A Tree Called Miles
Forget the Great Oak of Sherwood Forest…
Somewhere, out there (could be a song) is a tree with my name on it. Unlike a dog I haven’t urinated up it and unlike Prince Charles I haven’t ruined it by carving my name into its bark but a natural monument in my name there be.
I would like to tell you all that I have had a tree named after me in honour of my contribution to the local community and the work I have done to bring the effects of global warming to the fore of people’s thinking.
Well, I’d like to but I can’t. Actually my mum, the good Mrs C. as she is affectionately known on this blog (don’t worry girls, I’m still single) paid for a tree to be planted in my name to mark a certain landmark birthday of mine not long ago.
So this week I felt duty bound to visit my own personal holy grail, a pilgrimage if you will. I had to find the place before obsessive fans of mine would find it and desecrate it, I like to think of myself as Lincolnshire’s answer to Jim Morrison, minus the looks, personality, money, fame, women-need I go on? So it’s not a gravestone in Paris but it’s as good as I’ll ever get…
Goltho Wood, not exactly Yellowstone Park (it’s about half the size of Yellowstone’s toilet facilities) but who’s counting? stands proud in the middle of nowhere which happens to be fine by me.
Putting poking fun at my insignificance on the world stage aside for one moment there is a serious point to be made here. The Woodland Trust who came up with the scheme do an incredible job in preserving and maintaining our woods and forests and, just as importantly bringing these hidden and long forgotten gems back to the public’s attention.
Obviously they do not plant a tree and put a sign on it saying ‘Miles Collins’ it is more a general contribution to the overall planting of new trees of which I am delighted to say there have been some 33,000 planted since 2006 and a further 33,000 planned for the coming year. The trees are mostly oak, ash, field maple and hazel and have been planted to create a natural and beautiful piece of scenery.
The Woodland Trust helped to provide me with a stress free day of walking and photographing in a beautiful, tranquil place. The benefits of that day are hard to describe, I felt refreshed, destressed and normal again, and all for free. That’s my idea of a good birthday present.
I like trees - we should have more of them !
There’s something tranquil about a wood, feels so very natural and right.
Possibly because England was once a virtual forest …
Rod
July 4, 2008 @ 7:47 am
Rod,
Quite right, hence my outrage at that blaggard Prince Charles carving his name on one. The media call that romantic, if it was a ‘hoodie’ with a spray can he would be a ‘yob’
Makes my blood boil.:(
Miles
July 4, 2008 @ 7:50 am
Miles,
If they don’t know which tree, how can all your adoring female fans tie a yellow ribbon around it?
Cid
July 4, 2008 @ 10:50 am
Cid,
‘Adoring female fans’ -chance would be a fine thing. You could swap the tree for a matchstick and still have room to spare
Miles
July 4, 2008 @ 6:48 pm
Elsie,
Don’t say anything but I’m now wondering if that twig cracking noise we heard as we ploughed through the woods, was Miles’ arboreal specimen…. still, never mind fortunately for him my local squirrel has planted a small forest of nut trees, we’ll name half a dozen after him to be on the safe side
Cid
July 4, 2008 @ 7:32 pm
Miles,
The Nean household is into trees too. It is important to support charities like the Woodland Trust. They set targets and report on progress which are quite staggering. In their Tree For All campaign nearly half a million people were involved in planting over one million trees. They have protection and restoration projects of ancient woodlands with a successrate of 80%.. It is vital that we have trees so that we may breathe. They are tranquil, beautiful places enhanced by the wildlife in them.
Elsie
July 4, 2008 @ 8:46 pm
Cid
.
Good idea. We should sneak out and plant a copse not far from Miles’s kitchen garden. We could hide a cuckoo clock in a tree
Elsie
July 4, 2008 @ 8:55 pm
Elsie,
They are tranquil, beautiful places enhanced by the wildlife in them …. how true. Myself, I’d rather ramble round a wood than walk along a beach, there’s always so much to see, and take in the sweet smell of the earth. I frequently wonder how much pollution is extracted from the air by the trees around my place, it’s like a protective shield.
Cid
p.s. … loved the notion of the clock… we could set the cuckoo to pop out on an extra long arm, straight through the window to hover above Miles’ head as a wake up call
July 5, 2008 @ 9:18 am