The strawberries in Kent are always ripe at this time of year

When we were younger we picked them for fun  

It was a sort of working holiday

Were you paid?

Yes but it was only enough to pay for the evening drinks in the pub or catch a film in Maidstone

What do you remember the most about your strawberry picking holiday?

Well apart from the weather which was very hot

I remember the lane that led to the ancient church

It was not much of a lane but it has remained in my memory ever since

The church at the end of the lane had been restored in 1875 having been there since the late eleventh century

I almost expected to meet the long forgotten craftsmen as Beatrice and I walked towards the church 

You mentioned that there was a cricket ground near the church

To the right of the church there was a cricket ground

It was typically Kentish in appearance

But we never saw a match

Even though we were there for the two full weeks

Not one ball was bowled

We spend many languid hours stretched out in front of the cricket pavilion

Or we played impromptu games of cricket with the other strawberry pickers who were camping with us in a nearby field

Do you visit the lane often?

Not as often as we would like

But it does not change

Small details may differ

But overall it’s the same

Kent is often called the Garden of England

And once you visit its garden

You never really leave

 

CH 2017