What happened?

I took the boys this morning over the fields in search of my autumnal harvest of blackberries but it was a very poor selection.

Last year, Murphy and I came home regularly with plump dark blackberries by the kilo. This year they are small, stunted and look dried out before I have had a chance to dehyrdrate them.

I really wanted a good batch to put in the mincemeat this year as an additional flavour but at this rate it doesn't look as though it is going to be possible.