I have fond memories of the trees of the houses I’ve lived in. Growing up, we had two tall, slim trees in the garden, and when you were lying on the couch looking out the windows to the west, you saw the sky and these two gracious Birch trees. During the day and with friends visiting, the trunks worked perfectly as goal posts.
Our first (and so far only) house we’ve owned had a huge, massive Red Maple in the back of the garden. When we moved in, I wanted it cut down as it took all sun light (which there is not a lot of in Denmark) from the lawn. Wisely, we listened to advice and lived a full year in the house before making any drastic decisions – watching the seasons pass by. Luckily we kept it – and how I loved watching it, red and massive in the summer – and a serious silhouette in winter. And the shade in summer turned out to be lovely for the kids that later appeared.
The second house we rented in Australia had old, fascinating Gum trees all around it. I remember lying outside, on days that were not easy, looking up, feeling a special calmness.
The third house had a super tall Palm tree right in front of the house, from the shower you could see the top through the windows, which made it feel a bit like being on holidays. Coming home at night, I used to watch it in the dark and imagine I was sitting at the top of it, overlooking it all.
The house we rent now has an amazing view, spacious, green – and a bit to the right, a big Gum tree frames the view. Some people think it should be cut down, but I enjoy the contrast and depth it gives, setting the scene for a sunset or some birds.
And then there are the amazing shoots in the wild, growing on rocks, having found just a bit of soil and a tiny source of water – enough for it to start showing the world that anything is possible.
Thank you trees so far – for stability, shade, calmness, flying high, framework and bravery!