holiday to mark Queen Victoria's birthday, and known as Empire Day, the name was subsequently changed to Commonwealth Day, before Government decided to dub it Bermuda Day.

Before the advent of motorised transport and noisy boats, portable sound equipment, aircraft and helicopters, Bermudians enjoyed their picnics in peace and tranquillity, with just the sounds of birds, cicadas and gently rolling surf to listen to.

It was a time for the simple pleasures of life: simple fare eaten outside among friends, usually interspersed with the first swim of the season.

Going on a May 24 picnic was a major event -- often uniting extended families in one big celebration.

Cakes and cookies were freshly baked, lemons newly squeezed and sandwiches neatly cut. The whole household would be a-buzz, preparing for this open-air treat.

Far from the conglomeration of sophisticated picnic gear trundled along to today's picnic, yesteryear's picnickers packed their goodies in wicker baskets, recycled biscuit tins and modest thermos flasks or glass bottles. On site, they would spread out an old linen tablecloth, and eat off household crockery and cutlery.

With coolers and reusable artificial chilling devices not yet invented, chunks of ice would be chipped from a large block in the household ice chest and put into thermos flasks.

Sandwiches were wrapped in dampened linen napkins or tea cloths to prevent them from drying.

Two drinks were popular: tea, or freshly made lime or lemonade. Tea was made on location, generally using an old kettle brought filled with water from home. Rocks to set it on and sticks to light the fire under it would be found on site, and it would be freshly brewed with loose tea in a china teapot.

Cedar trees were an important part of the picnic process. From their branches, baskets and hampers were hung to foil the appetites of ants, and if extra shade was needed, they supported old bedspreads or sheets as make-shift canopies.

While old-time picnics were a mixture of socialising, swimming, fun and games, certain health rules were rigorously observed. No swimming or cavorting was allowed for at least an hour after eating -- a positive eternity for children! Best of all, picnickers took pride in their Island, and when they departed not a trace of litter was left behind. Fires were doused with water and the embers dispersed. Trash was neatly packed and taken home for disposal.

COOLING OUT -- Bermuda cedars provide the perfect canopy for a family enjoying a picnic at Devonshire Bay in 1945. (Photo courtesy of Ismay Lambert Bean).

ROCK HAPPY -- Taking time out during a day at the beach to pose for the photographer, this group tells much about the fashions of the day. While the men wore long legged, one-piece wool bathing suits, the women were content to paddle in their dresses. (Photo from the W.J. Astwood album in the Bermuda Archives Collection).

THIRST QUENCHERS! -- This advertisement appeared in the 1897 Bermuda Almanac.

Ice was available twice a day, depending on how far away it needed to be delivered before melting. (Courtesy of Bermuda Archives).

THE ICE MAN COMETH! -- Before the luxury days of modern refrigerators with icemakers, deliveries of block ice by horse and wagon were the only means householders had of keeping foodstuffs and picnic drinks cool. The business in this advertisement, which appeared in the 1871 Bermuda Almanac, today trades under the name Miles Super Service Market. And yes, ice continues to be supplied by the firm today -- cubed and bagged in handy plastic bags! (Illustration courtesy of the Bermuda Archives).