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Now You See It - Now You Don’t

 

No, it’s okay - it isn’t snowing chez Damson Cottage. I am using this photo purely for illustrative purposes because I wasn’t quick enough to take one for posterity this morning. See that tree in the middle? It’s a bay tree. It was planted as a mere twig of a thing when we first arrived here six years ago this EXACT week. Since then it has reached heady heights and bushyness despite my aggressive pruning techniques. And this morning it was over 7 feet tall and probably 4 feet wide. 

I said to His Lordship Malarkey this morning, ‘You know what we need to do this weekend, don’t you?’ and he said, ‘What?’ and I said, ‘Dig up the bay tree because the landscaper is arriving on Wednesday to start building our NEW patio and the bay tree does not figure in the plans.’ 

And the next thing I know I am looking out of the landing window at the bay tree thinking, ‘Goodness, there’s a high wind out there buffeting the bay tree around,’ and then I realised the buffeting was being caused by Andy, who was WRESTLING with the bay tree, and when I say ‘wrestling’ I mean wrestling - it was like 1970s World of Sport Saturday afternoon wrestling with Big Daddy taking on Giant Haystacks! 

Well, I rushed out there in case first aid was required, and ended up heaving at the roots with a gardening fork whilst Andy continued to literally THROW himself manly, and with much grunting, at the bay tree which was showing remarkable fortitude against being uprooted given it is growing in less than eight inches of soil. 

It eventually gave way and we have, with great optimism, relocated it in the flower bed in the mini orchard where it is currently doing a marvellous job of pretending to have fainted with the trauma of it all. Whether it survives or not remains to be seen - however, I have taken the precaution of making some cuttings, just in case. 

And this is the space it leaves behind…

As you can see, no snow, but sunshine. The weird little well thing it was sitting in is going, too. We are aiming for a lovely clean expanse of limestone paving upon which to put a posh patio set for outdoor dining and lots of pots filled with flowers and herbs. The chickens have already been and investigated the new scratching surface, and I shall rescue the lavender before it gets kicked out of bed by all the horrid chicken feet.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I’m not normally one for recommending getting rid of threes, or in this case moving it, but in this case I think it is a wise decision. I can’t wait to see the finished patio.
KJ
10 June 2022 at 20:17
Denise said…
I’m the same, KJ, but sometimes these things are necessary. We’ve only removed one tree in the last 6 years, in order to build the studio, but we’ve still have 31 remaining! The patio build has already been delayed once so I’m fingers crossed it will happen this week as I don’t want to have to go and scrape the weeds from the gaps in the old one AGAIN!
11 June 2022 at 08:39
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