Small black and white birds with long black flicking-up tails and a low, undulating, dancy flight, are pied wagtails. They gather on the lawn in ones and twos, sometimes more. The pied wagtail bobs its head back and fore as it quarters the ground with rapid darting runs, occasionally jumping up acrobatically to snaffle low flying insects.

Scientifically, the broad bean is Vicia faba, also known as the fava bean. Horse bean or field bean are other alternatives, although these last two names generally refer to crops that are commonly grown as animal fodder. Broads popular for human consumption nowadays are larger-seeded varieties. Native to North Africa and Southwest Asia, these beans are believed to have been part of the European diet even before 6000 BC. They were particularly popular in the Stone Age Mediterranean region. European folklore has it that planting this crop either on Good Friday or at night-time is a harbinger of good luck.

Broad beans are rich in protein, so much so that they have been called ‘vegetable meat’. Vitamins A and C are readily available, so too phosphorous. Broads contain the cancer fighting substance lectin, so may help in this department also.