I was cutting my nails (more like talons) last night and all the while, mum's words kept repeating in my head.

"You shouldn't cut your nails at night. Or dispose them in the house else there'll be a theft in the house"

Much as the logic of such an event strikes you as being entirely implausible, mothers' words have a way of staying with you and annoying the heck out of you, even if you don't actually follow them.

And so there I was, feeling slightly guilty about my nocturnal nail-cutting. Till I rewinded to the time I was three years old and mum was having trouble getting me to down lunch while we were in the yard. I was more obsessed with a crow that had appeared on the scene and was insisting on getting my hands on the creature.

"You shouldn't touch crows", mum had said. "You'll blacken your hands."

Hmpfh.