I'm a self-confessed sucker for nostalgia threads and have enjoyed the preceding postings hugely. Something I miss about the good old days is the kindness of strangers.
Probably about 1973 (good god, I'm talking nearly fifty years ago), my Mum took me along to the Biggin Hill airshow. I was keen to take some pictures but knoe my basic fixed lens Minolta wouldn't cut it so I enquired about hiring an SLR and long lens from the local camera shop.* What I remember so fondly is that the proprietor didn't send this spotty pre-teen away with a flea in his ear but treated me with dignity and generosity of spirit allowing me to take away for the weekend a modest kit of body and a 300mm lens for around a pocket money price.
I wish I could tell you what the kit was and that I've since bought the same stuff on eBAy and it's now a treasured possession but I just can't recall. I did, however have a whale of a time on the day. Oh, and it's just occurred to me, for some reason I was drawn to the Air-Atlantique DC3s and got some great close ups.
* In the unlikely event that anyone here is from my original home town, Gillingham in Kent, it was the small place at the Black Lion end of the High street next door to the joke shop!