Mistletoe

Not a good start to the day. I forgot to charge the camera's battery and then I went and dropped my small Canon camera which now has a big it dent in its side!!

I'm really pleased with this mistletoe in the garden. It has taken five years to get to this stage with berries on it. It really is a magical plant with many myths and legends surrounding it.

According to Christmas custom, any two people who meet under a hanging of mistletoe are obliged to kiss. The custom may be of Scandinavian origin

The plant is a rich source of toxic lectin proteins (the substance that killed the Bulgarian writer Georgi Markov in the umbrella killing in 1978)

Mistletoe was worshipped as a divinity by early English druids.It was essential, from the druids' point of view, that the berries did not touch the floor or their fertility powers would be lost.