The cherry plum on top

I once offered to thread a needle for my mother when I saw her make several failed attempts. She refused, explaining that the threading of needles was illegal for men and boys. It was 20 years later when, approaching my thirties, I realised that it was hogwash and just a way to stop me stabbing myself. We tend to believe what we are told by our parents, and the considerably more accurate admonition not to eat wild berries has found its way into the heart of most of us.

“It can be found, scattered, throughout lowland Britain and is often found on