Small Things Make Me Happy

I've recently made a habit of trying to identify the trees close to my house when I walk Barney.

As I am at heart a zoologist, this switch to botany is taxing my skill at identifying species. However, I am perservering.

I've known for years that the trees closest to my house are poplars, and there is a spectacular flowering Japanese cherry tree right outside my gate, but to my delight I also noted a wild/bird cherry tree closeby this Spring. I can just make out some little green cherries on it right now.

The horsechestnut trees are also growing bigger and bigger each year, despite the depredations of some of the local children, who like to collect the (unripe) conkers by pulling down the branches...in many cases breaking them off. It is a tribute to the tenacity of these trees that they are able to withstand such damage and still grow.

There is also an alder close to the car park (a local neighbour who complains about it threatens to cut it down as it interferes with her light levels in her front room...fortunately, she knows that she'd be prosecuted for this!).

Up on the Ralla (the local name for the old diesel engine train embankment at the side of my house) there is a goat/pussy willow. This tree has formed a natural 'den', with the branches forming an almost perfect cone around the base of the trunk. It can easily accomodate a group of adults, as the local teenagers have discovered. These teenagers have taken to having drunken sprees up in the shelter of the tree, which I wouldn't mind but for the mess of beer cans etc they leave behind. I was also horrified to see that a huge portion of bark had been stripped away from one of the main branches. Gabrielle and I touched the exposed branch: it felt so cold compared to the rest of the tree that Gabrielle suggested going home and putting a towel over it to keep it warm. Bless her little eight-year-old heart! Fortunately, the tree seems to be weathering the assault quite welll, to my relief.

My greatest find has been the discovery of a genuine English Oak on the top of the Ralla. It has survived a small fire nearby, and is still growing quite strong. Oaks are usually a sign of mature woodland, hence my especial delight at finding this tree growing here.

I wish, wish, wish I could educate the young people nearby about the trees and how significant they are. My Gabrielle appreciates them, and indeed is very sensitive to nature in general, but then I have been guiding her almost from the day she was born. I take whatever opportunity I can, but so often the kids don't want to know.

I imagine that the local kids have me labelled as the local neighborhood nature crank, as well as the local crazy cat woman.

Oh well...