John came to England from Jamaica in 1955 (when he was 24) and was surprised at first because he thought England was supposed to be pretty. He'd never coped with winter before and found the snow really strange: he'd thought it would be heavy, but it wasn't, it was light.

What were your favourite sweets?

I don't remember the name, but they were red and white. I remember eating them when the Queen was crowned.

Chat-up lines

I'd chat up a girl by asking her name and telling her that I liked it.

Travel

It was strange going back to Jamaica. It was bright and the sun was very warm. It was 17 years before I went back. I thought the people looked very old, but they were very friendly compared with the English.

Food

My favourite type of food is rice & peas and chicken. When I first came over here, rice, flour, sugar and butter was plenty. But the lard was no good; it upset my stomach. Then they made cooking oil and corn oil. I didn't like English food really, but had no choice but to eat it. Back in Jamaica we'd pick the live chicken that we wanted to eat. If they had good feathers on their belly, then we knew it would be a tasty,1 fresh chicken.

Youth

The problem with the younger generation is that they don't want to work. We always wanted to work when we were younger.

Changes

The biggest change I've seen is that, when I was younger, people were free to go into the house; you could leave the doors and windows open. There are too many crooks now. What disturbs me most is that since I lost my sight, I hear things have changed a lot. I hear there are plenty of cars on the road. My car used to be my most precious possession. I had a big Vauxhall Victor. Back then my driving lessons used to cost one pound a lesson, and the same for my test.

Natural remedies

Well, I think marijuana is actually the best for most illnesses.