Can I tell you about some of my favourite trees? Feel the need to share how they impact me and I worry there might be something wrong with you if you don’t have a favourite oak or two I’ll start with the best one, the tallest oak in town stands like a sentry, guarding over our home the ‘twins’ are the next I want to show you where one trunk grew greedy and split into two and I’m greedy for oaks, I can’t get enough even the sad hollow one that refuses to give up there are a few oaks that look like octopi some boughs scrape the ground while some reach for sky round the corner squats the short fat angry one and there is a dead one covered in rhododendron the oldest are dying, but they’ll still outlive me on them every day a buzzard perches proudly further down the one I name ‘classic’ oak tree it’s cliched ‘tree shape’ stands in a field of green across the lane, the oaks stand tall and hold hands creating a canopy of green over this land but let’s not forget the ash, willow, hazel or beech the sycamore, hawthorn, alder or holly trees so many trees, do you know any of their names? doesn’t passing without a smile, fill you with shame? it’s a worry to me, something I can’t understand people who don’t long to touch trees with their hand touch them, hug them, climb them and breathe what is wrong with you, if you don’t have a favourite tree?
Welcome to the last post in my Pandemic Pets feature! I have been welcoming guests to the blog to tell us how the furry friends in their life have made getting through the Covid 19 pandemic that much easier. Today I’d like to extend a warm welcome to my very own big sister, Fran Hemsley. Fran is not a writer or a blogger, but I felt she had an interesting experience during lockdown, so I asked her if she would consider contributing to the blog.
When I found myself furloughed back in April I did what a lot of people in my position did – I started running! Every day I escaped home-schooling and the house full of people for about thirty minutes of ‘me time’; something I have never really indulged in before.
During lockdown I experienced the sudden death of my beloved Weimaraner Beau. I’m not ashamed to say he was the love of my life and my best friend. To cope with this unexpected bereavement I turned to running even more and found it even more beneficial as a means of ‘escape’.
Beau
It was during one such running session that I first came across Mr Fox. Well, I think he was a mister! He was sat as bold as brass in the middle of the road and when I paused to talk to him, he bounded on over and stopped at my feet.
And so an unlikely friendship developed in the midst of the global pandemic and the loss of my best friend.
After that initial hello, Mr Fox started appearing on my drive when I returned from my runs. He quite quickly started to follow me through the gate of our side lean-to. Even when the running stopped and I returned to work, if I left the gate open, he would appear like clockwork at the kitchen door.
After Beau died I was left with some very expensive dog food, so of course this went Mr Fox’s way. As did his wormer and flea treatment.
Mr Fox
Some people don’t like foxes being fed in urban areas, but their opinions don’t bother me. We have taken over their natural environment with the urban sprawl, turning them from hunters to scavengers and with the modern wheelie bins being so tall, it is hard for them to find our leftovers. Every single person I have spoken to about Mr Fox, bar one, does not have a problem with me feeding him. In fact, many neighbours confided in me and said; ‘Well, don’t tell anyone, but I feed the foxes too!’ It seems to be a very well kept secret where I live!
These days it’s too cold to sit in the lean-to and wait for Mr Fox to appear but I leave food for him out the front every night. Our property is kept clean and tidy and he must devour the food quickly, as we do not have a rodent problem in the area.
Brave Mr Fox
Making friends with Mr Fox was totally unexpected and magical and really helped me to get through the lockdown and the loss of my beloved Beau. I really hope to see Mr Fox again in the Spring.
Thank you so much to my sister Fran for sharing this with us and thank you too to the other bloggers and guests who shared their pandemic pet stories!
The Glorious Outsiders 