The perils of rural life
I think sometimes it is easy to forget how lucky we are to live along the coast. Be it Norfolk or Suffolk. The incredible scenery and wide expanses of sky and sand, make this area a much sought-after location. With many families now relocating here from the hustle and bustle of city life.
I heard a funny story the other day about such a family. The father was away on a business trip for a few days. So the mother decided it would be fun to ramble through the fields to the beach with their three children. Taking a picnic with them. Complete with red gingham napkins, heaps of tomatoes and lashings of ginger beer. You know the drill, and off they set.
The children ranged in age from eight to twelve and as they made their way past a neighbour’s orchard. They cheekily plucked a few funny looking apricots from the lowest branches to eat on the way. By the time they reached the sand dunes 20mins later. The two who had eaten the pale, hard and hairy apricots were beginning to feel a little unwell.
By no means an expert in the joys of foraging. The mother thought she had better look up what is was that her beloved babies had consumed. She soon realised that the apricots were in fact almonds. (How we ever survived without Google on mobile phones is an equally scary thought).
As she rapidly scanned the Wikipedia listing, her eyes widened. The words ‘raw almonds’ in conjunction with ‘hydrogen cyanide’ and ‘glycoside amygdalin’ stood out amongst the passage.
Drastic perhaps, (you would need to eat A LOT of almonds to be poisoned) but she made the two children take a number of gulps of sea water. They ceremoniously threw up and were deemed to be out of harm’s way. The reality was, I’m sure, that they only had mild like indigestion. But never underestimate the hidden perils of the innocent almond! Or a great story.