I remember very strongly, being driven past a field of 'baby Christmas trees' on the way to my granfer's house for summer holidays, probably about 1968/9. These conifers were about 2' - 3' tall and had just been planted out.

I drove past them again last month. They're all about 30' - 40' tall now, but the rest of the landscape was like it had never moved..... bluebells, wild garlic, cowslips and primroses, wild violets, yellow rattle and red campions, all incredibly intense in colour and scent.

I used to share these things with my family. They're all gone now, and the one person I wanted to share them with then wasn't there. It makes such a difference, looking a at a landscape alone or with someone. I found myself turning round, pointing things out to him, before I remembered he wasn't there, and was never going to see these wonderful things with me.

I don't know what made me feel saddest... the fact that he wasn't there with me, or that I remembered the trees being planted and felt so old, or that the flowers were there, so young and fresh, but would never be so again.

LTS