Grew up in a small farm in rural Ireland.
Came home from school in September/October had a quick bite to eat before the local farmers came round with the cattle trailers and the kids all piled in to go to the fields to gather potatoes.
There were six (3 girls, 3 boys) of us. I was second youngest and probably about 9 or 10 when I first went.
First pay was 10p a hundredweight bag, was usually able to do 4 in an evening before dark and 12 on a Saturday for around 3 pounds sterling a week.
Bought my first ever watch with potato money.
And we got one bath a week, on a Saturday night.
Mine are 14 and 12 now. Have been out shovelling driveways for $ this year for the first time. Simple lesson if anything is that there is money to be made if you go looking for it.
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