In 1984, my ex-wife and I moved back to England and I started a gardening business in England, which was a big mistake because in England, you’re only working so many months out of the year. So you have to save quite a bit of money to get you through the wintertime. Actually, you’re not getting ahead. You’re more or less going backwards. Whereas Southern California, when you’re a gardener in California, you’re paid every month, 12 months a year. So you always had money. But in England, because of the weather, you can’t do that.
I was trying to survive there for 2 years doing inside the barnyard of barns – rebuilding barns inside and I was freezing myself to death in the cold weather. I learned masonry work. That’s through my ex-father-in-law. He used to be a mason.
But I would not recommend any gardener to do gardening in England. They’re well respected. Gardeners are well respected there. A lot of them wear ties when they’re working.
Date: December 1, 2005
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Daniel Lee
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
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