In the spring of last year I was in discussions with the Scottish Daily Mail about a feature article on the Buttercup. The article had been drafted, I had sent them a number of pictures and it was due to be published on 9 April 2013.

The day before the planned publication date I got a telephone call from Jim McBeth, who had written the article, telling me that Margaret Thatcher had died and there would be no space for the feature - and that's the last I heard of it.

Margaret Thatcher has been blamed for many things but I bet you didn't know that she put the mockers on my book!