I came to England in the 1960 as a child. I remember growing up in a village which consisted of about 300 people. Our house was between four other houses. I remember we had lots of plant pots with flowers on our roof. The one plant I remember was called “blooming in the afternoon “, it had had bright maroon colour. Not sure what this flower is called in England. 

We had a free water standing tap to drink water from and bath. Other community members came to take water from our tap. There was no toilet in the house in those days and community members walked to the nearby fields to defecate.


Women and children went together to the field in the morning and late evening. I remember walking through the maize, wheat plant and sugar cane. I remember big open spaces with green scenery and water flowing in the nearby river.


I remember learning to grow mangoes after eating a mango then planting the seed. I remember eating raw cauliflower and peas while my mum was preparing the vegetables to cook. Carrots Moloi were our walking snacks.


All this planting seeing green scenery went away on reaching England. I didn’t know there were farms in England until quite late. It was almost like nothing grew in England due to the climate change.  

I forgot how food was grown and where it came from as one went to the shop and bought it. The Covid 19 brought back all my memories as I began to grow herbs in the pots and flowers to build my mental state.

Thanks to the pandemic that what I lost as a child has now come back and what a wonderful memory.