Our tree

By Peter Morris

The reprieve continues, the old house still awaits destruction and the building of five new town homes in its place, so 'our tree' is still home to the many little 'tweets' and squirrels and hawks that drop in.

The grass is really long and still growing and it's interesting to see the tracks made by the raccoons, a definite pathway from which they never seem to deviate. A few of the local cats like to stroll around the edge, not keen on getting their paws into the damp grass, one, a tortoiseshell, also has his established route with places he can hide away to do a little bird watching !

The house has its windows boarded up at the back, which seems to have quieted the ghostly activity, although at night I have seen some movements around the deck which is slowly becoming enveloped by the bushes and weeds. The blackberries especially seem to be working hard to conquer and pull down the structure, perhaps to save the builders some time.

In the front garden, the weathered cement lion statue, proudly as always, keeps watch, daring anything to come close and keeping an eye on the wonderful old rose bushes as they faithfully start to produce their beautiful blooms. Let's hope they are saved from destruction when the time comes.

We were remembering last year in the back garden. One morning in the spring, a stream of old nesting material was flying out of the bird house from the hole. It looked as though someone was inside with a power blower! We were surprised when after a few minutes, a handsome northern flicker woodpecker popped out having a breather from his spring cleaning.

This year, it looks as though a chippy cock sparrow and his family are moving in.

The trees are doing a great job, especially the apple and pear considering it's a long time since getting any loving care, and then 'our tree' keeps on growing, several 'new feet' again this year and seems to enjoy playing host to all its visitors who in turn make good use of their old friend and, I'm sure, show their appreciation in their own way.