Thursday 24 October 2013

The Saddest Before and After

 
This is the saddest before and after.
 
This beautiful old oak tree, estimated to be over 150 years old had to be felled to give us access to Satellite Broadband and the daylight to power the solar panels that we will be installing on the garage/workshop roof, which will be built directly under where it stood.
 
 
We brought in a local tree surgeon 'Dai the Log' to do the terrible deed and with his team of four guys it took just a day for this beautiful old tree to be stripped of it's branches ....

 
.... and brought to the ground.
 
This to me is the worst thing we have had to do, she was a lovely healthy old tree and in my opinion completely gave a wonderful backdrop to our land.  I miss her already and I barely got to know her.  The one glimmer of happiness out of it is that Dai knows of a local guy with a mobile sawmill who will come once the wood has seasoned slightly and cut the main trunk into planks. 
 
Lovely Hubby has promised me that he will use every last bit to manufacture stools, benches and other glorious wooden items that will honour the beautiful tree that had to go to make way for modern technology.
 
And of course in a couple of years when the wood has seasoned we will have lots and lots of lovely oak to burn in the log burner to warm us and the house.  I already have all the smaller branches chipped and these will be used in the chicken run as a winter surface for the birds. 
 
 
The stump has been left at a suitable height to make us a table on the edge of the woodland, and we will be placing a couple of benches there so that after a hard days work we can sit with a mug of coffee and drink in the view before us. 
 
It's not all bad, we will be making full use of every part of her .... but I'd still rather have kept the tree.
 
 
Inside while the tree surgeons were doing their worst we were painting away and yes, behind the log burner just had to be green didn't it :-)

 
And on the final day of our 'holiday' our lovely new sofa was delivered, at last comfort and boy did we enjoy sitting on it for the last evening.  This weekend when we go back we will be painting in the kitchen, but I will be sure once the living room is fully straightened out I will get a couple of shots for you, so a proper before and after of the Living Room on Monday.
 
Sue xx
 

17 comments:

  1. I hope you can do as much as you need to before the worst of the weather sets in. If this predicted storm for Sunday comes true, you may unfortunately have more trees/saplings down. Never goes to waste though, which is the main thing.

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  2. That is a lovely idea to re use the tree as furniture. It will tell a great story in the future.

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  3. At least the lovely old oak tree will not be wasted. Sad I know but, I think you have made the best of her lovely wood.
    Regarding the chestnut tree, could you make fencing from some of it? Or was too rotten? Just a thought!

    Have a lovely weekend xx

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    1. It was too rotten, in fact it was virtually sawdust inside you could crumble it in your fingers, how it ever stayed up I don't know!!

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  4. I imagine just how you must feel about the lovely tree, and I'm sure she appreciates your regret. . .more than many have had I'm sure.
    I love the green backdrop to the woodburner- ours is done in red!
    xx

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    1. I bet the red gives your room a lovely warm glow with the woodburner lit :-)

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  5. I know it is sad to have to fall a lovely old tree.
    Last winter out abundance of snow took beautiful old cedar into a half fallen slat at the back of our little farm . We had to take two cedars down. :( We too made benches and fire side seats out of them, and still have some cedar that we are doing projects with . It is in a way of keeping them around and honoring them.

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  6. It's an awful decision to have to make Sue, I feel for you. I've spoken before of having to have trees down here, and it's always with a heavy heart.

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  7. I do feel how sad you are Sue.

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  8. What a sad but necessary decision to have to make, but the tree will live on in furniture your husband will make and in a couple of winters that oak will keep you oh so toastie.

    Have a good weekend....when do you hope to move all together?

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  9. Always sad to see the end of one of these magnificent specimens, but it would have come to a sadder end eventually.

    At least it's all going to be used for something useful. I love the idea of making useful things out of the timber, a well-made piece of oak furniture is timeless, with luck they'll last longer than the tree would have done.

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  10. Poor tree! When will you move once and for all?

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  11. Glad it's all coming together for you. Will you be moving in soon? Bet you are excited.

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  12. Such a shame, but at least it is a renewable resource. Your living room (and new sofa) is looking lovely. You are both working so hard.

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  13. Lovely that you are using the wood :)

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  14. Always a shame when a healthy tree has to be cut down but great you are going to use as much as possible - I'm sure you will!
    Had to tell you, I drove past a house where a large tree used to stand and for whatever reason, it had been chopped down but there was a man with a chainsaw turning what was left of the trunk into a bear sculpture!
    Love looking at pics of your house coming on, XX

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