In memory of a tree

When we moved into the flat, the horse chestnut outside the window was obviously unwell. That was about 9 years ago. Over the years, the tree became ever more unwell, dropping leaves very early in the autumn and looking unhappy.

This year there were almost no leaves. The tree was clearly dying. We took this photo on the day the tree surgeons came to take it down. When the trunk fell, it made the whole building shake.

This horse chestnut was visited by many birds. It dominated the view from where I sit to work and most days I have looked up and seen it full of activity, and flocks of feathery people. Squirrels raced about in it, a pigeon nested there and it was popular with the crows. 

This tree has been a friend and a blessing, and will be greatly missed. I have one of its babies growing in one of my pots and this autumn I will quietly move it out into the space the old tree left behind.