Strawberry Fields

As I ate my bowl of strawberries and Greek yogurt ( sorry i know it should be cream but Yogurt is supposedly more healthy), I was musing upon the title and wondering about the composer of the song ‘Strawberry fields forever.’

Attributed to Lennon and  MCCartney it was actually John Lennon’s childhood memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army children’s home as a small boy.

it sparked my memories of my own children when we lived in Kent, famous for the fruit grown there. Every year when the strawberry fields were bursting with fruit they were off to pick some. The local Farmer had a mini bus and all the youngsters would hope to get picked up and taken out to the Farm. They earned their summer pocket money.and learnt how to value it’s worth. My youngest son even earned enough to buy a bike!!

I’m not sure the current generation of teenagers would even consider such hard work, for that is what it is, or was then.

Strawberries and Cream is also synonymous with Tennis and Wimbledon here in the UK. First and second week in July we have the All England Championships and together with watching the Tennis  a Strawberry Tea is apparently ‘A must’!!

This year we have been sweltering in some incredible temperatures comparable to Dubai or California. It has even caused me to invest in a cooling fan without consulting my Husband I made a unilateral decision!! I am enjoying it’s cooling breeze even as I write. My Husband refuses to enjoy it !!! hey Ho!!

As we grow older tolerating the heat becomes a challenge. My feet and ankles seem to swell up every day as the temperature rises. cool spots are hard to find in the house, and cooking meals is not a pleasant task. Salads have become the order of the day. No doubt the Strawberry Harvest will be a bumper one.

The last really hot Summer I recall was in 2006 when we were still living in Kent but poised of the brink of a challenging move to Cambridgeshire. The house was full of boxes packed with many of our possessions, the rooms were looking bare, some of the furniture had been sold or given away and there wasn’t a lot to do but while away the hours in the garden with a good book. Of course I was 11 years younger then and a lot healthier than I am now!!!

we took a trip to Nottingham that year as we waited for a prospective buyer to make up their mind. Our second son and his family live there. They took us on a day trip to Lincoln and there we visited the Cathedral. Being further north and closer to the North Sea the weather was rather inhospitable that day!!! Not wet but rather chilly!!!

The Cathedral visit was an amazing experience with an exhibition of some very striking carvings.

it’s surprising how thinking about one thing can jog so many different memories! those of us who retain our memory should be truly grateful. Living with someone whose memory is fading is deeply challenging.