far-flung places for holidays most people either went camping in some beauty spot or stayed maybe for a week or two in a bed and breakfast establishment at the seaside.

We were unaware of something called “political correctness” and didn’t have to use websites or use or flash a bit of plastic over a machine to pay our bills.

Cash was king. Sundays were a day of rest. Most churches had a full house, at least on that day. The Catholics even had their Masses in Latin.

Having done their “duty” to God many folk retired to the pub for a pint or two before enjoying a Sunday roast.

If I turn out to be a Time Lord I will for sure return to the life enjoyed several decades ago.

Ron Kirby

Dorchester