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Maria Knight (nee Moran), who was born at Margate in 1959, was brought up in the 1960's and educated at four establishments: St Gregory's School, Margate; Ursuline Convent, Westgate; Clarendon House Grammar School for girls and Thanet Technical College.
One of my fondest memories of being a child growing up in Westwood, Margate in the 1960's was going pea picking, 'on the fields' as it was known.
My mum would go with the neighbours, and they would spend the early summer picking the local peas at the farm just the other side of the Nash Road.
I have a wonderful black and white photo of me, when I must have been about 2 or 3 years of age, wearing what appears to be a full-length coat, so it must have been quite chilly out there all day, sitting on a box picking peas.
One person would collect a number of vines, and deposit them into the centre of a circle of women, all sitting on boxes with coats for padding, who would pull a vine over to them, and proceed to pick off the ripe pea pods and put them in boxes.
I remember the pods were the most wonderful shade of green, smooth and plump. If they were pocked and pale, we would pop them open and eat the sweet warm peas inside. If the pods were flat, they would be discarded.
Of course, today, these are the mange tout which cost the earth in the supermarkets!!! In fact, even then, we only had fresh peas probably once or twice a year -- peas came from the local shop, out of the freezer or in tins!
Highlights of the day were lunch -- sandwiches and coffee out of the thermos. Low spots -- having to go to the toilet in a makeshift latrine, constructed like a fort out of boxes.
In one of the fields there was an old 'pill box' left over from the war, and we children, when bored with picking, would go in and play war games! I remember it smelt dreadful, so perhaps some people didn't use the box fort!
I also remember going up to the farmhouse one day, and being chased away by geese!!
Of course, the workers were paid piece work, a set amount for each box, but it was a wonderful life while it lasted -- out in the fresh air all day with friends, lively chatter, picnic food, a golden tan without trying, and even at the end of the day, some extra pocket money for the contribution made towards Mum's harvest.
The smell of dry earth and fresh peas will always remind me of those halcyon days.
Maria Knight, Ramsgate, 2002
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