A tsunami of devastation sweeps through the garden. The whining growl of chainsaws lay to rest several giant, aged ash trees wasted by disease. They do not go quietly. The trees look deceptively vibrant with lusciously rich green leaves that wave in greeting as I look out from my eerie each morning. But they’re ‘not waving but drowning’! As they fall, they crack & explode with loud bangs before landing heavily on the wet lawn. Small grey patches on curling leaves belie a much deeper & more deadly problem. They are rotting from the inside; flawed, vulnerable & very fragile. We watch a single leaf cluster from a tree yet to be felled, slowly & gracefully dance its last dance, falling like a tear back to the earth. It poignantly illustrates our sadness but also our hope. Seasons follow cycles of birth, death & rebirth. Clearing the old allows the dawn to bring fresh energy & new opportunities. It’s a paradox of emotions both tragic & exhilarating. The cats play on the felled beasts. It seems to be no coincidence that the trauma of losing so many trees pounds hard on the heels of our recent big changes. This time of transformation has been more than cutting out the dead wood but eliminating the growth weakened by doubt & uncertainty. Spaces left behind sway in the breeze like ghosts of what was. We can now begin to see other trees. Forced to become unbalanced & distorted, they had to crawl out from under the shadow of their neighbouring giants. As we become accustomed to the new views we can see how the more unique specimen trees can expand into the void enabling them to fulfill their true potential. As with the business, what was tangential growth can be reshaped, & encouraged to take pride of place as we evolve our ideas & expand our creativity. The spaciousness & the light it creates gives breath to old ideas waiting. A new take on the phoenix rising from the ashes perhaps. . . . #phoenixashes #transformation #change #positivechange #ashtrees #gardening #newfuture (at Llanfoist) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVNJs8pIu2O/?utm_medium=tumblr
