I have collected so many fleeting fruits, leaves and flowers in the shed throughout my residency, but they don’t ever last very long. Some went into experimental fermentation attempts, but the birds got the most of them. I decided to keep this pair back. They have aged rather beautifully. Cherries are sweet-sour, suggesting innocence and virginity, but also sex and cyanide, to make a delightfully mixed metaphor. They have a value in the medicine garden – as cherry juice has been found to raise natural melatonin levels, which can help with disturbed sleep patterns.